Even so, most of the students struggled, although many were more enthusiastic when asked to join a game of piecing separate characters into a sentence. I do wonder how many of them will keep up learning Chinese. I heard some parents talk about how their children quit after only a few classes.

Dr Ma Liping, who heads a Chinese language school for overseas Chinese at Stanford University, writes online about the frustration of Chinese-US youths and their parents. According to Ma, generations of Chinese immigrants in the US - whether they are from the Chinese mainland or Taiwan - have tried to pass their mother tongue to their children, without much success. Parents, as well as teachers, acknowledge that learning and teaching Chinese to children in the US is difficult, especially when they don't have their non-English speaking grandparents around.

The key stumbling block is the methodology, Charlie Zhang, chairman of the board of the Chinese school, told me. After all, few of the teachers who compile the existing textbooks live in the US. Without in-depth knowledge about the lives, interest and needs of children in the US, it is difficult to come up with an attractive curricula for them.

But no matter how hard it is, the Chinese here have not stopped trying. Browsing on the website, I've noticed that several of them have come up with their own textbooks.

I've read a few of Ma Liping's lessons. They are fascinating because the lessons try to help children learn Chinese characters first. And the lessons, from ancient Chinese proverbs and tales, are rich in traditional Chinese culture and wisdom. It seems the search for the best way to teach the Chinese language is still ongoing.

The author is assistant editor-in-chief of China Daily. She can be reached at lixing@chinadaily.com.cn.

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