An Oldfield teenager is flying to the homeland of his grandparents to learn to speak Chinese.

James Siu will spend the next six months studying the Mandarin dialect at Beijing Language and Culture University.

The 18-year-old former Bradford Grammar School student will then be able to talk with his father's parents for the first time.

He will also be better placed to land a high-flying career on either side of the world once he has finished university.

James' father Dominic was born in Hong Kong and for the past five years has worked in banking in the Far East.

James lives in Oldfield with his mother Cath, stepfather Clive and sister Charlotte, 11, and visits his father each summer.

He has stayed mostly in Thailand, and made two fleeting visits to China as well as week-long visits to Hong Kong to see his grandparents.

James flies out this weekend and will spend time with his father in Singapore, and Hong Kong for the Chinese New Year.

He will travel to Beijing on February 25 to enrol at the university, then spend 30 hours a week taking intensive Mandarin lessons.

James says "It's a course for foreign students. I think it will be a mix of businesses sending employees away to learn Mandarin, and people like me.

"Mandarin is the most widely spoken dialect in China - it's the 'people's language' as well as the business language.

"Even though my grandparents speak Cantonese, we'll be able to understand each other in Mandarin."

Once the course finishes in July, James plans to spend several weeks travelling around China with friends.

When he is back in the UK James will prepare to begin his degree course in applied communication at Newcastle University.

He hopes his degree, coupled with an ability to speak two languages, will help him pursue a career in a field such as business.

"That's been the basis of my dad's success," he says. "I want to spend some time working abroad. They say the Chinese economy is going to be the biggest in the world."

James plans to send regular reports of his experiences in China to the Keighley News.