Cantonese is far from dead. It lags Mandarin in the Chinese language league table for numbers, but its cult status will see it live on

• Cantonese is a one-of-a-kind linguistic art form that’s quirkier and more edgy than Mandarin, nimble and ever-changing
• Its long-term fate is in the hands of every Cantonese speaker and Cantonese-language enthusiast who is willing to continue to breathe new life into it