The demonstrations in defence of the Cantonese dialect that began in Guangzhou and spilled over into Hong Kong have opened a window on internal tensions at a time when an increasing powerful China is, often mistakenly, seen as a political and cultural monolith, protestors and political analysts say.
On the surface, what appeared to be a backlash against the officially sanctioned primacy of Putonghua - the official Beijing dialect - at the expense of the southern tongue actually turns out to be more complicated. At stake for the protesters are broader issues such as the way of life and values of a once-thriving local culture they feel is gradually being marginalised in the nation's rise.
Guangzhou no longer spearheads economic reforms as it did in the 1980s, but the city is still ahead of the rest of China in its aspiration for a civil society that allows transparency, diversity and freedom. These southerners look not to the north, but to their fellow Cantonese speakers in Hong Kong.
'We here in Guangzhou follow closely all the actions in Hong Kong, such as the civil movements against the demolition of Queen's Pier, the building of the high-speed-rail line, the removal of Tsoi Yuen Tsuen [for the railway], the arrest of [Christina] Chan Hau-man, and so on,' said Lang Zi, a Guangzhou poet, editor and blogger who is a staunch believer in the values of a civil society and took part in the rallies to defend Cantonese.
'We've seen it all and got inspired by what Hong Kong people did to save their valuable past,' he said.
On close examination, the peaceful rallies that took place in the heart of Guangzhou on two consecutive Sundays - July 25 and August 1 - revealed a strong Hong Kong influence.