Find Out How Modern Chinese was Created at this History Talk, Jun 26

In 1913, a meeting was held in a small courtyard close to Xidan with the aim to find a nationwide standard of pronunciation for the Chinese language. The issue of a standardized form of pronunciation, which had been a contested topic since the 1700s, would last all the way into the 1950s.

Chinese as we know it today hasn’t existed for thousands of years. Instead, it’s an artificial construct shaped by politics, pragmatism and coincidence, at least that's how linguist David Moser, author of A Billion Voices: China’s Search for a Common Language tells it. And you can hear more about the history of modern Chinese from the man himself this Sunday online and in person at Beijing Postcards.

During the talk, Moser will discuss the ins and outs of creating the language, including touching on interesting tidbits like how the first standard pronunciation system of Chinese was recorded in New York in 1921, and the prevalence of the “bopomofo” system of transliteration that was popular before the introduction of pinyin in 1955.

You’ll hear more about these facts and the creation of modern Chinese during Moser’s talk, so don’t hesitate to sign up!

Creating a Language for the People: A Conversation with David Moser, takes place Sunday, Jun 26 from 7pm-8.30pm online via Zoom and in person at Beijing Postcards. Seats for the in-person event are currently sold out, but you can still sign up to see the talk on Zoom by scanning the QR code below.

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Images courtesy of Beijing Postcards