It’s nearly NZ Chinese Language Week!

There are currently nearly 90,00 Chinese born people living in New Zealand, with many more Chinese New Zealanders born here every year. New Zealand also has a strong trade relationship with China. For these reasons, we were the first western country to introduce a Chinese Language Week, which was launched in 2014.

 

 

New Zealand Chinese Language Week is celebrated in the second week of September each year to match up with the Chinese Moon Festival. This year it starts on Monday 12 September and runs through to Sunday 18th. New Zealand Chinese Language Week aims to increase Kiwi’s knowledge and understanding of Chinese language, and it is also a great opportunity to learn more about Chinese culture.

 

To celebrate the occasion, special events will be held around the country (click here to check out what will be happening in Wellington), and we are all encouraged to learn some new words in Mandarin, the official language of China. We have some great books on our library catalogue to help you get started with this, otherwise check out the New Zealand Chinese Language Week website to learn Mandarin online.

 

Pop along to one of our Mandarin Storytimes during Chinese language Week. They are free and fun and perfect for little ones aged 3-5 years old.