From BBC News
Only about half of China’s population can speak the national language, Mandarin, according to the state news agency Xinhua.
More men speak Mandarin than women, and more urbanites speak the language than those in rural areas, Xinhua said.
For many years now, the government has tried to increase the use of Mandarin, to promote social cohesion. But China has hundreds of dialects, some of which – such as Cantonese and Hokkien – have strong regional support.[Full Text]
