Village recognized for diverse names, dialects

(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-01-25 09:17

An isolated village in Jianning County of Fujian Province recently came into the spotlight for its diversity of surnames and dialects.

With a population of more than 1,700 and about 400 households, villagers speak more than 50 dialects in their homes, although putonghua is the "official language". In addition, the people have 118 surnames, or one for every 15 dwellers.

Local elders said every household there was originally from somewhere else in China. They settled in the isolated village while escaping from Japanese invaders in the 1940s.

(Southeast Express)



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