The national language is Putonghua (the common speech) or Mandarin,
which is one of the six working languages at the United Nations. Most of
the 55 minority nationalities have their own languages.
Standard Chinese (Putonghua) is a standardized form of spoken Chinese
based on the Beijing dialect of Mandarin Chinese. Mandarin Chinese
history can be dated back to the 19th century, particularly by the upper
classes and ministers in Beijing. Standard Chinese is the official
language of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and t Taiwan, as well
as one of four official languages of Singapore.
Cantonese is one of the local dialects of southern China, and
influential in Guangdong Province and Cantonese-speaking overseas
communities, and remains one of the official languages of Hong Kong
(together with English) and of Macau (together with Portuguese). As a
written language, Chinese has been used for 6,000 years.