In addition to Chinese, math and English, primary school students in Shandong province are now required to master a new skill – programming.

除了语文、数学和英语，山东省的小学生们如今还被要求掌握一门新技能--编程。

Python, a popular programming language, has recently been added to the textbook of information technology for sixth-grade students in Shandong province.

流行编程语言Python近日被纳入山东省六年级学生的信息技术课本。

The Python class is mainly opened to cultivate children's interest in the programming language, said Chen Fei, an associate researcher at Shenzhen University.

深圳大学副研究员陈飞表示，Python课程的开设主要是为了培养孩子对编程语言的兴趣。

"This Python class can show the magical power of computers and arouse children's enthusiasm," said Chen.

陈飞说：“Python课程可以展示计算机的神奇魔力，引发学生的兴趣。”

This isn't the only example of the growing importance attached to the coding language in China.

这并不是编程语言在中国变得越来越重要的唯一的一个例子。

According to a notice issued by the exam administration body of the Education Ministry¹, Python will become a test subject in the National Computer Rank Examination starting March 2018.

根据教育部考试中心发布的一项通知，2018年3月起，Python将成为国家计算机等级考试的考试科目之一。

Python, first released in 1991, is a general-purpose programming language.

Python于1991年第一次发行，是一种通用型编程语言。

It has a design philosophy that emphasizes code readability, and a syntax that allows programmers to express concepts in fewer lines of code than languages such as C++ or Java, contributing to its growing popularity over the past few years.

Python有一种强调代码可读性的设计理念，以及相比较C++或Java来说，拥有一种允许程序员使用更少的代码来表述概念的语法，这也使得在过去的几年里它的人气不断上升。