中文如今在世界各國都成為人們爭相學習的"外語".據法國新聞社報道,在葡萄牙的一個工業小鎮,漢語普通話成為了8到9歲孩子們的必修課.

AFP: Five hundred years after the Portuguese became the first Europeans to establish sea trade with China, a town in northern Portugal is counting on its youth to secure a new foothold in the Asian giant.

The small industrial town of Sao Joao da Madeira, Portugal's shoe capital which specialises in luxury models, has now made Mandarin compulsory for its 8- and 9-year-olds.

The aim is to give their youth the competitive tool to help sell its footwear to China.And the government, battling to put six years of debilitating crisis behind, is watching the town's experiment closely to see if it can be replicated throughout the country.