Mandarin competence takes 2, 200 class hours, with half of that time spent in a country where it's spoken, according to the U.S. State Department's Foreign Service Institute, whereas Spanish can be learned in 600 to 750 class hours.
The Museum of Chinese in America kicks off its Lunar New Year Family Festival on 2 February with performances by local dancers, kid-centric Mandarin workshops, hands-on arts and crafts projects and a chance to learn more about Chinese holiday customs and rituals.