Aug 6, 2014 By Stephanie Wang 3 min read

There are many reasons why a child might want to learn Chinese: as part of their culture or heritage, for a competitive edge as an adult, or maybe just to learn a language not taught in a regular school. Learning Chinese can be fun. But, other than Rosetta Stone, there aren’t a whole lot of resources to learn the Chinese language, especially in a real classroom environment. However, Pittsburgh Chinese Academy (PCA), based in Peters Township, makes learning Chinese fun, easy and personal.

PCA was established in 2007 by a group of Chinese parents who wanted to have a closer option than the main Pittsburgh Chinese School in Squirrel Hill. The school has grown steadily in recent years with more Chinese families and more non-Chinese families joining in. Currently, PCA holds classes on weekends at a local church, teaching children of all ages and races not only the language, but the culture, too. With classes like Introduction to Chinese and levels from 1 to 5, and Advanced Chinese for older kids, there are classes for every child, for both the beginner and the advanced student. While a traditional school might be boring, PCA is the exact opposite.

“The teachers are nice,” says Damien, a level 3 student. Besides learning just the language, students also have the option to take an additional one-hour class on topics like traditional Chinese dance, drawing, chess and conversation. Additionally, all classes are taught by Chinese-Americans with a vast understanding of the culture and language.

During all the major Chinese holidays, such as Chinese New Year, Moon Festival, etc., there are parties where kids can enjoy authentic Chinese food while learning the meaning behind the holidays, giving them a greater appreciation of Chinese culture. This Chinese New Year, for example, PCA had Adam Liu, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra assistant principal cello, perform at its celebration. He not only played his cello, but also a erhu, a two-stringed Chinese vertical fiddle with a small body and a long neck.

What may be most surprising is that PCA has been seeing an increasing number of non-Chinese families showing an interest in its program. This can be attributed to its versatility as a language and simply put, how enjoyable and stress-free learning the language is with PCA. It’s never too late to learn a language, but certainly, learning Chinese at an early age is a enormous help. Deb Busche, vice principal of PCA and who also has two young boys enrolled in the program, said, “We started our boys in Chinese school so that they would have an early exposure to learning a second language.”

With China’s expanding economy, learning Chinese can help children in their future. Companies are now looking for bilingual, trilingual and multilingual workers, and it is imperative to learn a language, especially Chinese. Shuping Liu, a founding member, former principal and current teacher at PCA, explained, “Besides China, Chinese is also the official language in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. So it would be beneficial for anyone to understand the language and culture, no matter for business or personal purposes.”

Learning Chinese, whether it be to gain a competitive edge later on or just for sheer enjoyment, can be not only highly beneficial, but enjoyable, too. The best part of learning a language is that no matter what age you are, it’s never too late or too early to learn.

For more information on PCA or to enroll, email principal@pittsburghchineseacademy.org.

Stephanie Wang is a freshman at Peters Township High School.