China

China Language Policies throughout their History

By lanzie
  • Jan 1, 1271

    Yuan Dynasty

    Yuan Dynasty
    these are the Mongol (Menggu), former rulers of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368)
    the history of this language stems from a more primitive, simpler language known as Proto-Sino-Tibetan.
  • Jan 1, 1368

    The Ming Dynasty

    The Ming Dynasty
    Mandarin emerged as the language of the ruling class during the latter part the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644)
  • Qing Dynasty

    Qing Dynasty
    the Hui or Chinese Moslems, the Tibetans (Zang) and the Manchu (Man), former rulers of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Since Mandarin is based on the Beijing dialect, it naturally became the official language of the court.It was not until 1909 that Mandarin became the national language (guó yǔ) of China.
  • Qing Dinasty (2)

    Qing Dinasty (2)
    From 1902 to 1922 is characterized as the "Japanese model" because at that time Japan had great influence in China. Great attention was paid to reading and translation and little or no attention to spoken English.
  • Republic Period

    Republic Period
    The Republic of China
    period (1911-1949) in 1912 the Republic of China maintained Mandarin as the official language.
  • Qing Dynasty (3)

    Qing Dynasty (3)
    from 1922 to 1949,during this time the teaching model shifted from Japan to Britain and America owing to their greater influence in China at that time. In this stage began to emphasize listening and speaking as students at that time had more English language as spoken.
  • Pluralistic Stage

    Pluralistic Stage
    (1949-1957)This growing number of dialects led to the need for a "Standard Mandarin," which, by the mid-1900s, had become a compulsory part of the educational system. It was renamed pǔ tōng huà (common speech) in 1955, but Taiwan continues to use the name guó yǔ (national language).
  • People's Republic China

    People's Republic China
    1953-1956 the Chinese people were encouraged to learn Russian rather than English. English as a subject was deleted from the school curriculum.
  • People's Republic China (2)

    People's Republic China (2)
    the "English Language Renaissance," occurred from 1957 to 1966,was gradually re-introduced into the school curriculum in addition to Russian.
  • Chinese Monopolistic Stage

    Chinese Monopolistic Stage
    (1958-1977)From the late 1970s on, the Chinese government has enacted laws and policies for the stated purpose of protecting minority groups’ rights to language and culture.The Cultural Revolution in 1966, foreign language learning was removed from the curriculum. During 1966-69 all universities and colleges were closed.
  • Second Pluralistic Stage

    Second Pluralistic Stage
    (1978- present) . The government's "Four modernizations program" and "open-door policy" have made the Chinese people, of all ages and occupations, cognizant of the importance of learning English. In order to protect their rights and interests in multiethnic China, the 1982 Constitution of the PRC stipulated... In the PRC Regional Autonomy Law for Minority Nationalities enacted in 1984, six articles address minority groups’ rights and those of language use.