When going to school or visiting mainland China you will want to see the cities of Beijing and Shanghai. Beijing is the capital of china. The people there are very friendly and will be glad to talk to you in Mandarin but translate it into English. Depending on what time of the year you are going, you will want to pack appropriately for the weather at that time. Because Shanghai in the winter can be very frigid and because the homes have very thin walls where as the homes in Beijing have thicker walls and central heating. People in Beijing and Shanghai speak the Mandarin Chinese language only with their own dialects. When it comes to entertainment Beijing has many more economical options for people who are visiting or going to school and want to stay within their budget like the clubs for the younger set. In many schools in China the students learn to speak English as a second language. China has one of the world's largest populations with 1/5th of the people living there. The mandarin language is very important in doing business with many Chinese companies both here in the USA and abroad. Therefore it will be much easier to communicate with your business associates, employees and coworkers. More times than not, a customer would rather give the contract to a company that understands their language and the culture. Sometimes when a translator is used to interpret a business plan it loses its meaning and maybe the job. Often people think learning the mandarin language would be too difficult for them to do. Finding the right school with the right technique makes all the difference in your learning experience. You will find that living in the country of the language in which you are trying to learn, makes you use what you have learned each day so you will retain it. Also, if you get the opportunity to do it in China you will want to check out the cities of Beijing and Shanghai. There are many job opportunities in consulting, Technologies, paralegal and translating the Mandarin language to English or English to Mandarin. If you wish to stay and get a degree in Mandarin you would be able to teach the Chinese language in China and here in the USA or another country of your choice. You will also find that you will be immersed in a culture that dates back some 5000 years. And the Chinese food in mainland China is very different to the commercialized American Chinese food that you would be used to getting. But, just because it is different, don't be afraid to try a new thing you might be rather surprised. The Culture of china has had a large influence on the western people like Marco Polo and Max Weber as well as many other men and women. China has one of the great wonders of the world; The Great wall of China. The wall can be viewed by our astronauts as they orbit the earth. It is one of a few land marks you can see from outer space.