Learning Chinese a chance to connect with history and culture

“Give Chinese a go,” remains the message of Chinese Language Week, now into its 11th year, says Associate Professor Danping Wang, head of Chinese at the University of Auckland.

“Learning Chinese is not just about mastering vocabulary but connecting with a civilisation that spans thousands of years, understanding diverse communities, and opening doors to new opportunities.”

She says many New Zealanders are surprised to learn that Chinese is not a single language, but an umbrella term encompassing more than 200 dialects grouped into seven major families.

“Cantonese, for example, one of the most prominent, has deep historical roots in New Zealand. Early Chinese migrants, arriving as far back as 1842, were mostly Cantonese speakers from villages in Guangzhou. For generations, Cantonese was the dominant language within Chinese communities here.”

However, Wang says the linguistic landscape began to shift in the 1990s with the arrival of Mandarin speakers from Taiwan, Singapore, Beijing, and Shanghai.

“Today, Mandarin and Cantonese coexist alongside other variants such as Shanghainese and Sichuanese, contributing to the vibrant diversity of Chinese New Zealanders, and their cuisines, which have become a beloved part of the country’s multicultural identity.”

Education has played a pivotal role in this evolution, says Wang.

“The University of Auckland actually pioneered Chinese language education in New Zealand, launching its first courses in 1966; next year marks the programme’s 60th anniversary.”

She says the University has taught tens of thousands of students over the decades, who’ve gone on to work in government, business, education, and the arts, “bringing with them a deep understanding of China’s language, literature, and society”.

“Victoria University then followed suit in the 1970s, and other institutions developed Chinese programmes in the 1990s. Chinese entered New Zealand schools after the publication of the first curriculum in 1995.”

In classrooms, Mandarin remains the most widely taught variant, largely due to the availability of teaching resources, says Wang, but there’s a “full spectrum” of Chinese languages out there.

“Mandarin and Cantonese are both beautiful, dynamic languages. They’re part of a living tradition that continues to evolve.”

A fun fact for linguists, says Wang, is that when you read a Tang dynasty poem from the 6th century aloud in Cantonese, the rhymes often sound perfect.

“That’s because Cantonese preserves many older sounds and final consonants from Middle Chinese, making it closer to how classical poetry was originally pronounced.”

She says there are very few speakers of ‘pure’ or ‘accent-free’ Mandarin.

“Most Mandarin speakers use it alongside their local dialect or regional language, so their speech carries a local accent.”

She says Mandarin has undergone greater sound changes over the centuries, which is why many rhymes don’t match as neatly today.

“However, Mandarin also absorbed vocabulary from languages like Mongolian and Manchu during periods of foreign rule, adding unique words and cultural layers to its lexicon.”

For Chinese Language Week, Wang invites New Zealanders to explore “not just a language, but a world of stories, connections and shared futures”.