Language in the People's Republic of China

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Common Voice: Volume 1 Are We Chinese?
A Dialog from the H-Asia list, June 1999. Chinese self-identity and whether there is a Chinese word for China.
Language Bill under debate in China
The Straits Times, 4 July 2000. Draft law before the legislature seeks to make Mandarin, or putonghua as it is known in China, and written Chinese language the official medium. A uniform language has an important bearing on the state's unification, national unity as well as social progress.
China to crack down on misuse of language
By Mary Kwang, The Straits Times, 17 November 2000. A new law comes into effect on Jan 1 next year to block intrusion of foreign words and targets people in Guangzhou who speak Cantonese. China's open-door policy has led to an influx of Hongkong culture in the region.
‘I Titanicked’: Chinese teens say this instead of ‘I failed my test’
The Straits Times, 17 January 2001. The globalization of language. Dismayed by the use of foreign slang, China has adopted a new law to preserve the Chinese language. We're not saying there should only be one dialect in China, but everyone should be able to speak the same dialect. That's very important for national unity.
Software Inputting Chinese Characters with Mouse Developed
Xinhua, 16 April 2001. Users can input any Chinese character by merely pressing mouse at most four times. When inputting, choose the first letter of the phonetic form of the character, then its first and last stroke, and finally select the character you want from a small window.
Learning Chinese Becoming Increasingly Popular
Xinhua, 9 January 2002. An increasing number of foreigners are showing interest in learning Chinese as China increases exchanges with the outside world. The number of foreigners coming to China to learn the language over the last few years has maintained an average annual growth rate of 35 percent.