Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK): Past, Present, and Future

Abstract

Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK​, 汉语水平考试) is China’s national standardized test designed to assess the Chinese language proficiency of non-native speakers such as foreign students and overseas Chinese. This chapter opens with a brief account of the history and development of HSK over the past thirty years (1984–the present): How it came into being, the aim of the test, the levels of the test, and the outline of the test. For the convenience of discussion, this chapter divides the development of HSK into three stages: Old HSK, HSK (Revised), and New HSK. The review indicates that HSK has developed from a domestic test to an influential international proficient test; it has expanded from a test with a focus on assessment of linguistic knowledge to a test of all four language skills (i.e., listening, reading, writing, and speaking); its exam outline has also undergone huge revisions to better meet the demands of the examinees and the society. Based on the history and development of HSK, the last section discusses its future prospects with challenges identified and suggestions proposed.