The 26th National Putonghua Promotion Week was launched today in Xining, Qinghai Province under the theme of “Promoting Putonghua for a New Journey.” Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng, who also heads the leading group for organizing Putonghua Week, and Qinghai Governor Wu Xiaojun attended the launch ceremony and delivered speeches.

Huai emphasized President Xi Jinping’s commitment to advancing Putonghua (i.e., Standard spoken Chinese) nationwide, especially in impoverished regions, to overcome language barriers hindering poverty alleviation efforts. He also mentioned President Xi’s call at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to promote Putonghua proficiency among the population. Huai stressed that promoting Putonghua is in line with China’s modernization goals and urged all education departments to foster a sense of unity, cohesion, and respect for Chinese traditions by popularizing the use of Putonghua. This initiative is seen as key to nurturing the intellectual resources and talent China’s needs to propel its development.

The minister outlined three measures for effective promotion of Putonghua. First, he stressed the central role of schools and highlighted the need to introduce a special Putonghua education program for preschool children. He also stressed the importance of improving teachers’ capacity to teach Putonghua and improving the language skills of new entrants to the workforce through vocational training. Second, he recommended harnessing digital resources to create high-quality language materials as well as exploring their effective use across the country. Lastly, he called for the establishment of a government-led mechanism to promote Putonghua, coordinated by the State Language Commission and supported by all sectors of society.

In his address, Wu highlighted Qinghai’s ongoing efforts to advance Putonghua education and the widespread adoption of Chinese characters, acknowledging the positive contribution of advancing Putonghua to the province’s economic and social progress. Wu emphasized the Qinghai Government’s commitment to promoting Mandarin and Putonghua as integral parts of building a high-quality education system and achieving the province’s educational objectives.

Throughout the campaign, the Leading Group for National Putonghua Promotion Week, units of the State Language Commission, and organizations working to promote Putonghua will actively organize themed activities consistent with the Week’s goals.