Motivation and a positive attitude play a decisive role in learning any foreign language. This study aims to investigate the motivation behind learning Chinese language in Central Asia and Russia and to identify the main problems related to mastering this language in those countries. The study draws on an anonymous questionnaire survey involving students and multiple oral interviews with Chinese language learners and teachers. The information was collected and analyzed manually by the researchers. The resulting statistical data was generated in Microsoft Excel and then presented as charts and tables. Through a student survey and teacher interviews, the study identified the long-term and short-term motivators for learning Chinese language, namely study (5%), cultural interest (7%), friendship (15%), cross-border communication (20%), travel intentions (25%), and greater employment opportunities (28%). The most common reason for learning the language was a desire to work in China (28%), and the least popular one was to study there (5%). Teachers defined motivation as a major challenge in teaching Chinese language (79%). According to teachers, learners with low motivation and unmotivated individuals are hardly responding to what happens in the classroom. The results of the study may be used as a platform for further research in education, teaching, psychology and linguistics.