The school, which has three Mandarin language assistants helping with its Chinese language programme, has set up one of its classrooms just for Mandarin classes.
The programme and language assistants are affiliated with the Confucius Institute of China which helps promote the Chinese language and culture in foreign countries.
South Otago is one of many public institutes working with the Confucius Institute to educate people abut the language and culture.
The language assistants based at South Otago High School also teach primary school pupils at other schools in the district and adults who are interested.
South Otago High School principal Mike Wright said the room would be officially "opened" by Consul-general Jin Zhijian as the "Confucius Classroom" on September 19.
Mr Wright said it was a great opportunity for the school to show the Consul-general what the school had to offer.
"It quite possibly would not have happened if we had not got into this partnership [with the Confucius Institute]."
Members of the Chinese community in Balclutha were also invited to attend the event.
Because China was one of New Zealand’s major trading partners and several industrial companies in the area had Chinese stakeholders, it was likely pupils would need to use the language at some point in the future, Mr Wright said.
Mr Wright hoped to start a cultural exchange with a Chinese school in the future.
Exchanges between international schools were aimed to encourage friendship and co-operation between two countries or "sister schools".
