Or Cantonese if you are in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong and Macau, and possibly portuguese also in the latter ex colony.

For Xinjiang province, I'd say learning the uighur language is perhaps useful also. Disagreements perhaps, but there is more than one language is there not?!

No get it, got it, good needed here. Because you know I'm indubitably right on this one, and can't be wrong, not one jot, my dear lad. No arguments of well we are in the solar system so we may as well learn martian if there are martians are relevant to this discussion, dearie me, no. Hope this gets you adding some brandy to your evening bottle of red:)

Attaboy, I think you are on the button here.

In Response To: Re: You must learn Chinese to avoid trouble. (Turnoi)

That is a mighty step to take just to avoid trouble

You undoubtedly have an advantage if you learn Chinese-stands to reason really; nevertheless, some of us seem to get on okay with a bare smattering, especially if you have a TA. Seems a long way to come and a long time to stay, if you don't make an effort to learn some Mandarin though.