China is striving to build more world-class universities, and investing heavily in higher education. Aside from China's unique Chinese language, calligraphy, martial arts and other cultural subjects, Chinese degree programs in majors such as engineering, science, medicine, economics and trade, MBA as well as finance are highly revered. As for those who don't know any Chinese, many universities offer degree programs taught in English, so you can earn your degree while learning the most widely spoken language in the world. When it comes to economics, China has been the world's fastest growing country for the past 30 years. Even during the financial crisis, China's economic growth has maintained a level of 8%, a pace unthinkable in other countries. China's GDP recently surpassed Japan's to become the world's second largest economy after the United States. The world's top 500 companies all do business in China, with many choosing to base their Asia-Pacific headquarters in the bustling Chinese cities of Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. Studying and living in China is cheaper than studying and living in European countries, the U.S., Japan, South Korea and many other countries.