和珅

To many people, there seems very little value of knowing the funny languages of some minor tribes.

But, if you are going to run a big country, you've got to understand what the minority groups say.

An excellent example is Qianlong (乾隆) of the Qing (清) Empire. It is commonly cited (partly as a result of some famous TV series) that he put too much confidence on Heshen (和珅) - the richest man on earth in the 18th century, and widely agreed as the most corrupted official in the history of China.

But Heshen had an edge. You know what, this treacherous courtier could speak and write fluent Manchu, Chinese, Mongolian, and Tibetan. In an era when Qianlong had to settle all those problems between different regions of a gigantic empire, the capability was more than welcome.

And, by and large, Qianlong was successful - at least he was willing to listen to the voice of those funny languages of the minority.

PS. The linguistic talent brought Heshen to his position, but it was his exceptional financial skill that kept him there. That's another story.