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Books

Learning Chinese

Mastering Chinese is a dream of many foreigners who live and work in China, especially diplomats. Now a book, titled Stories of Diplomats' Chinese Class, about how they learn the language is out. It has been compiled by the Beijing Language and Cultural Center for Diplomatic Missions.

Founded in 1956, the center has so far received 20,000 students, mostly embassy staff members and their families, from more than 100 countries and regions. Some well-known students include former US president George H.W. Bush, the late Indian president Kocheril Raman Narayanan and the princess of Thailand Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

The stories are told by teachers, recalling their students' hard work, cultural anecdotes and how the diplomats survived learning Chinese - one of the hardest languages in the world.