Dear Tuney
Your explanation about Mandarin and Cantonese was interesting. Now I understand
much more. Mandarin's the official language on the mainland. I knew there were many different peoples and cultures in China so I wasn't sure how language worked. That's why sometimes I would refer to "your Chinese languages." Now I'll
refer to Mandarin, your land's interlanguage. :-)
I'm glad to read that the other languages are used at home and among people of the same culture in order to keep their cultures alive. It would be a shame to lose them. The world's losing too many languages and that's a pity because
there are storehouses of thought and information in each of them. I admire the
people who're working hard to save them before the last person who can still speak one of them dies. I don't know how they'll be used in the long run, and probably many other people don't yet, either. I know the Inuit (called Eskimos in the USA) people are saving Inuktitut and teaching it in their schools now, along
with English.
Is the reason there are many Cantonese speaking people in Canada because it was
easy for them to come, as they knew English? Or because they were afraid of what might happen to Hong Kong when it was returned to the PRC by the British? Or
maybe it's because there are so many ports in Hong Kong and Guangdong Province and it was easy to go abroad? Maybe all three? There are lots of restaurants here that offer Cantonese style fare.
It was a wise idea to choose an official language to unite the country. It gives hope for the whole world and how much better off it will be with an interlanguage. I'm amazed that you have at least 10,000 dialects! You wrote:
"there are many many dialects in China over 10 thousand. You can't believe it,
can you? Do you know Hakka? I am a Hakka and I speak Hakka in my hometown.
Hakka is also spoken in Taiwan, HongKong, Guangdong province, and my hometown Fujian province."
It's a good thing you keep your dialect alive because then you don't lose your culture. A culture is a stabilizing influence even to a person. Is it interesting to you to read the history of the Hakka people? If I were Hakka I would want
to know all about them and their past. Do you? If you do, can you tell me some?
You wrote: "I hope you and uncle Ben can travel to China in 2008. The Olympic games will be held at that time. So why not come here and enjoy the Chinese culture?"
We would love so much to come! It remains to be seen how the businesses are doing, particularly the new one we have almost bought now, and how we find our health at that time, and of course, the state of this marvellous, scary, and ever-changing world.
You wrote: "Now the situation is better but not improved a lot compared the western developed countries. The education in China is not good as USA or Canada,
especially the social system."
It looks to me like you have very able and intelligent people at the top. You have such a vast population that to make changes takes time, but considering everything, your country has been racing ahead at top speed. There are exchanges of
students between Canada and China now. I don't know how student exchange is managed by other countries, but universities in Canada and China are each sending
students for six months to the other. The students who go, first learn the language of the country -- Canadians learn Mandarin, Chinese learn English. Then they begin to study in the other country. This will make a big difference to both
of us. Many educated people will be able to communicate directly with each other, just as is now possible in your country, in Mandarin. The trick for China is to attract their own highly educated citizens back home again so that they can
contribute to China in the areas you mentioned. A brain drain isn't good for China.
The students from Canada who go to China to study are sometimes the children or
grand-children of Chinese immigrants who came into Canada long enough ago that their children have lost the language. Some of the Candian students who go over
to study are not of Chinese descent. I think they are far-sighted and also curious and adventurous. What a wonderful opportunity they have!
China's rising is being reported here in Canada as a rare occurence, and akin to
when the United States of America began rising into a great power. There is much interest in investment in China. Some people think Canada is being too slow
about that. Canada is in rather a difficult position because both the United States and China are interested in our Alberta oil sands. It is a tricky triangle
. We are as usual, the "hewers of wood and drawers of water." Alas.
Anyway, it's such a wonderful, adventurous, changing world right now. I once heard that there is an ancient Chinese curse to this effect: "May you live in interesting times." I suppose such changing times are also dangerous, difficult and tricky, and that's the meaning. Have you heard the saying?
Thanks for your Christmas best wishes. We Baha'is have our own holy days when we give gifts. It's at the time of the spring equinox in March, but its interesting to see all the excitement and decorations for Christmas. I really don't like all the extreme commercialism, though. And I'm glad I don't need to go out to
buy presents and send cards. We have a couple of strings of pretty lights on our magnolia tree, and one on a trellis at the front of the house so we won't let
the neighbours down, we're basically we on-lookers, as I imagine most of you are, too. We get days off, and some interesting food items are around to buy, and
we like to see all the pretty lights. Then there are the after Christmas sales
too, which are very nice when there's something you need.
I wish you happy holidays, too. :-))
Warmly, Mary
