Plenty of opportunities to study Putonghua on the mainland

Learning Putonghua has never been so popular. In 2004, almost 111,000 students from 178 countries enrolled at Chinese universities, according to Xinhua, which said the figure was a 43 per cent increase on the previous year. More than 30 million people were studying Putonghua abroad.

Choosing where to study can be difficult. A search on the internet in Britain did not leave me any the wiser as to where to go, so I chose a place I had already heard of from a previous visit to the mainland and knew had a decent reputation. Although that, of course, doesn't help the first-timer.

Official statistics estimate there to be at least 30 universities and more than 50 private schools teaching Putonghua in Beijing alone.

Some mainland institutions have links with universities abroad and hold educational exhibitions overseas. There are even specialist companies which represent certain schools and help students decide which to attend. They also help with things such as visas and accommodation.

Word-of-mouth recommendation is very common. Several friends and colleagues now attend my university, which pleased the staff. They even gave me a discount. Guanxi counts, as always.