Chinese Language Day. Reading the title, there is no confusion about what the celebration is about. However, you might have some follow up questions, like how did Chinese Language Day come about, and what do people do to celebrate it?
History of Chinese Language Day
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations with the aim of promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. With six official working languages within the organization, they desired to celebrate cultural diversity by setting aside a day to celebrate each of the languages. April 20th was chosen as Chinese Language Day and has been celebrated ever since 2010.
How to Celebrate Chinese Language Day:
1. Try Learning Some Mandarin Chinese
Though it is impossible to learn an entire language in a day, dip your toes into Mandarin by learning some introductory phrases.
What is the Hardest Part About Learning Mandarin Chinese?
2. Explore Chinese culture through T.V. shows, music, and activities.
Discover Chinese culture and immerse yourself in the language by watching some Chinese T.V. shows (turn on the subtitles in English), listening to Chinese music, and visiting some Chinese museums.
3. Visit a Chinese Restaurant
Get your taste buds involved in the culture by ordering traditional Chinese dishes such as Peking Roast Duck, Spring Rolls, Chicken Fried Rice to name a few.
Fun Facts about Chinese Language Day:
- The day also celebrates Cangjie, who invented Chinese characters. Legend says that when Cangjie finished, the gods rained grain upon the earth.
- At 6,000 years old, the Chinese language is the oldest written language in the world. For a more in depth history of how the Chinese Language was created, click HERE.
- With 1.118 billion speakers, Mandarin Chinese is the most spoken language in the entire world!
Taking it a Step Further:
If you’re interested in joining the 1.118 billion who speak Mandarin Chinese around the world, or you want your child to learn Mandarin, Cultural Bytes One-on-one classes are a great place to start.
