WELLINGTON, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- The 2020/2021 Mandarin Chinese for Business Program has been officially launched by Wellington China Cultural Centre and Wellington City Council on Wednesday, with support from Xiamen Municipal People's Government and Xiamen University in China.

The language course focuses on practical Chinese in business, tourism and culture, with students mainly from Wellington City Council and other public sectors.

The Mandarin Chinese for Business Program was launched in 2018 and is now in its third year.

The 2020/2021 program was originally planned to launch in March, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the course features a combination of online and offline teaching methods.

Students will have the opportunity to study online courses offered by Xiamen University, which are customized for employees of Wellington City Council and other public sectors in the capital, while receiving in-class instruction from a teacher of Wellington China Cultural Centre every Wednesday night.

"2020 has been a very challenging year. I'm so happy to see many familiar faces today. Welcome back to our Mandarin Chinese course. And to all the newcomers, I hope you enjoy learning Chinese."

Guo Zongguang, director of Wellington China Cultural Centre, signed the agreement with Meredith Blacker, Chief People &Culture Officer from Wellington City Council.

"Nu Li Xue Xi (Study Hard)!" said Wellington mayor Andy Foster in Mandarin at the launch ceremony. He had already started to learn Chinese and showed a strong interest in travelling to Xiamen, China.

"I won a scholarship and studied Chinese in Beijing in the 1980s. It is a lifetime benefit to me. Zhu Ni Men Xue Xi Cheng Gong (I wish you success in your studies)!"

Clare Fearnley, New Zealand's Ambassador to China, who visited Xiamen a few weeks ago, sent her congratulations through a video message.