Chinese facts:

Worldwide, about 40 million people are learning Mandarin, China’s official spoken language and its most common dialect.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/24/business/yuan.php

Nearly 100,000 foreigners went to China to study Mandarin in 2006, more than twice the number five years earlier.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/24/business/yuan.php