Center for Mandarin Learning to open in North Jersey as interest in Chinese dialect grows
Mandarin Chinese language learning has been growing in the United States, especially among young people with immersion programs for K-12 students increasing an average of 16% a year for the last decade.
In Tenafly, the Bergen Chinese School, which has been teaching children and adults to read, write and speak Mandarin since 1972, will contribute to that growth this weekend with the opening of the school's Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning.
Mandarin is a form of Chinese that is the official language of mainland China and Taiwan. Interest in Mandarin has surged along with the growth in the Asian-American population in the U.S. and China's rise as a global economic superpower.
The center, which is actually a program that is a more immersive version of the school's current adult classes, will host a grand opening on Sunday at Tenafly High School at 3 p.m. That's where the Bergen Chinese School has operated since 2018 after previously being based in Hackensack.
Raymond Chung, the principal of the Bergen Chinese School, said while currently the school offers classes where adults learn Mandarin through conversation, the new center will offer something more extensive.
"Now, we're offering a more structured program for adults over 18," Chung said. "With the Taiwan Center, instead of just coming together for conversation, there's also more emphasis on the technical aspects of the language like reading and writing."
He said the adult conversation classes, which are usually an hour are now three hours in this new center/program. Classes had officially started in the center on March 5 and will run until June 11, meeting every Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in three sessions. The center will then resume in the fall when the high school is open for the school year.
The new center was made possible by a grant from the Overseas Community Affairs Council of the Republic of China, the formal name of Taiwan. There are 66 of these centers in the U.S. and Europe with more than 50 of them in the U.S. including 5 five in New Jersey.
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Chung said the center is offering learning for those want to be more proficient in the language to communicate with loved ones who speak only Mandarin.
New Jersey has one of the largest Chinese-American populations in the country, with 168,000 residents of Chinese descent, according to U.S. Census figures. Overall, Asian Americans are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the state, accounting for 10% of New Jersey's 9 million-plus population, according to 2020 census.
Chung said the grand opening will feature a traditional fan dance and the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the new center. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will include representatives from the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office and Tenafly Mayor Mark Zinna.
While the new program, which has a tuition of $400 and additional costs for registration and materials, has already begun, people can still attend by applying at the school's website at bergenchineseschool.org.
Ricardo Kaulessar is a culture reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Atlantic Region How We Live team. For unlimited access to the most important news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com
Twitter: @ricardokaul
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning hosts grand opening in Tenafly NJ
