Cultural understanding

In the West and other parts of the world, there is a growing and deepening appreciation of Chinese and other Far Eastern cultures. Chinese cooking, ideas on health, exercise forms such as Tai Ji (太極) or Qi Gong (氣功), medical treatments such as acupuncture (針灸), and ancient philosophical systems such as the Dao(道) or Yi Jing (易經) are among the disciplines that many individuals in the West have been learning, exploring, and teaching. Chinese and Far Eastern thought and arts continue to enter the mainstream especially through movies and television dramas based on martial arts such as Gong Fu(㓛夫). [1]

Because language and culture are so intricately interwoven, learning the Chinese language can help shed new light on any Chinese cultural studies one may be pursuing. This should be of special interest for teachers of art forms originating in China, and aspiring teachers, both in deepening their understanding of the subject they are teaching as well as paving the way for further studies, perhaps in China or Taiwan, they might wish to undertake in the future.

Not even the tip of the iceberg of this deep cultural heritage has yet been accessed. For those wanting to look for riches that lie beneath the tip, for teachers who want to be regarded as exceptional rather than mediocre, some Chinese language ability will invariably stand them in good stead.