Around 700 educators engaged in teaching Chinese have gathered in Washington for the first Conference on Chinese Language Teaching in the United States. They've discussed the promotion of Chinese Language learning in the the country. CRI's Zheng Chenguang has more.

The meeting attracted representatives from Government organs both in China and the United States. Educators from US schools that offer Chinese courses and 42 Confucius Institutes across the country also attended the event.

Vivien Stuart, vice chairman of the US Asia Society, said at the opening ceremony that the conference is a milestone in the history of Chinese learning in his country.

"We had originally planed this conference for maybe 300 to 400 people; we have nearly 700 people from 41 states and several foreign countries in attendance. Clearly this event marks a milestone in the history of language education in the United States."

Xu Lin, director of the Office of Chinese Language Council International, or OCLCI, analyzed the reason behind the Chinese learning fever.

"The American people seem to have great interest in learning Chinese. The most important reason is that China is becoming much stronger. They regard China as the fastest growing economies in the world. The kids' parents also say the China in the 21 century is not to be neglected."

Xu Lin also said the rapid development of Chinese Teaching will help US youths better understand Chinese culture and enhance friendship between the two peoples.

Rough estimates show that over 100,000 American students have started studying Chinese. Moreover, nearly 60 universities in the US have submitted their applications to the OCLCI for opening new Confucius Institutes.

Zheng Chenguang, CRI news.