This from the International Herald Tribune (11.19):
“For Many Asians, China Is Cultural Magnet … CHIANG RAI, THAILAND. In pagoda-style buildings donated by the Chinese government to the university here, Long Seaxiong, 19, stays up nights to master the intricacies of Mandarin. The sacrifice is worth it, he says, and the choice of studying Chinese was an easy one over perfecting his faltering English. China, not America, is the future, he insists, speaking for many of his generation in Asia.”
Hint: This is not a small story!