I REFER to yesterday's report, 'MM Lee wants learning of Chinese to be fun'.

While I would not say Chinese was taught in a fun way in the 1970s and 1980s, I appreciate the beauty of the language, like how long sentences can be condensed into just four words in Chinese idioms. A Chinese SMS can be composed more economically than in English, using far fewer characters.

Knowing Chinese opens my eyes to 5,000 years of rich history and culture. To his amazement, my husband discovered from a business associate in Henan, China that he could trace his roots all the way back to his first forefather in 1092BC in the Shang Dynasty.

Chinese competence also offers an unexpected bonus: As a regular visitor to Japan, I find my knowledge of Chinese comes in handy when deciphering signs and communicating with the Japanese. I can write kanji to buy train tickets, for example, and even interact with friendly shop owners.

My husband and I are the beneficiaries of Singapore's bilingual education system, without which we would not be living and working in Taiwan today.

Liu I-Chun (Ms)

This article was first published in The Straits Times.