Bachelor of Arts (BA) majoring in Chinese | Bachelor's degree | Languages | On Campus | 3 years | The University of Canterbury | New Zealand

China is one of the world's oldest civilizations and in the 21st century, is the most heavily populated nation in the world, with over 1.3 billion people. Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken first language in the world. For the last few years China has been New Zealand's fastest growing market for international visitors. By developing competency in the Chinese language, students will gain insight and access to Chinese culture. Understanding the society and culture of this historic yet modern nation is becoming increasingly important as China overtakes more traditional Western nations in terms of economic power, cultural relevance and international influence. The Chinese programme at UC provides a wide range of courses in both the language and the studies of Chinese literature, thought, tradition, culture and society. It is backed by a team of staff specialising in language, literature, philosophy, film and culture.