MORE than 500 expatriates took the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK), the official Chinese language test, at Shenzhen University on Sunday (Dec 10).

A total of 534 people from 17 countries sat the exam. "The number is double that of 2003, when the university first held the exam," said Cai Feng, at the university's HSK center.

Only about one-third of the examinees are students at the university, while about 20 percent of them come from nearby cities such as Dongguan, Huizhou, Zhuhai and Hong Kong, Cai said.

More than 75 percent of the examinees are from South Korea, of which China is the biggest trading partner.

HSK certificates, which can help foreigners apply for a place at an institution of higher education or land a job in China, are becoming increasingly popular with the growing influence of China in the world.

Official figures show that more than 30 million people are studying Chinese overseas. The number of HSK examinees worldwide reached nearly 120,000 in 2005, up 26 percent from a year before. Ma Jianfei, vice director of the Office of Chinese Language Council International, expects the number of Chinese language learners to reach 100 million by 2010.

The HSK certificates are divided into 11 levels, with the highest level - 11 - for people qualified to be translators. "With a Level Six certificate, a foreigner can easily land a job in China, and with a Level Eight certificate, a foreigner can find a good job," said Cai.

Chinese universities require their overseas applicants to hold a Level Six certificate for pursuing an art degree and Level Three for pursuing a science degree.

Some people sit the test several times until they get Level 11 - the guarantee of an excellent job, said Cai.

Editor: Wing