Xian: Dialect Corner Attracts Many

A language corner promoting the local Shanxi dialect is very popular these days in Xian.
Located in a small garden east of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, one of the city's most famous historical relics, the language corner is run by several young artists.
These young artists teach tourists to say simple words and phrases in daily conversation and read out literary works from the Han and Tang Dynasties in the near-defunct Shanxi dialect.
The dialect-practicing crowd has aroused the interests of many, including some overseas students studying in Xian. The popularity of the dialect-learning corner is similar to that of the many English-language corners in the city.
According to one artist at the language corner, the Shanxi dialect was regarded as "elegant language" in ancient times and spoken by emperors, royal families, government officials and foreign delegates. However, these days, the local Shanxi dialect is rarely heard and only exists in theatrical productions. The artists aimed to preserve this valuable dialect by starting the language corner.
"The Shanxi dialect reflects how people living in Shanxi see the world. It is an identity of the Shanxi people and should be protected. Protecting local dialects does not harm the efforts of promoting Mandarin," said a professor at a recently held international seminar on Xian's history and culture.