Do you prefer simplfied or traditional Chinese characters?
"The suggestion for simplifying Chinese characters came out during the end of Qing dynasty, and in 1936 the Education Bureau of Republic of China passed the law for simplifying Chinese character, so , the simplified Chinese is nothing to do with "Communists" but something to do with "KMT""
It has everything to do with the CCP, as regardless of whether it was their idea or not, the CCP were the ones who carried out the actual major 'reforms.' More importantly, they are the ones who assured China was a complete cultural void until the end of the Cultural Revolution, and therefore the reason why most things worth reading in Chinese are in 繁體.
The idea of modern simplification probably wasn't a good one to begin with; Taiwan and Hong Kong have some of the highest literacy rates in the world, fanti or no. But what really makes 簡體字 completely pointless isn't the idea itself, but what was done with it, and the reality is that modern Chinese history has produced nothing equivalent to the Chinese classics owing to the extremely repressive one-party dictatorship.
Mainland has someone who got Nobel Prize for literature, but I have never seen HK either Taiwan who has someone got this prize for literature.
So, as a Swede, i totally think Traditional Chinese shall be abandoned in either HK or Taiwan.
In fact, "simplified character project" can even trace back to the reign of Kuo Min Tang, but some important functionaries utmostly argue against it twice, so this project was finally cancelled by the authorities. So, the Simplified characters were not invented by Communists in China. It's the truth!
I think that, traditional characters can be compared to "the Hebrew in China", we have a special passion for traditional style, just like Israelis choosed Hebrew as their official languange, instead of Yiddish or Ladino.
"Let me see, can u suggest Greece is a totalitarian dicatorship because she abandoned "Ancient Greek" replaced by "Modern Greek"?"
You misunderstand cause and effect. China was not a totalitarian dictatorship because it adopted simplified; it simply used simplified during the period it was a totalitarian dictatorship, and that period was one of the lowest points in Chinese history, culturally speaking. If you want to read the really good written works of Chinese literature, therefore, you can either read them 'translated' into simplified or read them in the original traditional, but no one will be reading anything from 1960s China 2000 years from now.
There's nothing wrong with simplification, in and of itself. I have no complaints about the switch from 文言文 to 白話, for example. But when the simplification is accompanied by the destruction of traditional culture, or when what has been written in the simplified script is largely awful in comparison with what came before...that's more of a problem.
"Mainland has someone who got Nobel Prize for literature, but I have never seen HK either Taiwan who has someone got this prize for literature.
So, as a Swede, i totally think Traditional Chinese shall be abandoned in either HK or Taiwan."
That's a terrible justification, given that one Nobel Prize winner doesn't really hold up against thousands of years of some of the most impressive literature in the world, all of which is not simplified.
But even moving beyond that, news and media are tightly controlled on the mainland and more or less free in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Do you really prefer to get your Chinese-language news from 人民日报, or would you like it from a source which does NOT get slammed to the pavement whenever problematic subjects like 'Tibet' or 'Tiananmen Square 1989' come up?
《Tiananmen Square，JUNE 4， 1989》
As a native Chinese, I don't like to mention of it, because those horrible and sensational reports really made me indignantly and can do nothing about it.
Everybody, Have you ever imagined that, Why some soldiers, with tommy gun & knife in their hands at least, (some other in Tanks or armored cars) were attacked and killed and set fire to burned bones cruelly, eyes and bowels were digged out......I don't want to go on about these atrocities.
Yes, some innocent people were injured and even manslaughtered, but have you ever thought "WHY" this tragedy happened and "Why" the status was getting worse suddenly, although the demonstration seemed very harmoniously at the beginning. It was because that some mutineers or hooligans "loot a burning house" at that very moment, they even robbed the weapons of soldiers, burned the tanks, cars and buses, throw fire bomb and stones to army and polices. But before army started to protected themselves by weapons, they had always keep refraining from fighting back due to that they're the army of people. And at least, more than 1000 tanks (armored car) were burned, less than 50 soldiers were killed unclearly by extremely evil-minded means. Can this result happen in USA or Europe, Can police (army) put up with the atrocity? Can this still be described as a peaceful demonstration? Can this really help improve the democracy progress in China? NO! This is an anti-human insurgence.
And, most of all, WHY did those leaders such as ChaiLing（柴玲） and Wuerkaixi（吾尔凯西）, run away stealthily, though they know clearly they did enough to sharpen the conflict between army and people in demonstration, and ChaiLing said that, flooding blood would be necessary, but she did want to die, because she is the leader and kindling, and she prohibited students from leaving Tiananmen, and she, cheekily, just hid herself in USA embassy.
She's a murder, and she rumored that blood flows like a river in Beijing, but she was just a slanderer which should be adjudged as guilty of a crime.
to Jia Jia
Politics has nothing to do with language.
Simplified Chinese has approved by KMT and there's no doubt.
JIAJIA Sat Aug 09, 2008 4:11 am GMT
《Tiananmen Square，JUNE 4， 1989》
How about Hong Kong 1967 Riots?
Both fifty fifty. So, Tiananmen Square 1989 is NOTHING but those idiots!
"Ivan the Terrible Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:58 am GMT
It has everything to do with the CCP, as regardless of whether it was their idea or not, the CCP were the ones who carried out the actual major 'reforms.' More importantly, they are the ones who assured China was a complete cultural void until the end of the Cultural Revolution, and therefore the reason why most things worth reading in Chinese are in 繁體.
The idea of modern simplification probably wasn't a good one to begin with; Taiwan and Hong Kong have some of the highest literacy rates in the world, fanti or no. But what really makes 簡體字 completely pointless isn't the idea itself, but what was done with it, and the reality is that modern Chinese history has produced nothing equivalent to the Chinese classics owing to the extremely repressive one-party dictatorship. "
You ignore the true fact:
Simplified Chinese was adopted by KMT initially.
Besides, China has 9 political parties. One ruling party + 8 co-operative parties
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_the_People's_Republic_of_China
don't fool me. Please go to see the fact, ok?
To Jia Jia
During Hong Kong 1967 anti-British Revolution, Brits suppressed Hong Kong. So, does it mean that we HK ppl shall not learn English?
<During Hong Kong 1967 anti-British Revolution, Brits suppressed Hong Kong. So, does it mean that we HK ppl shall not learn English?>
No, you got me wrong, you misunderstood me.
I don't like Simplified characters, but it's not due to political factor.
I prefer Traditional characters because it's reasonable and beautiful.
Guest Sat Aug 09, 2008 3:09 am GMT
"There's nothing wrong with simplification, in and of itself. I have no complaints about the switch from 文言文 to 白話, for example. But when the simplification is accompanied by the destruction of traditional culture, or when what has been written in the simplified script is largely awful in comparison with what came before...that's more of a problem. "
please go back to read and write "Oracle Bone Script", that's the real Chinese full of "literature".
Both Traditional and Simplified Chinese are Simplified!
No one doubts it!
Traditional Chinese is the writing which totally has destroyed Chinese culture. I honestly ask both Hong Kong and especially Taiwan please go back to read and write ORACLE BONE SCRIPT for preserving Chinese culture.
Jia Jia:
Brits shot Hong Kong innocent people during HK 1967 anti-British Revolution.
Let's pray those innocent HK ppl.