More than 150 students are now enrolled at the Cherrybrook Chinese Language School, the highest level of enrolments since the school was established in 1989.

``I think it's indicative of our strong relationship with China and our Mandarin-speaking Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd,'' said Hong Kong-born Jenny Lau, vice-president of the Cherrybrook Chinese Community Association.

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals that 6760 or 4.3 per cent of Hills residents were born in Hong Kong or China, an increase of 1554 since 2001.

But it's not just parents of Chinese extraction who are immersing their children in Mandarin.

``We have many Australian students as well as Indian and Korean,'' Mrs Lau said. ``Many parents are now seeing the importance of learning a second language, especially Chinese.''

Cherrybrook father-of-two Chris Martinic was one of the first ``non-Asian'' parents to join the school.

In 2001, the international medical company for which he works was discovering the importance of the Chinese market an opportunity that allowed him to pursue his own interest in Chinese culture.

``I was always saying one day I would learn. When my kids came along, we learnt together. Not only were we learning an invaluable skill but it was a great bonding experience too.''

Samantha and Adam, now 16 and 14, both joined the Cherrybrook Chinese Language School at the age of eight. Since then, they have visited China on several occasions.

Samantha in 2007, won a Chinese government scholarship to Jinan University in Guangzhou, South China.

``Chinese is to our region what Spanish is to North America. It's the most relevant language in Australia,'' said Dr Martinic, who has a PhD in biomedical engineering and has helped establish surgical technologies in China.

But it's not just in Australia. Millions of tongues are wagging all over the world about the importance of learning Chinese.

British linguist David Gaddol wrote in an American Time magazine article: ``In many Asian countries, in Europe and the US, Mandarin has emerged as the new must-have language.''

For Dr Martinic, the benefits of learning Mandarin with his children came not from the dollar signs attached to it, but from the joy of immersing themselves in what he says is a fascinating culture.