Speaking in one language

Another contestant Ben Elmakias, 26, from the United States says his career plan was to teach expats Mandarin in Chinese cities such as Chengdu. "I love Chengdu for its laid-back but modern style. There will be rising demand from expats wanting to learn Chinese in cities like these as they become increasingly international."

As part of a US-China friendship project, he worked as a volunteer English teacher in a college on the outskirts of Tianshui in Gansu province for two years, before being admitted to East China Normal University in Shanghai.

"That experience also made me decide that I wanted to be a language teacher, since I have a special affection for Mandarin," says Elmakias, who majored in Mandarin for his undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin.

Lu Qinning, deputy dean of the School of Chinese Studies and Exchange of Shanghai International Studies University, says there are more than 60 million foreigners around the world who are learning Mandarin.

"The enthusiasm for learning Mandarin also raises the standards of Mandarin teaching. And the level of foreign students' language proficiency in Chinese is rising," he says.

Lu says Mandarin graduates will take up occupations closely related to China and will become involved in promoting exchanges between China and other countries.

He says that one of the students returned to her home country of Thailand after graduating from SISU last year and joined Rangsit University, one of the largest private universities in the country.

"And she is already dean of Chinese at the university," says Lu.