Mandarin Training Center (MTC; ) is one of the world's oldest and most distinguished programs for Chinese as a second language study. It is run by National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) in Taipei, Taiwan and located at NTNU Daan Campus. History MTC was founded in 1956. It was briefly known as the Center for Chinese Language and Culture Studies from 2002 to 2004. The center attracts students from all parts of the world to Taiwan to study the Mandarin language and literature. Students also have access to courses in Chinese calligraphy, Chinese martial arts, and traditional music and theater. Courses are offered in three-month quarterly terms throughout the year. This system enables international students to engage in intensive language study during their summer breaks and within single semesters. The MTC sponsors travel, hosts speech contests, and stages workshops and performances. In September 2016, NTNU and the Ministry of Education launched the Office of Global Mandarin Education at the university. Enrollment Over a thousand students from over seventy countries enroll for studies each year at the Mandarin Training Center. Nations represented include Australia, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Germany, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Kenya, South Africa, the United States, Canada, and countries in the Middle East and in Central, and South America and the Caribbean. This international presence makes the Shida neighborhood of Taipei one of the city's most cosmopolitan. Since 8 April 2013, people unable to attend MTC have had MTC Online on the Internet as an option. The center's alumni association, the MTCAA, has been in existence since 1998. Notable alumni Ákos Bertalan Apatóczky - Hungarian sinologist Richard Bernstein - American journalist March Fong Eu - American politician Andrew Fastow - former CFO of Enron Howard Goldblatt - American literary translator Imre Hamar - Hungarian scholar of Chinese studies Ryutaro Hashimoto - former Prime Minister of Japan Jon Huntsman, Jr. - former United States Ambassador to Singapore from 1992 to 1993, and China from 2009 to 2011 Koichi Kato - former government minister of Japan Pierre Ryckmans - Belgian-Australian writer, essayist and sinologist Kevin Rudd - former Prime Minister of Australia Chie Tanaka - Japanese model and actress Richard Vuylsteke - President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong Stephen H. West - American sinologist Pierre Marsone - French sinologist See also International Chinese Language Program (ICLP) at the National Taiwan University Chinese Language