While most Chinese immigrants who came to the United States prior to 1980 and their descendants spoke Cantonese, the current standard language in Mainland China is Mandarin. With a population of 1.3 billion, almost one-quarter of the world's total population, China hosts the largest international consumer market and a workforce unparalleled by Western nations. The necessity for learning and understanding the Chinese mindset, its language, culture, customs, and tradition will prove crucial to 21st-century academics, people in business, and politicians alike.

The language program at Mills offers an intensive introduction to Mandarin (Standard) Chinese with the pin-yin pronunciation system and simplified characters, emphasizing speaking, listening, reading, and writing, with realistic exercises and practical applications. The first-year sequence will provide students with techniques in recognizing and memorizing Chinese characters, searching the Chinese dictionary, as well as a crash course in culture, tradition, customs, and slang in modern China.

The ultimate goal of the first semester is to allow students to have a better understanding of Chinese language and culture, while being able to interact and communicate for basic needs in Mainland China. The second semester will further enhance the students' reading and writing abilities, enabling the students to either continue their studies of Chinese language or history, or be able to more easily traverse in more specific academic, business, or social circles in Mainland China.