An essay on grassroots popularity of Mandarin in the Middle East

Mapping Connections Early Career Researcher Jie Wang contributed an essay titled “A Chinese Conversation Nādi in Cairo: The Grassroots Popularity of Mandarin Chinese in the Middle East” to the Focus section of Global China Pulse. Taking a Chinese conversation nādi (club) in Cairo as a humble grassroots initiative, this essay highlights the social tenacity and microconditions behind the popularity of Mandarin in the Middle East, showing how these are closely bound up with individual extralinguistic experiences of a sense of community and camaraderie with fellow learners and instructors. 

Global China Pulse is a biannual Open Access journal that focuses on China’s international engagements in their various manifestations. It aims to advance open knowledge about China through bridging the gap between the academic community, civil society, and the general public.