Chinese Mandarin (Putonghua, 普通话) is the official language of China. In Hong Kong, Chinese, English and Cantonese are the official languages, while Macau's official languages are Chinese, Portuguese and Cantonese. There are also many dialects in different parts of mainland China, such as Cantonese, Fujian Dialect (Minnanyu, 闽南语), and Sichuan Dialect (Sichuanhua, 四川话). As for the written word, simplified Chinese is used in mainland China, while traditional Chinese is used in Hong Kong and Macau. In addition, many ethnic groups in China have their own language and written script.
According to statistics, there are over 80 languages and 30 written scripts in China, including Chinese (汉语) and the languages of the 55 minority groups. In China, 91.59% are Han people who speak Chinese (mandarin and dialects); the rest 8.41% are minority groups who speak their own languages, and only a few speak Chinese.
Chinese, Putonghua, Dialects, Languages of Minority Groups:
Chinese (汉语): the language of Han Nationality (汉族). As mentioned, 91.59% of Chinese are Han Nationality and speak Chinese.
Putonghua (Mandarin, 普通话): the official language or common language of China.
Dialects (方言): refers to the Chinese dialects (汉语方言). Chinese people living in different areas speak their own dialects, such as Beijing Dialect (Beijinghua, 北京话), Shanghai Dialect (Shanghaihua, 上海话), and Cantonese (Guangdonghua or Yueyu, 广东话 or 粤语).
Languages of Minority Groups (少数民族语言): most of the 55 minority groups have their own languages.
English Language in China
More and more Chinese are catching up with their Asian neighbours in their desire to learn English. English has become a compulsory course for Chinese students from elementary school onwards. An undergraduate is required to get a CET4 (Collage English Test Band 4) certificate, while a postgraduate is required to get a CET6 (Collage English Test Band 6) certificate. What's more, people other than students also start to learn English as English is becoming more widely used in daily life. It is no longer a matter of surprise when one encounters an ordinary Chinese person on the street, who is fluent in English.
Language Problems When Touring Around China
When touring around China, language is one of the obstacles you will come across. You may not find the hotel for the taxi driver does not speak English. You may get lost because you can not read the Chinese road signs. In a restaurant, you can not even decide what to order because you are confused about what "Four Joy Meatballs" (Meat Balls Braised with Brown Sauce) is. To avoid embarrassment, Chinatour360.com provides the following suggestions for you to make an adequate preparation for your China tour:
A. The easiest solution is to join in a group tour, so that your tour guide will arrange everything for you.
B. Before your tour, you'd better do some homework. Read more China Tour Tips and Chinese Destinations.
C. Take a bilingual map of your destination.
D. Print the name and address of the hotels, restaurants, attractions, and bus stations both in Chinese and English.
E. Learn some simple Chinese, such as "我要去故宫" (I would like to visit the Forbidden City), "在哪里坐车" (Where should I take the bus/taxi), and "这个多少钱" (How much is it).
F. Get to know the ways to deal with an emergency in China.
G. Other foreign languages such as French, German, Spanish, or Russian are only familiar to a limited number of language learners. A professional tour guide or translator is strongly recommended if you only speak one of these languages rather than English.
Useful Resources:
Learn Chinese: MasterChinese provides a new interactive method to learn Mandarin Chinese. They provide professional Chinese language and culture training through online real-time interactive classes.
JOY Chinese Language Training - The quickest and the most successful, enjoyable and practical Chinese courses to learn Chinese language!
Learn Chinese - Famous Chinese teachers in Beijing provide live class and conversation practice of mandarin from Beijing to anywhere of the world through high technical and professional video classroom on Internet.
Learn Chinese languge and cross-culture: SpeakChinese provides: Varied Chinese language courses for all levels; Chinese cultural & cross-cultural experiences; Bachelor degree in China; Job/internship opportunities; Employment training; Summer camps and so on.
More China Tour Tips:
| Bargaining in China | Toilets in China | Business Hours | Travelers Cheques |
| Tipping in China | Chinese Names | Time Difference | Telephone Service |
