The Chinese language is the key that opens the door to the house of China, which boasts a population of 1.1 billion people and a history of more than four millennia. It offers rare opportunities. The largest segment in the African and Asian Language division, the Chinese Program at Baylor consists of three faculty members, including an exchange professor from Tsinghua University, Beijing. The program offers a structured sequence of instruction in language skills, from the simple to the sophisticated, that help students achieve proficiency in spoken and written Mandarin.