Beijing – September 20, 2026 -- Nearly 210 million people around the world are now learning or using Chinese, according to China's Ministry of Education, as the language moves from classrooms into everyday pop culture and career paths.
Ninety countries have added Chinese to their national school curricula
The Ministry of Education reports that 90 countries have incorporated Chinese into their education systems. In the first half of this year, 564,000 candidates worldwide sat for the Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK), a 36 percent increase year on year.
Social media is turning Chinese habits into global trends
On TikTok, Chinese American creator Sherry Zhu built a following of 740,000 in months by posting videos about drinking hot water, wearing cotton slippers and brewing goji berries. One user reportedly memorized the character "呢" by breaking it into the sounds "o-p-t."
Contestants from five countries describe how Chinese changed their path
At this year's Chinese Bridge competition, Vietnam's Le Van Dai said he began with a self-study handbook, writing the character "我" a hundred times before Tang and Song poetry led him to the stage. Togo's Wang Jiayi said his interest started with Jackie Chan films and grew after watching the TV series Meet Yourself.
American contestant Ma Siwei, who calls himself a "challenge addict," taught himself the bamboo flute and hulusi through online videos and once performed the Spring Festival Overture at a China-US concert. Australia's Ava Gibbons, who first visited China with her parents at age 12, has studied the language for seven years and performed a fish-lantern dance in hanfu at the event. Brazil's Song Yinuo, appearing on the Chinese Bridge stage for the first time, described climbing the Great Wall during her trip and said the competition let her "see a bigger world" through language and friendships.
The competition marks its 25th anniversary this year
Chinese Bridge is currently holding its secondary and primary school rounds in Tianjin, bringing together young participants from more than 100 countries. The event began 25 years ago as a single competition and has since expanded into a recurring international gathering for Chinese-language learners.