International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

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Chinese language and Culture Interplay in Invigorating Social Development: A Context of Kenya

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Mercy Mweni Kathina, Fredrick Okoth Otieno, Peter Gikonyo, Christopher Khayeka-Wandabwa, Methody Florian Owaki

Pages 295-303 Received: 09 Feb, 2020 Revised: 01 Mar, 2020 Published Online: 17 Apr, 2020

http://dx.doi.org/10.46886/IJARBSS/v10-i4/7130
Going by the progressive China global opening-up and reform agenda alongside interlinked international influence, it is apparent that knowledge sharing, economic integration and cross-cultural communication are increasingly becoming indispensable occasioning the demand for intellectuals, entrepreneurs or employees with a global standpoint. The aim of this perspective is to highlight the introduction and progress of Chinese Language and Culture in Kenya in invigorating social development. Documentary enquiries along with discourse analysis dimensions are applied. Progressively, language teaching was integrated with Chinese culture as a training package to the current prominence from elementary to Bachelor’s degree level in about six public and private higher learning institutions. Consequently, the combined program of Chinese language and culture is emerging as one of the fastest growing foreign language programs in Kenya. This has come with strengthened practical bilateral exchanges significantly benefitting the youth courtesy of having competitive exchange programs to language-based universities in mainland China for both short and long term programs the underlying benefits being multi-cultural exposure, deeper mutual understanding and gainful socioeconomic pursuits. Language and culture exchange programs between China and Kenya among beneficiary learners has gone a long way in instilling deeper mutual understanding between the two nations with enhanced intellectual and economic ties across fields. However, despite the close relation between language, culture and environment, the introduction of Chinese culture in teaching of Chinese as a second language is of multi-faceted complexity to new learners that have not had an actual experience of China thus more exchange programs should be fostered.
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In-Text Citation: (Kathina et al., 2020)
To Cite this Article: Kathina, M. M., Otieno, F. O., Gikonyo, P., Khayeka-Wandabwa, C., & Owaki, M. F. (2020). Chinese language and Culture Interplay in Invigorating Social Development: A Context of Kenya. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 10(4), 295–303.