A man carries a sign saying: “I love Cantonese”. With more than 80 million speakers globally, it remains a vital and useful language. Photo: AFP A man carries a sign saying: “I love Cantonese”. With more than 80 million speakers globally, it remains a vital and useful language. Photo: AFP
A man carries a sign saying: “I love Cantonese”. With more than 80 million speakers globally, it remains a vital and useful language. Photo: AFP
Brian Chan
Opinion

Opinion

Brian Chan, Kevin Hsu  and Jamie Tam

Why Stanford University must strengthen, rather than cut, its Cantonese courses

  • The plan damages the university’s global reputation and undermines its self-professed commitment to diversity
  • As the most widely-spoken Sinitic language other than Mandarin, Cantonese offers a more pluralistic understanding of China

Brian ChanKevin Hsu Jamie Tam
Brian Chan , Kevin Hsu   and Jamie Tam

Updated: 6:13pm, 28 Feb, 2021

Why you can trust SCMP
A man carries a sign saying: “I love Cantonese”. With more than 80 million speakers globally, it remains a vital and useful language. Photo: AFP A man carries a sign saying: “I love Cantonese”. With more than 80 million speakers globally, it remains a vital and useful language. Photo: AFP
A man carries a sign saying: “I love Cantonese”. With more than 80 million speakers globally, it remains a vital and useful language. Photo: AFP
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Brian Chan

Brian Chan

Brian Chan is pursuing undergraduate studies in computer science at Stanford.

Kevin Hsu 

Kevin Hsu 

Kevin F. Hsu works on issues of sustainability, climate change and urban resilience on both sides of the Pacific. He graduated from Stanford University with degrees in Earth Systems, International Relations, and Civil & Environmental Engineering.

Jamie Tam

Jamie Tam

Jamie Tam, MPH, PhD is an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health and Stanford alumna Class of 2010.