Abstract

As the earliest name of International Chinese Language Education, Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (TCFL) seems forgotten by the public in China for many years. However, Baidu Index shows that TCFL suddenly aroused much public’s interest from the December 2023 and the interest has continued in some large cities of China during the last year. This study intended to explain this phenomenon through big data analysis and semi-structure interviews. Key findings reveal that firstly, a consistent surge in searches for TCSOL is observed during the Nationwide Unified Examination for Admissions to General Universities and Colleges in China. Secondly, TCFL has regained prominence as a popular profession among women aged between their twenties and thirties. Lastly, the increasing demand for learning Chinese and the widespread adoption of online teaching have likely contributed to the growing popularity of TCFL as a profession.

Keywords: Baidu index data, Public interest, Teaching Chinese as a foreign language, International Chinese language education, Teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages