Speaking in Tongues

I had to put throw this in, but dont' expect too many double entry days...

It's actually a question, albeit rhetorical:

Why is it so amazing that even amid a school that teaches advanced level english to students hoping to work, live or study abroad in England, the US and Australia, that a foreign english teacher is able to speak Chinese, the language of the country he is living in?

I only ask because everytime I start speaking in Chinese, students, teachers and citizens grow wide eyed, grinning cheek to cheek. Their response is always the same: "You can speak Chinese? How amazing/sharp/devastating/formidable/severe (if you can tell by this, the phrase li hai has many different meanings but are all used to show an excessive amount of some personal quality)!

So now, to give the chinese a taste of their medicine and when they asked me where I'm from, I say "America of course. Where are you from?" When they undoubtably say China. I probe further: "Really? You're from China and you speak Chinese. Who would have thought?" It never fails to get a laugh.