Reflections | Traditional or simplified Chinese script? Issue divides Hong Kong, yet uniform characters united China once
The introduction of a standard script by China’s first emperor ensured that speakers of mutually incomprehensible regional languages could communicate with each other, and has united the nation for two millennia
Not only does it involve the blue- and yellow-ribbon politics that colour everything in Hong Kong these days, it’s also about the pride Hongkongers take in having preserved an important aspect of Chinese culture that has all but disappeared in mainland China. And then there’s the prejudice, unapologetically expressed in the reference to simplified Chinese as “defective” characters as opposed to “correct” characters.
Interestingly, the same people who despise China’s simplified script have no problem with the Chinese characters simplified by the Japanese, which are often publicly and proudly displayed in Hong Kong.
Advocates for simplified Chinese claim that the less laborious writing system has lifted millions out of illiteracy, a crucial development in mid-20th century China. However, it is not certain whether this was because of the simplification of written Chinese or the general improvement of the nation’s education system.
