Tech Shout!

On Saturday, China launched a Web site called www.linese.com. This Web site offers free Chinese lessons as well as materials, to promote the study and use of Chinese, which is their official language, abroad.

China’s Web site features audio-visual presentations, with photographs and descriptions of Chinese cultural icons such as the Great Wall, basketball star Yao Ming and well known kung fu actor Jackie Chan. Besides, the site contains interactive exercises and advice for teachers of Mandarin Chinese.

Quite a few of the exercises on linese.com throw light on China’s mythical and imperial past. Practice sentences such as “how can you be a hero if you are unarmed” and “ I find that Tibetans like worshipping heroes”, amongst many others also feature on the We site.

China is very keen on spreading its culture around the world. China is also eager on expanding its cultural influence along with its growing economic power and is making sure its presence is felt around the world by setting up a network of “Confucius Institutes” around the globe to promote its culture.

Linese.com is only in China and English at the moment, but versions in Korean and Japanese are on the way to being developed, China’s official Xinghua news agency said.

The Ministry of Education mentioned that more than 30 million people are now learning Chinese as a foreign language and more than 2,500 universities in 100 countries now offer Chinese courses.