I read with interest regarding this interesting and important topic. Recently, I found an article from the English newspaper published in Xiamen China about the MINNAN (Hokkien/Hoklo/Teochew/Leizhou/Hainan) Language or dialects:- 'Xiamen and its Southern Fujian districts' dialect or Min Nan”- Updated: 18 Mar 2010 which include the map of the distribution of the various group of Minnan speaking peoples. Probably some of the informations were retrieved from Wikipedia which include an expert opinions.
Ref: http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/xiamen-info-677.html
Xiamen and its Southern Fujian districts' dialect or Min Nan
Updated: 18 Mar 2010
The Southern Min languages, or Min Nan (simplified Chinese: 闽南语; traditional Chinese: 閩南語; pinyin: Mǐnnán Yǔ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Bân-lâm-gí/Bân-lâm-gú; literally "Southern Fujian language"), is a family of Chinese languages which are spoken in southern Fujian and neighboring areas, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora.
In common parlance, Southern Min usually refers to the Hokkien dialect outside China, in particular the Amoy and Taiwanese. Amoy and Taiwanese are both combinations of Quanzhou and Zhangzhou speech. The Southern Min family also includes Teochew and Hainanese. Teochew has limited mutual intelligibility with the Amoy. However, Hainanese is generally not considered to be mutually intelligible with any other Southern Min variants.
Southern Min forms part of the Min language group, alongside several other divisions. The Min languages/dialects are part of the Chinese language group, itself a member of the Sino-Tibetan language family. Southern Min is not mutually intelligible with Eastern Min, Cantonese, or Mandarin. As with other varieties of Chinese, there is a political dispute as to whether the Southern Min language should be called a language or a dialect.
Rough division map of Min Nan dialects :
Ref: http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/xiamen-info-677.html
Phylogenetic Dialects classification:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varieties_of_Chinese;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Min_languages
Geographic distribution
Southern Min is spoken in the southern part of Fujian province, three southeastern counties of Zhejiang province, the Zhoushan archipelago off Ningbo in Zhejiang, and the eastern part of Guangdong province (Chaoshan region). The Qiong Wen variant spoken in the Leizhou peninsula of Guangdong province, as well as Hainan province, which is not mutually intelligible with standard Minnan or Teochew, is classified in some schemes as part of Southern Min and in other schemes as separate.
A form of Southern Min akin to that spoken in southern Fujian is also spoken in Taiwan, where it has the native name of Tâi-oân-oē or Hō-ló-oē. The (sub)ethnic group for which Southern Min is considered a native language is known as the Holo (Hō-ló) or Hoklo, the main ethnicity of Taiwan. The correspondence between language and ethnicity is generally true though not absolute, as some Hoklo have very limited proficiency in Southern Min while some non-Hoklos speak Southern Min fluently.
There are many Southern Min speakers also among overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. Many ethnic Chinese emigrants to the region were Hoklo from southern Fujian, and brought the language to what is now Indonesia (the former Dutch East Indies) and present day Malaysia and Singapore (formerly Malaya, Burma, and the British Straits Settlements). In general, Southern Min from southern Fujian is known as Hokkien, Hokkienese, Fukien or Fookien in Southeast Asia, and is very much like Taiwanese. Many Southeast Asian ethnic Chinese also originated in the Chaoshan region of Guangdong province and speak Teochew, the variant of Southern Min from that region. Southern Min is reportedly the native language of up to 98.5% of the community of ethnic Chinese in the Philippines, among whom it is also known as Lan-nang or Lán-lâng-oē ("Our people’s language"). Southern Min speakers form the majority of Chinese in Singapore with the largest being Hoklos and the second largest being the Teochews.
Classification
Southern Fujian is home to three main Amoy dialects. They are known by the geographic locations to which they correspond (listed north to south):
Quanzhou (Chinchew) (泉州)
Xiamen (Amoy) (厦门)
Zhangzhou (Changchew) (漳州)
As Xiamen is the principal city of southern Fujian, the Xiamen dialect is considered the most important, or even prestige dialect. The Xiamen dialect is a hybrid of the Quanzhou and Zhangzhou dialects. The Xiamen dialect (also known as the Amoy dialect) has played an influential role in history, especially in the relations of Western nations with China, and was one of the most frequently learned of all Chinese languages/dialects by Westerners during the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century.
The variants of Southern Min spoken in Zhejiang province are most akin to that spoken in Quanzhou. The variants spoken in Taiwan are similar to the three Fujian variants, and are collectively known as Taiwanese. Taiwanese is used by a majority of the population and is quite important from a socio-political and cultural perspective, forming the second most important, if not the more influential pole of the language due to the popularity of Taiwanese Hokkien media. Those Southern Min variants that are collectively known as "Hokkien" in Southeast Asia also originate from these variants. The variants of Southern Min in the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong province are collectively known as Teochew or Chaozhou. Teochew is of great importance in the Southeast Asian Chinese diaspora, particularly in Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sumatra and western Kalimantan.
The Southern Min language variant spoken around Shanwei and Haifeng differs markedly from Teochew and may represent a later migration from Zhangzhou. Linguistically, it lies between Teochew and Amoy. In southwestern Fujian, the local variants in Longyan and Zhangping form a separate division of Min Nan on their own. Among ethnic Chinese inhabitants of Penang, Malaysia and Medan, Indonesia, a distinct form of Zhangzhou (Changchew) Hokkien has developed. In Penang, it is called Penang Hokkien while across the Malacca Strait in Medan, an almost identical variant is known as Medan Hokkien.
The cultural and political value of Min Nan Language/Dialects
Jean DeBernardi of the University of Alberta stated that Min Nan, is a Sinitic language with more than 38 millions users, which is 4% of the 1 billion speakers of Sinitic languages. The Min Nan user are in parts of Fujian province, Northeastern Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Thailand,Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In addition to it's high social value as a marker of in-group status among the various communities, it has acquired an additional political value in Taiwan, representing the aspirations of the Taiwanese independence movement in the face of fears of reunification with Mainland China.
Jean DeBernardi considered calling Min Nan a ‘dialects’ "is a misnomer", as the languages of China are as diverse as Romance languages. When Northern China is claimed to be relatively homogeneous linguistically (Jerry Norman observes that “many varieties of Mandarin in Shanxi and the Northwest are totally incomprehensible to a Beijing speaker”), Southern China have six major ‘dialect’ groups, which are mutually incomprehensible tongues.
Since the Guomindang's 1945 Mainland China's defeat and hence retreat to Taiwan, Mandarin has been encouraged at the expense of Taiwanese, and Min Nan, though spoken by an estimated 80% of the Taiwan population , has been regarded as "a substandard language with no grammar and no written form, inadequate and unsuitable for cultivated discussion”
---- END ----
Minnan relationship chart
Re: Minnan relationship chart
Hi Piers,
Thanks for posting these links.
I think one interesting aspect about the Xiamen link is not just the information it contains, but the fact that the information is being put out there. From previous postings on this Forum you might have seen that generally the PRC and Singapore governments discourage the so-called "dialects". Yet, I suspect that, at a grass-roots level - both in the PRC and in Singapore - there is still some interest in - and emotional attachment to - these original south Sinitic languages. And as both these governments gradualy "liberalize", more and more information about them will be available, either from private individuals, or even in a semi-governmental context.
Aside from that, it's probably good to repeat Amhoanna's (and Ah-bin's) warning about information like this (in the Xiamen link as well as the Wikipedia ones). Namely, that they present a very simplified picture of the reality. All of it is "a bit too neat". Now, I have absolutely nothing against "neatness". History (and "Life"!) is so messy and complicated that one would never get anywhere if one insisted on presenting and understanding "The Full Picture" (if, indeed - philosophically - such a thing even exists). So, as a "general rough guide" / "introductory picture", these sorts of trees and diagrams and explanations are actually great. But one should be aware that they are massive simplifications of reality.
[This was brought home to me some time ago on this Forum (and outside), when there was a discussion about "What is Cantonese". It was only around this time that I realised that "Sei Yap" (who often consider themselves to be Cantonese) are, linguistically speaking, not Cantonese (even though they are indeed a variety of Yue). So, here, the question of "identity" also comes into it, making things even more complicated.]
And lastly, again, I'd like to draw attention to something (I think) Amhoanna said. He pointed out that the following statement (in various forms) is often made, when Hokkien is spoken about:
"As Xiamen is the principal city of southern Fujian, the Xiamen dialect is considered the most important, or even prestige dialect."
The quote (in this particular wording) comes from the Xiamen-link.
I thought it was very perceptive of Amhoanna to be irritated by and to challenge (variants of) this statement. It does indeed (as he points out) seem to be one of these "well-known facts" which people will regularly assert. But, to what extent is it actually true? It was perhaps true in 1900, but a lot has happened since then. In particular, two really important shifts: 1) The centre of "Hokkien" (in the wider sense) cultural production has moved totally and overwhelmingly over to Taiwan. 2) Amoy (from some points of view) is no longer even a Hokkien-speaking city!
It's almost like saying "Vienna is the capital of the powerful and important Austro-Hungarian Empire"! We need to be careful not to simply accept and repeat "well-known facts", without thinking more critically about them
.
So, to summarize, please don't think that I'm criticizing such articles, or that I don't appreciate your posting references to them here. On the contrary, I'm really happy that you took the trouble to read them, and wanted to share their content with the rest of the Forum. And (as I said) such articles are actually great for getting a first view of reality. But I just wanted to sound a warning about some of the simplications (or perhaps even inaccuracies) involved.
Thanks for posting these links.
I think one interesting aspect about the Xiamen link is not just the information it contains, but the fact that the information is being put out there. From previous postings on this Forum you might have seen that generally the PRC and Singapore governments discourage the so-called "dialects". Yet, I suspect that, at a grass-roots level - both in the PRC and in Singapore - there is still some interest in - and emotional attachment to - these original south Sinitic languages. And as both these governments gradualy "liberalize", more and more information about them will be available, either from private individuals, or even in a semi-governmental context.
Aside from that, it's probably good to repeat Amhoanna's (and Ah-bin's) warning about information like this (in the Xiamen link as well as the Wikipedia ones). Namely, that they present a very simplified picture of the reality. All of it is "a bit too neat". Now, I have absolutely nothing against "neatness". History (and "Life"!) is so messy and complicated that one would never get anywhere if one insisted on presenting and understanding "The Full Picture" (if, indeed - philosophically - such a thing even exists). So, as a "general rough guide" / "introductory picture", these sorts of trees and diagrams and explanations are actually great. But one should be aware that they are massive simplifications of reality.
[This was brought home to me some time ago on this Forum (and outside), when there was a discussion about "What is Cantonese". It was only around this time that I realised that "Sei Yap" (who often consider themselves to be Cantonese) are, linguistically speaking, not Cantonese (even though they are indeed a variety of Yue). So, here, the question of "identity" also comes into it, making things even more complicated.]
And lastly, again, I'd like to draw attention to something (I think) Amhoanna said. He pointed out that the following statement (in various forms) is often made, when Hokkien is spoken about:
"As Xiamen is the principal city of southern Fujian, the Xiamen dialect is considered the most important, or even prestige dialect."
The quote (in this particular wording) comes from the Xiamen-link.
I thought it was very perceptive of Amhoanna to be irritated by and to challenge (variants of) this statement. It does indeed (as he points out) seem to be one of these "well-known facts" which people will regularly assert. But, to what extent is it actually true? It was perhaps true in 1900, but a lot has happened since then. In particular, two really important shifts: 1) The centre of "Hokkien" (in the wider sense) cultural production has moved totally and overwhelmingly over to Taiwan. 2) Amoy (from some points of view) is no longer even a Hokkien-speaking city!
It's almost like saying "Vienna is the capital of the powerful and important Austro-Hungarian Empire"! We need to be careful not to simply accept and repeat "well-known facts", without thinking more critically about them
. So, to summarize, please don't think that I'm criticizing such articles, or that I don't appreciate your posting references to them here. On the contrary, I'm really happy that you took the trouble to read them, and wanted to share their content with the rest of the Forum. And (as I said) such articles are actually great for getting a first view of reality. But I just wanted to sound a warning about some of the simplications (or perhaps even inaccuracies) involved.
Re: Minnan relationship chart
QUOTE "But, to what extent is it actually true? It was perhaps true in 1900, but a lot has happened since then. In particular, two really important shifts: 1) The centre of "Hokkien" (in the wider sense) cultural production has moved totally and overwhelmingly over to Taiwan. 2) Amoy (from some points of view) is no longer even a Hokkien-speaking city!”
Hi, SimL ,
Thank you for the detailed explanation. I fully agree with your explanation on the 2 points quoted above.
When I visited Xiamen in the last 3 years, I observed that Xiamen is becoming another city like Shenzhen, Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Fuzhou etc where local dialects were overwhelmed by Mandarin usage due to the the inter-province residents/migrants who are not willing to learn or assimilated to Amoy/Minnan dialects and culture. In Xiamen, almost all taxi drivers were migrants from Hunan while service sectors and office staffs are from other inner or poor western provinces. None of them really speak any Minnan dialects. In fact the young generations in Xiamen hardly speak or fluent in Minnan anymore. Sad fact to know. Many cultural practice of Minnan peoples is not even celebrated anymore in Fujian esp those related to temple and religious belief since banned during Mao’s Cultural Revolution.
Until recently, the government of PRC had now realise that the "Minnan” Language, Cultural & Heritage is something that are of economic value to “link" to the overseas Chinese for business, investments and tourism. The most important link is to integrate (absorb) Taiwan into Mainland China. Other reasons is SEA such as Malaysia, Singapore etc due the the economic and investment link.
Another surprise is the China Government plan to integrate “The Minnan Triangle” into a Mega City of almost 18.0 millions populations. The plan is to link together the city of Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou as the Minnan Triangle/One Mega City. This new mega city to rival Shanghai, Chongqing, Beijing. While this will benefits the Minnan peoples prosperity in the area, what i worried is the new inter-province migrants flooding this prosperous Minnan City and change the language landscape which will lead to this Minnan areas losing the Minnan language and heritage.
In China all dialects are fast declining in usage with probably the exception of Yue (Cantonese) and to some extent the Minnan(Taiwanese/Hokkien). This two dialects still have the radio and TV station broadcasting exclusively in the two dialects in China till today. There is one TV station in Xiamen and another one at Quanzhou that broadcast entirely 100% in Minnan dialect, with most programs produced locally or imported from Taiwan. While Cantonese and Minnan is declining in speakers in Mainland China, but due to the popularity of Hong Kong and Taiwanese language broadcast media (Drama, Movies, Songs etc), the dialects decline is cushioned to a much slower rate than other dialects such as Wu(Shanghai), Gan(Jiangxi), Mindong(Fuzhou), Kejia, Xiang (Hunan) etc.
It will be a sad scenario that in 25 - 30 years, when most Chinese dialects will be "almost wipe-out" in China with exception of Cantonese and Minnan.
What can we do about the decline in the usage (speakers) of our beloved Minnan/Hokkien/Hoklo/Teochew/Hainanese/Taiwanese language?
Hi, SimL ,
Thank you for the detailed explanation. I fully agree with your explanation on the 2 points quoted above.
When I visited Xiamen in the last 3 years, I observed that Xiamen is becoming another city like Shenzhen, Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Fuzhou etc where local dialects were overwhelmed by Mandarin usage due to the the inter-province residents/migrants who are not willing to learn or assimilated to Amoy/Minnan dialects and culture. In Xiamen, almost all taxi drivers were migrants from Hunan while service sectors and office staffs are from other inner or poor western provinces. None of them really speak any Minnan dialects. In fact the young generations in Xiamen hardly speak or fluent in Minnan anymore. Sad fact to know. Many cultural practice of Minnan peoples is not even celebrated anymore in Fujian esp those related to temple and religious belief since banned during Mao’s Cultural Revolution.
Until recently, the government of PRC had now realise that the "Minnan” Language, Cultural & Heritage is something that are of economic value to “link" to the overseas Chinese for business, investments and tourism. The most important link is to integrate (absorb) Taiwan into Mainland China. Other reasons is SEA such as Malaysia, Singapore etc due the the economic and investment link.
Another surprise is the China Government plan to integrate “The Minnan Triangle” into a Mega City of almost 18.0 millions populations. The plan is to link together the city of Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou as the Minnan Triangle/One Mega City. This new mega city to rival Shanghai, Chongqing, Beijing. While this will benefits the Minnan peoples prosperity in the area, what i worried is the new inter-province migrants flooding this prosperous Minnan City and change the language landscape which will lead to this Minnan areas losing the Minnan language and heritage.
In China all dialects are fast declining in usage with probably the exception of Yue (Cantonese) and to some extent the Minnan(Taiwanese/Hokkien). This two dialects still have the radio and TV station broadcasting exclusively in the two dialects in China till today. There is one TV station in Xiamen and another one at Quanzhou that broadcast entirely 100% in Minnan dialect, with most programs produced locally or imported from Taiwan. While Cantonese and Minnan is declining in speakers in Mainland China, but due to the popularity of Hong Kong and Taiwanese language broadcast media (Drama, Movies, Songs etc), the dialects decline is cushioned to a much slower rate than other dialects such as Wu(Shanghai), Gan(Jiangxi), Mindong(Fuzhou), Kejia, Xiang (Hunan) etc.
It will be a sad scenario that in 25 - 30 years, when most Chinese dialects will be "almost wipe-out" in China with exception of Cantonese and Minnan.
What can we do about the decline in the usage (speakers) of our beloved Minnan/Hokkien/Hoklo/Teochew/Hainanese/Taiwanese language?
Re: Minnan relationship chart
Hi, Sim L,
Another news articles (from Reuters) to share with you about the growing important of Minnan's Language & Peoples by the Mainland China government in recent times.
Minnan dialect or Hokkien is China's global Fujianese connections
BEIJING (Reuters Life!) - China is hoping to make big money from supporting a once marginalized and repressed regional language which is widely spoken in affluent Taiwan and many Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, including Singapore.
Hokkien, which is termed a dialect in China but cannot be understood by Mandarin speakers, comes from southeastern Fujian province and, due to centuries of immigration, is the native tongue of around 80 percent of Taiwanese.
In Taiwan, where Hokkien is usually called Taiwanese, its public use was once suppressed by the Nationalist government, which pushed Mandarin as the official language. But it is now widely used once again, as an expression of national pride.
Now, China is hoping to make some money from those linguistic links and the Hokkien Cultural Renaissance. In China itself, where the government has also tried to remove dialects from the official arena, Hokkien is being given greater prominence.
"Cultural industries in the whole province are increasingly important, and Hokkien opera and other folk operas have deep roots," Luo Jian, the Fujian government's deputy general secretary, told a news conference.
Fujian's first cross-strait culture expo last year saw some 5 billion yuan ($US732 million) of contracts signed, and the second one to be held later this year hopes to build on that, he said.
"There is a vast amount of space for cross-strait cultural exchange and cooperation," Luo added.
The expo will feature traditional Hokkien singing competitions as well as other aspects of the native culture.
"Everyone knows, Fujian and Taiwan are separated only by a narrow strip of water, and blood is thicker than water," said provincial government spokesman Zhu Qing.
The event will give Taiwan companies a chance to sell their television shows and cartoons to a wider audience, Luo added.
"Though these industries are quiet well developed in Taiwan, their market is limited, and they need to develop outside and sell abroad," he said.
China and Taiwan have for decades promoted Mandarin as their national languages, seeing it as a unifying force in a culture with thousands of mutually unintelligible dialects.
China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since defeated Nationalist forces fled to the island in 1949 ahead of the advancing Communists, and has vowed to bring Taiwan under mainland rule, by force if necessary.
Yet since Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou took office last year, the China-friendly leader has eased tension through trade and tourism deals.
Part of China's recent policy toward Taiwan has been to encourage cultural exchanges. Taiwanese actors and singers are hugely popular in China, where they are seen as cooler and more sophisticated than their mainland counterparts.
In the past, Taiwanese pop stars have been banned from singing in Hokkien in China and films and soap operas have been dubbed into Mandarin, though that is starting to change as the language policy eases and government ties warm.
SOURCE: Reuters by Ben Blanchard
Ref: http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/news6823.html
Another news articles (from Reuters) to share with you about the growing important of Minnan's Language & Peoples by the Mainland China government in recent times.
Minnan dialect or Hokkien is China's global Fujianese connections
BEIJING (Reuters Life!) - China is hoping to make big money from supporting a once marginalized and repressed regional language which is widely spoken in affluent Taiwan and many Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, including Singapore.
Hokkien, which is termed a dialect in China but cannot be understood by Mandarin speakers, comes from southeastern Fujian province and, due to centuries of immigration, is the native tongue of around 80 percent of Taiwanese.
In Taiwan, where Hokkien is usually called Taiwanese, its public use was once suppressed by the Nationalist government, which pushed Mandarin as the official language. But it is now widely used once again, as an expression of national pride.
Now, China is hoping to make some money from those linguistic links and the Hokkien Cultural Renaissance. In China itself, where the government has also tried to remove dialects from the official arena, Hokkien is being given greater prominence.
"Cultural industries in the whole province are increasingly important, and Hokkien opera and other folk operas have deep roots," Luo Jian, the Fujian government's deputy general secretary, told a news conference.
Fujian's first cross-strait culture expo last year saw some 5 billion yuan ($US732 million) of contracts signed, and the second one to be held later this year hopes to build on that, he said.
"There is a vast amount of space for cross-strait cultural exchange and cooperation," Luo added.
The expo will feature traditional Hokkien singing competitions as well as other aspects of the native culture.
"Everyone knows, Fujian and Taiwan are separated only by a narrow strip of water, and blood is thicker than water," said provincial government spokesman Zhu Qing.
The event will give Taiwan companies a chance to sell their television shows and cartoons to a wider audience, Luo added.
"Though these industries are quiet well developed in Taiwan, their market is limited, and they need to develop outside and sell abroad," he said.
China and Taiwan have for decades promoted Mandarin as their national languages, seeing it as a unifying force in a culture with thousands of mutually unintelligible dialects.
China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since defeated Nationalist forces fled to the island in 1949 ahead of the advancing Communists, and has vowed to bring Taiwan under mainland rule, by force if necessary.
Yet since Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou took office last year, the China-friendly leader has eased tension through trade and tourism deals.
Part of China's recent policy toward Taiwan has been to encourage cultural exchanges. Taiwanese actors and singers are hugely popular in China, where they are seen as cooler and more sophisticated than their mainland counterparts.
In the past, Taiwanese pop stars have been banned from singing in Hokkien in China and films and soap operas have been dubbed into Mandarin, though that is starting to change as the language policy eases and government ties warm.
SOURCE: Reuters by Ben Blanchard
Ref: http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/news6823.html
Re: Minnan relationship chart
Hi, Sim and Pier--
My observation is that Banlamese ("Minnan" in Mandarin), at least in China, is dying faster than Teochew and Hoisan. The atmosphere is different throughout the province of Kwongtung 廣東. It is southern kingship. It is Tang plurality, alive in Kwongtung; vs the crushing Mogul monoculture of the Mongol and Manchu kings of China and the PR of C.
My observation is that Banlamese ("Minnan" in Mandarin), at least in China, is dying faster than Teochew and Hoisan. The atmosphere is different throughout the province of Kwongtung 廣東. It is southern kingship. It is Tang plurality, alive in Kwongtung; vs the crushing Mogul monoculture of the Mongol and Manchu kings of China and the PR of C.
Re: Minnan relationship chart
Hi, Sim L & amhoanna and other Minnan brothers & sisters,
Thank you for the recent comments and warm welcome.
A) I have some interesting articles in regards to "Minnan(Hokkien) Culture & Heritage".
B) I have consolidate some inspiring informations regarding "Prominent Minnan Peoples" in the Minnan Disapora (in the field of Business, Entertainment, Sports, Philosophy/Literary, Politics, and Others) .
I hope to share these informations for those interested in Minnan issues at this Minnan Language Forum.
Would you kindly advise if there is an existing Forum’s Thread of the two topic.
I do not wish to start another thread.
I prefer to activate old thread in case many informations had already been contributed or discussed before.
Thank you.
Regards, Pier
Thank you for the recent comments and warm welcome.
A) I have some interesting articles in regards to "Minnan(Hokkien) Culture & Heritage".
B) I have consolidate some inspiring informations regarding "Prominent Minnan Peoples" in the Minnan Disapora (in the field of Business, Entertainment, Sports, Philosophy/Literary, Politics, and Others) .
I hope to share these informations for those interested in Minnan issues at this Minnan Language Forum.
Would you kindly advise if there is an existing Forum’s Thread of the two topic.
I do not wish to start another thread.
I prefer to activate old thread in case many informations had already been contributed or discussed before.
Thank you.
Regards, Pier
Re: Minnan relationship chart
Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Quanzhou to realize urban integration in 10 yrs
Updated: 15 May 2012
(Read more on South Fujian Golden Triangle - Xiazhangquan Metropolitan Area Urban Integration
Xiazhangquan metropolitan area
The “South Fujian Golden Triangle” Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Quanzhou are expected to realize urban integration in 10 years, according to the General Plan for Urban Integration Promotion among Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Quanzhou.
The gerneral plan shows these three cities will jointly build a metropolitan region with a total area of 7,772 square kilometers by the end of 2010. The metropolitan region will be 7 times the size of Hong Kong, much bigger than China’s largest city, Shanghai.
What’s more, Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Quanzhou are expected to realize urban integration preliminarily by the end of 2015. At that time, a comprehensive urban transport networks will be basically established. Social management policies as well as infrastructures in three cities will be integrated. Moreover, the comprehensive economic strength gap between Taipei metropolitan area and Xia-Zhang-Quan metropolitan area will be narrowed to a great extend by then.
By the year of 2020, urban integration is expected to come true by and large. Xia-Zhang-Quan metropolitan area will be an important gateway in China’s opening up. And it will be one of the most active and competitive international cities in the Asian-Pacific Region.
http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/news_image ... ngquan.jpg
Xiazhangquan Metropolitan Area Map
Ref: http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/news25170.html
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Same News In Chinese
厦漳泉用10年时间让三城合一 核心区7772平方公里
Date: 15 May 2012
厦门、漳州、泉州，人们称它们为：闽南金三角。现今，这三座城市将用10年的时间，让三城合一。届时，海峡东岸有台北都会区，海峡西岸有厦漳泉大都市区……
这一切都被写进了 《厦漳泉大都市区同城化发展总体规划纲要（征求意见稿）》。昨日，有关部门提供的这份意见稿透露出一个消息：厦漳泉三市拟共同争取同城化发展规划报批国务院，纳入国家区域经济发展版图，形成国家战略。
意见稿长达53页，由十二部分组成，从厦漳泉同城化的基础和条件着手，制定了三城同城化的指导思想与发展目标，就厦漳泉三地的空间格局与产业布局、基础设施同城化、建立共同市场、推荐公共服务共建共享等10个方面做出规划，形成指导当前和今后一个时期同城化建设的纲领性文件。
按照意见稿，厦漳泉三市计划利用2011年到2020年的10年时间，共同建设一个核心区面积达7772平方公里的大都市区。这一面积比中国第一大城市上海的面积还大，相当于7个香港的大小。
意见稿提出的发展目标称，至2015年，厦漳泉初步实现同城化，三地一体化综合交通运输体系基本建成、社会管理政策基本接轨，市政、信息、能源、口岸通关等基础设施全面对接联网；资源要素市场体系一体化形成，综合经济实力与台北都会区的发展差距明显缩小。
http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/news_image ... ngquan.jpg
到2020年，厦漳泉基本实现同城化，实现产业、空间和社会的高度融合。到时，厦漳泉将基本形成中国对外开放的重要国际门户功能，成为亚太地区最具活力和竞争力的国际性大都市之一，实现与台湾经济文化的深度融合。
来源：东南网
Updated: 15 May 2012
(Read more on South Fujian Golden Triangle - Xiazhangquan Metropolitan Area Urban Integration
Xiazhangquan metropolitan area
The “South Fujian Golden Triangle” Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Quanzhou are expected to realize urban integration in 10 years, according to the General Plan for Urban Integration Promotion among Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Quanzhou.
The gerneral plan shows these three cities will jointly build a metropolitan region with a total area of 7,772 square kilometers by the end of 2010. The metropolitan region will be 7 times the size of Hong Kong, much bigger than China’s largest city, Shanghai.
What’s more, Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Quanzhou are expected to realize urban integration preliminarily by the end of 2015. At that time, a comprehensive urban transport networks will be basically established. Social management policies as well as infrastructures in three cities will be integrated. Moreover, the comprehensive economic strength gap between Taipei metropolitan area and Xia-Zhang-Quan metropolitan area will be narrowed to a great extend by then.
By the year of 2020, urban integration is expected to come true by and large. Xia-Zhang-Quan metropolitan area will be an important gateway in China’s opening up. And it will be one of the most active and competitive international cities in the Asian-Pacific Region.
http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/news_image ... ngquan.jpg
Xiazhangquan Metropolitan Area Map
Ref: http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/news25170.html
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Same News In Chinese
厦漳泉用10年时间让三城合一 核心区7772平方公里
Date: 15 May 2012
厦门、漳州、泉州，人们称它们为：闽南金三角。现今，这三座城市将用10年的时间，让三城合一。届时，海峡东岸有台北都会区，海峡西岸有厦漳泉大都市区……
这一切都被写进了 《厦漳泉大都市区同城化发展总体规划纲要（征求意见稿）》。昨日，有关部门提供的这份意见稿透露出一个消息：厦漳泉三市拟共同争取同城化发展规划报批国务院，纳入国家区域经济发展版图，形成国家战略。
意见稿长达53页，由十二部分组成，从厦漳泉同城化的基础和条件着手，制定了三城同城化的指导思想与发展目标，就厦漳泉三地的空间格局与产业布局、基础设施同城化、建立共同市场、推荐公共服务共建共享等10个方面做出规划，形成指导当前和今后一个时期同城化建设的纲领性文件。
按照意见稿，厦漳泉三市计划利用2011年到2020年的10年时间，共同建设一个核心区面积达7772平方公里的大都市区。这一面积比中国第一大城市上海的面积还大，相当于7个香港的大小。
意见稿提出的发展目标称，至2015年，厦漳泉初步实现同城化，三地一体化综合交通运输体系基本建成、社会管理政策基本接轨，市政、信息、能源、口岸通关等基础设施全面对接联网；资源要素市场体系一体化形成，综合经济实力与台北都会区的发展差距明显缩小。
http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/news_image ... ngquan.jpg
到2020年，厦漳泉基本实现同城化，实现产业、空间和社会的高度融合。到时，厦漳泉将基本形成中国对外开放的重要国际门户功能，成为亚太地区最具活力和竞争力的国际性大都市之一，实现与台湾经济文化的深度融合。
来源：东南网
Re: Minnan relationship chart
Hi Pier,
Yes, indeed, it's true that the "economic motive" is the main one behind the current support for Hokkien (plus perhaps a bit of "keeping up with the Joneses" in the face of Taiwan's support for Taiwanese).
There are parallels to the gay community's spending power (the so-called "gay dollar"), and the concentration of gay people in the inner city of a number of major US cities (and Sydney in Australia). Votes and dollars speak louder than history and culture.
It's always made me a bit sad that that's the case (both in the case of gay issues and Hokkien), rather than a genuine wish to preserve or promote such subgroups. But I accept that I live in an imperfect world, and if I can "hitch a ride" for the issues I support, even if it's driven by money, you won't hear me complaining.
BTW, I think it would be fine to start new threads on both your suggested topics.
Amhoanna: perhaps this economic motive will turn the tide. Economics has often been the motor behind changes in the status of languages. (Let's be optimistic!)
Yes, indeed, it's true that the "economic motive" is the main one behind the current support for Hokkien (plus perhaps a bit of "keeping up with the Joneses" in the face of Taiwan's support for Taiwanese).
There are parallels to the gay community's spending power (the so-called "gay dollar"), and the concentration of gay people in the inner city of a number of major US cities (and Sydney in Australia). Votes and dollars speak louder than history and culture.
It's always made me a bit sad that that's the case (both in the case of gay issues and Hokkien), rather than a genuine wish to preserve or promote such subgroups. But I accept that I live in an imperfect world, and if I can "hitch a ride" for the issues I support, even if it's driven by money, you won't hear me complaining.
BTW, I think it would be fine to start new threads on both your suggested topics.
Amhoanna: perhaps this economic motive will turn the tide. Economics has often been the motor behind changes in the status of languages. (Let's be optimistic!)
Re: Minnan relationship chart
Maybe, Sim, but economics has never been the weak link where Hoklo was concerned.
Pier, with all due respect, can I request that you refrain from *exclusively* using Mandarin names for Banlamese places and things? Ēmn̂g or Amoy, not Xiamen. Who knows, it could help the rising of the tide.
Pier, with all due respect, can I request that you refrain from *exclusively* using Mandarin names for Banlamese places and things? Ēmn̂g or Amoy, not Xiamen. Who knows, it could help the rising of the tide.
Re: Minnan relationship chart
Hi, Sim L and amhoanna,
Promotion and Teaching of Minnan (Bân-lâm-gí/Bân-lâm-gú) Language in Xiamen.
廈門2000所學校將推廣閩南語教學 擬建閩南文化博物館2012年12月12日 07:43
來源：海西晨報
海西晨報訊（記者 主父真真）昨日，廈門市閩南文化生態保護實驗區工作領導小組會議召開，廈門市各區和相關部門彙報了第一階段工作情況，並提出下階段工作目標和建議。
到2015年，“閩南方言與文化進學校”要推廣到廈門市100所幼兒園、小學和初中，以後將逐步推廣到整個廈門市2000多所幼兒園和中小學。此外，會議還提出要建設閩南文化博物館、積極爭取更多“非遺”項目等內容。
Source: http://big5.ifeng.com/gate/big5/xm.ifen ... 66_0.shtml
Translations:
Bân-lâm (Hokkien) / Minnan dialect revitalized by China government policy
The work group's proposal include teaching & promoting Minnan (Bân-lâm) language in 100 kindergarten, primary and secondary schools, within Fujian Xiamen prefecture by 2015.
Minnan dialect will also be taught in over 2,000 schools with Xiamen (Ē-mn̂g) Prefecture from 2016 onwards.
The work group also proposed to construct a museum to promote Fujian Minnan/Bân-lâm (in Xiamen/Ē-mn̂g, Quanzhou/Chôan-chiu, Zhangzhou/Chiang-chiu) intangible cultural heritage.
Promotion and Teaching of Minnan (Bân-lâm-gí/Bân-lâm-gú) Language in Xiamen.
廈門2000所學校將推廣閩南語教學 擬建閩南文化博物館2012年12月12日 07:43
來源：海西晨報
海西晨報訊（記者 主父真真）昨日，廈門市閩南文化生態保護實驗區工作領導小組會議召開，廈門市各區和相關部門彙報了第一階段工作情況，並提出下階段工作目標和建議。
到2015年，“閩南方言與文化進學校”要推廣到廈門市100所幼兒園、小學和初中，以後將逐步推廣到整個廈門市2000多所幼兒園和中小學。此外，會議還提出要建設閩南文化博物館、積極爭取更多“非遺”項目等內容。
Source: http://big5.ifeng.com/gate/big5/xm.ifen ... 66_0.shtml
Translations:
Bân-lâm (Hokkien) / Minnan dialect revitalized by China government policy
The work group's proposal include teaching & promoting Minnan (Bân-lâm) language in 100 kindergarten, primary and secondary schools, within Fujian Xiamen prefecture by 2015.
Minnan dialect will also be taught in over 2,000 schools with Xiamen (Ē-mn̂g) Prefecture from 2016 onwards.
The work group also proposed to construct a museum to promote Fujian Minnan/Bân-lâm (in Xiamen/Ē-mn̂g, Quanzhou/Chôan-chiu, Zhangzhou/Chiang-chiu) intangible cultural heritage.