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ThuApr 20

Chinese Language Day – April 20, 2023

More than one billion people speak Chinese as their first language — that’s more than any other population in the world! UNESCO (part of the United Nations) first created Chinese Language Day in 2010 to celebrate Chinese as one of the six official languages of the United Nations. We’ve enjoyed it every year since on April 20. The day also celebrates Cangjie, who invented Chinese characters about 5,000 years ago. Legend says that when Cangjie finished, the gods rained grain upon the earth.

Chinese Language Day timeline

2650 BC
Chinese written for the first time

Canjie invented the written Chinese language.

1911
China adopted Mandarin as national language

Mandarin became the national language after Dr. Sun Yat Sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty.

1946
UN established Chinese as an official language

Still, the UN did not commonly use Chinese at first. The situation improved after the People's Republic of China regained lawful rights in the UN 25 years later.

1973
UN General Assembly adopted Chinese

The UN Security Council would soon follow suit — making Chinese its "working language" in 1974. After that, more and more UN offices and staff members began to work with Chinese.

2019
One-fifth of the world

Around 1.3 billion people speak some form of Chinese — ranking it No. 1 in the world. Standard Mandarin remains the official language in the largest part of mainland China and Taiwan. It's also an official idiom of the United Nations.

Chinese Language Day Activities

  1. Learn some Chinese

    To say, "Thank you" you say, "xiexie." Written phonetically, it's like "she-ye she-ye." Just say it all together like one word. Easy right? Now you know some Chinese!

  2. Visit a Chinese restaurant

    Most everyone has a favorite Chinese dish, but if you don't, try Peking duck. You will never taste anything else like it. Then, at the end of your meal with taste buds in nirvana, you can prove you're a citizen of the world by thanking your server — in Chinese of course.

  3. Watch a Chinese movie

    You're in luck. Some of the most visually stunning movies in the world come from China. Maybe start with "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." After realizing how beautiful the Mandarin language sounds and how great Chinese movies are, you'll have a whole new genre with thousands of films to explore on Chinese Language Day.

Why We Love Chinese Language Day

  1. We can say thank you to China

    It's the day we get to say "xiexie" (thank you) for the wonderful stuff China has brought us. Like spaghetti? It came from Italy, but the noodles (the critical part) originated in China. We can thank China for inventing paper. Who could live without it? Plus, do you like Earl Grey tea? Captain Picard did. Despite the name, the tea originated in the Chinese Imperial court. Think about all that during Chinese Language Day.

  2. China has some choices

    China can claim 11 languages — lumping together related ones — with Mandarin as the national language. Adding to that, the Chinese speak more than 1,500 different dialects.

  3. The stars speak Chinese

    Chinese movie stars rock, and they speak Chinese. Jackie Chan is arguably the world's funniest stuntman and Jet Li is the world's most famous martial artist. Michelle Yeoh was a gorgeous and deadly Bond girl. Zhang Ziyi has starred in some great films. The facts bear the truth: some of the world's coolest people speak Chinese.

Chinese Language Day dates

YearDateDay
2023April 20Thursday
2024April 20Saturday
2025April 20Sunday
2026April 20Monday
2027April 20Tuesday

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