Mastering Mandarin vital to penetrate Chinese market
KOTA KINABALU: The Chinese language has become increasingly significant due to the rapid growth of China’s economy, said Sze Yi Association West Coast Sabah president Datuk Susan Wong Siew Guen.
“Since China adopted the Open Door Policy 30 years ago, the country has achieved remarkable growth. As such, Mandarin has become one of the most useful languages in the world,” she said,
Wong, who is also the vice president of the Confederation of Chinese Communities Associations of Sabah and Labuan, said learning Mandarin would benefit people who wish to penetrate into the Chinese market.
She said Malaysia placed equal emphasis on the Malay, Chinese and English languages. However, she pointed out that many people perceived that English was the only useful language to be learned. As a result, Wong said many Malaysian Chinese opted to only learn English and Malay.
“Only now they realize that it is a great loss not being able to read and write the Chinese language.
“We are also seeing more and more bumiputeras enrolling in Chinese schools nowadays, who have learned to speak Mandarin fluently,” she said at the opening ceremony of the fifth statewide Chinese essay competition for Kota Kinabalu zone held at Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School hall here yesterday.
The competition, held simultaneously in Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Lahad Datu, Keningau, Tenom, Kudat and Labuan, is organized by the Confederation of Chinese Communities Associations of Sabah and Labuan. The Education Bureau of Sze Yi Association West Coast, Sabah was entrusted with co-organizing the competition for Kota Kinabalu zone.
Wong was pleased to see that the competition has attracted 510 participants in Kota Kinabalu this year, an increase from 411 last year.
She said some 1,000 participants took part in the essay competition throughout Sabah.
Wong said the competition aimed to elevate the standard of Chinese essay writing in Sabah and to cultivate interest in writing among the younger generation.
She added that the State Education Department also recognized the competition as an extracurricular activity, meaning that students who took part in the competition could earn extra points.
Meanwhile, assistant State Education director of Chinese school unit, Tham Yun Fook, said China’s rise as a major economy had elevated Mandarin as a global language. He said mastering the Chinese language would greatly benefit one’s future.
As such, Tham hoped that the participants could encourage their peers to study and register for the subject of Chinese language in public examinations.
“Mandarin will be useful for your employability and further study prospects in the future,” he stressed.