Chongqing - Tech billionaires, world leaders and millions of ordinary learners are turning to Mandarin, drawn by career opportunities, Chinese culture and a growing curiosity about everyday life in China.

On Oct. 11, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd spoke in fluent, near-native Chinese at the 2026 Tongzhou Global Development Forum, recalling his past experiences with China. Earlier this year, during a visit to China, then-Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić admitted that one of his biggest regrets was being too old to learn Chinese. He added that his youngest son had started learning it.

They are part of a growing global interest in the Chinese language that now reaches from political and business elites to everyday learners around the world.

From elites to everyday learners

A screenshot of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's report.

In May, Elon Musk said on social media that his son was learning Mandarin. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has reported that for many American political and business families, learning Chinese is now a deliberate educational choice rather than a hobby. The report said Amazon founder Jeffrey Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and some members of US President Donald Trump's family have included Chinese in their children's education.

"China is the world's second-largest economy," China expert Kerry Brown told the ABC. He said it makes sense for foreigners to learn a language with both practical value and future potential.

The trend goes far beyond the famous. According to Duolingo's 2025 Language Report, Chinese was the second-fastest-growing language on the platform in the United States, with new learners up 216 percent. It was also among the fastest-growing languages in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia and Mexico.

In Yiwu, the world's largest small-commodities hub, Chinese classes have become a must for foreign traders. In Delhi, courses in business Chinese and workplace terminology are fully booked. Online, hashtags such as #ChinaTravel, #ChinaCool and #Chinamaxxing keep trending.

The numbers back this up. China's Ministry of Education says international Chinese language education had reached 212 countries and regions by the end of 2025. As of March 2026, 90 countries had included Chinese in their national education systems, and nearly 210 million people worldwide were learning or using the language. The number of HSK test-takers, China's official proficiency exam, grew 21-fold between 2004 and 2024, and more than 800,000 people sat the exam in 2025.

Why Chinese?

Practical value is a major driver. China is a global manufacturing, trade and technology powerhouse, and one of the world's largest consumer markets. Indian news anchor Palki Sharma explained that language often follows power on her show. For people who deal with Chinese companies, suppliers or customers, she said, speaking Chinese opens doors.

Chinese is also increasingly paired with practical skills, from e-commerce and livestreaming to vocational training. The Center for Language Education and Cooperation under China's Ministry of Education has set up 39 "Chinese workshops" in 29 countries that combine language learning with job skills.

Culture is another draw. Classics such as “The Analects of Confucius” and “The Art of War” have long attracted readers abroad. Today, video games such as “Black Myth: Wukong,” “Genshin Impact,” and “Whiteout Survival” are introducing Chinese culture to new audiences.

For many, the appeal is also personal. As "China Travel" and "Becoming Chinese" have gone viral, American users have flocked to the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu to compare daily lives, and influencers around the world now share their "Chinese-style" routines. What draws them is not just food or scenery, but the warmth and texture of everyday life.

More than a language

An event marking the seventh UN Chinese Language Day in Beijing on April 20, 2026. (Photo/Wang Mingyu, Xinhua)

That spirit was on display this April 20, the seventh UN Chinese Language Day. More than 1,000 events were held in over 100 countries under the theme "Chinese: Sparking Colorful Dreams." At the main event at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, young people from Serbia, Brazil, Cameroon, Russia and Turkey shared how learning Chinese had helped them pursue their dreams.

For a Zimbabwean student at Ocean University of China, learning Chinese characters has meant trying paper cutting and calligraphy. "Chinese is not just a tool for communication," she said. "It's a key that opens the door to another culture and another way of thinking." Another student from Cameroon worked as an interpreter for engineers from several countries on a construction site. "Chinese has given me a way to connect with the world," he said. Also, a student from Turkey studied in China and is now a Chinese teacher. "Chinese helped me find a career I love, and it can help others find their dreams too," she said.

Just as Palki Sharma summed up the trend: the languages people choose to learn reflect where they see opportunity, culture and the future heading. For a growing number of learners around the world, that path now runs through Chinese.