Residents oppose rumored move to Mandarin

Free-wheeling and business-oriented, the southern city of Guangzhou is a long way from Beijing physically, culturally and linguistically.

It's also here where hackles have been raised by reports that authorities are demanding local television drop Cantonese in favor of Mandarin.

Throughout China, Mandarin, with its roots in Beijing's northern dialect, is the medium of government, education and national official media.