Efforts required so that dialects do not go extinct

A 10,000-WORD ESSAY, co-written by four senior middle school students in Chongqing, has been widely praised for its call to protect the local Chongqing dialect and slang. West China Metropolis Daily commented on Friday:

Local dialects and slang are fading away, and many are beginning to lament their passing.

That explains why Beijing and Shanghai are introducing dialect education in schools, where students are often encouraged to learn and speak Mandarin. Dialects are not just a distinctive local way of speaking; they are connected to the local culture, such as the local forms of Chinese opera. These performances do not work if delivered in other dialects or Mandarin.