Guangzhou officials plan to ban the use of Cantonese in prime-time television programs. The people of Hong Kong and Guangzhou whose primary language is Cantonese have expressed their dissent. The Voice of America reports that the Cantonese speakers believe the communist government is trying to destroy their traditional Cantonese culture.
The Government proposal to speak Mandarin *
A large number of protesters rallied under the sun in Hong Kong last weekend asking local governments and officials to preserve their Cantonese language and culture in southern China.
The Chinese government has required all television stations in Guangzhou to stop broadcasting prime-time programs in Cantonese and switch to Mandarin language based broadcasting. All Cantonese speakers are angry about this new requirement.
China has about 7 billion people that speak Cantonese with the majority concentrated in China's southern Guangdong province and neighboring Hong Kong and Macau. Cantonese is also very popular in Chinatowns all around the world. Hong Kong's film and music industries also utilize Cantonese.
Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province, and it is a thriving manufacturing and business center. The Asian Sports Games are going to be held in Guangzhou in November. Thousands of Mandarin speakers are expected to come to be a part of the audience. Guangzhou officials stipulated the ban before the games.
Cantonese is far-reaching *
Cai Shufang, the organizer of the event, said the officials should not show favoritism by suppressing one language to support another.
"Why can’t Cantonese and Mandarin both exist? Cantonese is an important part of the culture in southern China. It should be respected and protected. We have to defend and protect the Cantonese language so it does not get eliminated."
The Chinese Communist Party made Mandarin the official national language after they took control of the country in the 1950s, but many Chinese people still have some difficulty communicating because there are so many regional dialects.
To promote freedom of speech *
Kwan-hang who is a member of the Hong Kong League of Social Democrats said, "Behind the suppression of a language, the government further limits the freedom of expression in China. They are destroying the traditional culture. We must safeguard the local traditions and culture. China is a multi-cultural country.”
Last week Guangzhou officials warned the public neither to spread rumors about this issue nor to take part in any illegal protests, but on Sunday hundreds of people attended the second protest in Guangzhou in a week. Protests are very rare in China. TV reports indicate that some protesters and journalists were forcibly removed from the scene by the police.
Under the "one country two systems" management mode currently in place in Hong Kong, people have the freedom to protest. As a result many Guangzhou people went to Hong Kong to take part in a rally. A student from Guangzhou wore a mask to conceal his identity. He told a reporter he feared retaliation upon returning to the mainland from the government, but he really wanted to express his wish to protect Cantonese. The reporter asked him what would happen if the government did identity him. He said, "I do not know, but I don’t want those to things to happen, so I wear a mask." He was wearing a shirt with the writing, "Let us shout out, we will speak Cantonese louder.”
Guangzhou government officials are trying to ease the public’s concerns. They said the government would continue to promote Cantonese and Cantonese culture, and that there is no intention to repeal or weaken the Cantonese language.
The Government proposal to speak Mandarin *
A large number of protesters rallied under the sun in Hong Kong last weekend asking local governments and officials to preserve their Cantonese language and culture in southern China.
The Chinese government has required all television stations in Guangzhou to stop broadcasting prime-time programs in Cantonese and switch to Mandarin language based broadcasting. All Cantonese speakers are angry about this new requirement.
China has about 7 billion people that speak Cantonese with the majority concentrated in China's southern Guangdong province and neighboring Hong Kong and Macau. Cantonese is also very popular in Chinatowns all around the world. Hong Kong's film and music industries also utilize Cantonese.
Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province, and it is a thriving manufacturing and business center. The Asian Sports Games are going to be held in Guangzhou in November. Thousands of Mandarin speakers are expected to come to be a part of the audience. Guangzhou officials stipulated the ban before the games.
Cantonese is far-reaching *
Cai Shufang, the organizer of the event, said the officials should not show favoritism by suppressing one language to support another.
"Why can’t Cantonese and Mandarin both exist? Cantonese is an important part of the culture in southern China. It should be respected and protected. We have to defend and protect the Cantonese language so it does not get eliminated."
The Chinese Communist Party made Mandarin the official national language after they took control of the country in the 1950s, but many Chinese people still have some difficulty communicating because there are so many regional dialects.
To promote freedom of speech *
Kwan-hang who is a member of the Hong Kong League of Social Democrats said, "Behind the suppression of a language, the government further limits the freedom of expression in China. They are destroying the traditional culture. We must safeguard the local traditions and culture. China is a multi-cultural country.”
Last week Guangzhou officials warned the public neither to spread rumors about this issue nor to take part in any illegal protests, but on Sunday hundreds of people attended the second protest in Guangzhou in a week. Protests are very rare in China. TV reports indicate that some protesters and journalists were forcibly removed from the scene by the police.
Under the "one country two systems" management mode currently in place in Hong Kong, people have the freedom to protest. As a result many Guangzhou people went to Hong Kong to take part in a rally. A student from Guangzhou wore a mask to conceal his identity. He told a reporter he feared retaliation upon returning to the mainland from the government, but he really wanted to express his wish to protect Cantonese. The reporter asked him what would happen if the government did identity him. He said, "I do not know, but I don’t want those to things to happen, so I wear a mask." He was wearing a shirt with the writing, "Let us shout out, we will speak Cantonese louder.”
Guangzhou government officials are trying to ease the public’s concerns. They said the government would continue to promote Cantonese and Cantonese culture, and that there is no intention to repeal or weaken the Cantonese language.
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