[EDLING:2420] Half of all Chinese can speak the national language

[Francis M. Hult]

San Diego.com

Half of all Chinese can speak the national language 

BEIJING – More than half of all Chinese surveyed by the Ministry of Education 
said they can speak to each other in the country's national language, the state-
run Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday. 

Of the half-million people asked, 53 percent said they can communicate 
effectively in spoken Mandarin, Xinhua reported. In cities, the rate was 66 
percent, while in rural areas, it was 45 percent. 

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