The Macau Polytechnic Institute (MPI) says the number of students taking its courses in the Portuguese language has grown by two-thirds to about 500 in three years, Lusa reports.
The Portuguese news agency quotes MPI School of Languages and Translation Director Han Lili as saying the institute has more applicants for Portuguese courses than places for them.
Ms Han said the increase in interest in Portuguese is due to growth in demand for workers bilingual in Chinese and Portuguese.
She said there was a need for courses that give instruction in greater depth in the language and cultures of the lusophone world.
This year 70 students from the Portuguese-speaking countries will attend the MPI to learn Chinese, three times more than three years ago, Lusa says.
