1.0HI-COMhttps://www.hicom-asia.comStéphane Chouryhttps://www.hicom-asia.com/author/admin/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="v2pmPhwcmY"><a href="https://www.hicom-asia.com/languages-china/">Languages of China: Does Every Chinese City Speak Its Own Language?</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.hicom-asia.com/languages-china/embed/#?secret=v2pmPhwcmY" width="600" height="338" title="« Languages of China: Does Every Chinese City Speak Its Own Language? » — HI-COM" data-secret="v2pmPhwcmY" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); </script> https://www.hicom-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/logo-for-feature.png466261China’s rapid urbanization means that millions of people now live far from their hometowns. The World Bank reports that by 2030, up to 70% of China’s population – around 1 billion – will be living in cities. This shift alongside the strong promotion of Mandarin Chinese usage in schools from an early age, potentially puts homegrown dialects at risk. However, all is not lost. With technological devices such as WeChat voice messaging and the connectivity of the internet, spoken local dialects, idioms and expressions stand a chance of survival – as long as its speakers continue to engage with each other. Zhu Zhenmiao, who holds a PhD in Linguistics from Shanghai Universityhas stated: "There are around 6,500 languages in the world. Each and every one is a lens for us to look into the thoughts, ideologies and cultures of the people who speak it. China's dialects are a crucial part of our national heritage".