A mark of Character

"China will not survive if hanzi (Chinese characters) continue to exist because hanzi are too complicated to learn and use properly," wrote literary giant Lu Xun in the 1920s. "It prevents the Chinese masses from absorbing advanced culture and knowledge."

More than 80 years later, now that the Internet and other new technologies have emerged, the anti-hanzi campaign continues.

Renowned linguist Zhou Youguang, a long-time advocate of Romanization of hanzi, said: "Hanzi are an obstacle in China's way to the information highway and it must be removed."