Divided By a Common Language

Dialects in China vary so widely that they can be mutually unintelligible - as different from each other as French, Italian, and Spanish. But they share the same written language which is understood by literate Chinese in all parts of the world, whatever dialect they speak. As a result, a Cantonese-speaking businessman in Hong Kong could not discuss a project by phone with a Mandarin-speaking businessman from Beijing, but he could do so by letter. And Chinese films shown to Chinese audiences often have Chinese sub-titles to help the audience understand what is being said. Chinese dialects fall into six main groups: Mandarin (in the north), Wu, Min, Kan, Hsiang, and Cantonese (in the south). The Mandarin dialect of the Beijing area is now taught in schools all over China as the standard language.