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93-792: The Teochew people or Chaoshanese , Teo-Swa people or Chaoshan people (rendered Têo-Swa in romanized Teoswa and Cháoshàn in Modern Standard Mandarin also known as Teo-Swa in mainland China due to a change in place names) is an ethnic group native to the historical Chaoshan region in south China who speak the Teochew language . Today, most ethnic Teochew people live throughout Chaoshan and Hong Kong, and also outside China in Southeast Asia , including in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and

186-432: A lingua franca to facilitate communication between speakers of mutually unintelligible varieties of Chinese and non-Sinitic languages . The name Putonghua , or 'common speech', reinforces this idea. However, due to Standard Chinese being a "public" lingua franca, other Chinese varieties and even non-Sinitic languages have shown signs of losing ground to the standard dialect. In many areas, especially in southern China, it

279-422: A Taoist temple of Chinese architecture. An important feature of classical Chinese architecture is its attention to the concept of orientation, which is developed into a special branch of art called Feng Shui . Buildings invariably face south or a little to the east. Yueh Hai Ching Temple is orientated to the southeast (Figure 6), which allows it to take advantage of the southeasterly winds and sunshine to provide

372-704: A business. While the Chinese diaspora as a whole is known for its relative success and economically dominant position in SE Asia - so that tycoons and successful businesspeople can be found from all dialect groups, the Teochew, in particular, have acquired a special reputation for their commercial acumen and derring-do, and often have the highest socioeconomic status amongst the Chinese diaspora, especially in Thailand. Their role as rice merchants enabled them to later develop

465-466: A community centre and a meeting place. According to historian Pan Xing Nong, the then president of Ngee Ann Association had called for prayers at the temple for the impending World War I , reflecting the temple's important role in the everyday life of the Teochew community. It was where people socialized and exchanged news. It served as a place of congregation for immigrants from the same province to provide mutual support for each other. Further restoration

558-565: A few hours each week in Taiwan starting in the mid-1990s. With an increase in internal migration in China , the official Putonghua Proficiency Test (PSC) has become popular. Employers often require a level of Standard Chinese proficiency from applicants depending on the position, and many university graduates on the mainland take the PSC before looking for a job. The pronunciation of Standard Chinese

651-579: A form of the Japanese language dubbed kokugo ( 国語 ). Reformers in the Qing bureaucracy took inspiration and borrowed the term into Chinese, and in 1909 the Qing education ministry officially proclaimed imperial Mandarin as Guoyu ( 国语 ; 國語 ), the 'national language'. After the Republic of China was established in 1912, there was more success in promoting a common national language. A Commission on

744-574: A glazed sheen which gives a smooth and vibrant aesthetics. The support system of the massive roof timbering is visible in Yueh Hai Ching Temple. The exposed wooden structural truss are of highly decorated elements. The carvings on the beams are engraved in many different layers, with the most dramatic being the pierced-relief carvings. This style of carving is more three-dimensional. Not only the wood carvings are exceptionally detailed, they are also decorated in gold foil and paint. Yellow

837-564: A greater vocabulary scheme and a more archaic and "proper-sounding" pronunciation and vocabulary. Distinctive features of the Beijing dialect are more extensive use of erhua in vocabulary items that are left unadorned in descriptions of the standard such as the Xiandai Hanyu Cidian , as well as more neutral tones. An example of standard versus Beijing dialect would be the standard mén (door) and Beijing ménr . While

930-697: A lesser extent. Much of the Taiwanese Aboriginal population spoke their native Formosan languages . During the period of martial law between 1949 and 1987, the Taiwanese government revived the Mandarin Promotion Council , discouraging or in some cases forbidding the use of Hokkien and other non-standard varieties. This resulted in Standard Chinese replacing Hokkien as the country's lingua franca, and ultimately,

1023-464: A political backlash in the 1990s. Starting in the 2000s during the administration of President Chen Shui-Bian , the Taiwanese government began making efforts to recognize the country's other languages. They began being taught in schools, and their use increased in media, though Standard Chinese remains the country's lingua franca. Chen often used Hokkien in his speeches; later Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui also openly spoke Hokkien. In an amendment to

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1116-463: A result of various wars and political instability in the north, there was a large influx of Han Chinese from the north and central provinces to the Chaoshan region. The Teochew were often called Fulao (Hoklo) because they came mostly passed through Fujian during migration, with some well-maintained language and customs from ancient China. As was recorded in pedigrees and ancient inscriptions, one of

1209-644: A strong relationship and ancestry based on common Y-chromosome patterns and higher prevalence of esophageal cancer. Han Chinese from the Taihang region of Henan are likely the ancestral population for both Fujian Han (i.e. Hokkien people) and the Chaoshan Han (i.e. the Teochew people). The Teochew language was officially established sometime around Tang and Song period , before becoming a mature and well-established language sometime during late Ming / early Qing period . From approximately 900 AD - 1600 AD, as

1302-431: Is a form of Chinese woodcarving originating from Chaoshan. Teochew people used a great deal of Teochew wood carving in their buildings. Yingge dance ( Chinese : 英歌 ) is a form of Chinese folk dance which started in the Qing dynasty. With a history of more than 300 years, it is regarded as one of the most representative forms folk arts in Teochew culture. Although few movies or television dramas have been made about

1395-493: Is a form of Standard Chinese that is read aloud with the Cantonese reading of characters. Like other Sinitic languages , Standard Chinese is a tonal language with topic-prominent organization and subject–verb–object (SVO) word order. Compared with southern varieties, the language has fewer vowels, final consonants and tones, but more initial consonants. It is an analytic language , albeit with many compound words . In

1488-707: Is a modern standard form of Mandarin Chinese that was first codified during the republican era (1912–1949). It is designated as the official language of mainland China and a major language in the United Nations , Singapore , and Taiwan . It is largely based on the Beijing dialect . Standard Chinese is a pluricentric language with local standards in mainland China, Taiwan and Singapore that mainly differ in their lexicon . Hong Kong written Chinese , used for formal written communication in Hong Kong and Macau,

1581-568: Is a series of dialect varieties spoken across the geographical area which was formerly administered by Teochew Prefecture (or Chaozhou Fu, 潮州府 ) from the Hongwu period of the Ming dynasty (1369) to the end of the Qing dynasty. It is spoken by roughly 10 million people in Chaoshan and more than five million outside the Chinese mainland. Teochew Cuisine is known for its distinctive sauces, seafood dishes, and stews. Teochew opera ( Chinese : 潮劇 )

1674-500: Is a traditional art form, which has a history of more than 500 years and is now enjoyed by 20 million Teochew people in over 20 countries and regions. Based on local folk dances and ballads, Teochew opera has formed its own style under the influence of Nanxi Opera . Nanxi is one of the oldest Chinese operas and originated in the Song dynasty . The old form of choral accompaniment still preserves its distinctive features. Clowns and females are

1767-651: Is associated with prosperity and good fortune. It is also associated with the ‘yang’ principle of the sun. happiness and the south. In the temple, red is used on roof purlins, trusses and doors. Green, which signifies the officials of lower rank, is associated with the water element. In the temple, green is used on roof rafters, roof tiles of the boundary walls and background colour of the plaques. Yueh Hai Ching Temple contains 19 temple plaques, 11 sets of couplets, 2 stone inscriptions, 1 bronze inscriptions, 2 bronze bells, 5 inscribed beams, 2 ceremonial placards and 1 “cloud coard” wooden chime. Four censers and one plaque are in

1860-518: Is colloquially referred to as simply Mandarin , though this term may also refer to the Mandarin dialect group as a whole, or the late imperial form used as a lingua franca . "Mandarin" is a translation of Guanhua ( 官話 ; 官话 ; 'bureaucrat speech'), which referred to the late imperial lingua franca. The term Modern Standard Mandarin is used to distinguish it from older forms. The word Guoyu ( 国语 ; 國語 ; 'national language')

1953-504: Is common, as the majority of the population continues to also speak the latter as a native language. The stereotypical "southern Chinese" accent does not distinguish between retroflex and alveolar consonants , pronouncing pinyin zh [tʂ], ch [tʂʰ], and sh [ʂ] in the same way as z [ts], c [tsʰ], and s [s] respectively. Southern-accented Standard Chinese may also interchange l and n , final n and ng , and vowels i and ü [y]. Attitudes towards southern accents, particularly

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2046-468: Is commonly used for practical reasons, as linguistic diversity is so great that residents of neighboring cities may have difficulties communicating with each other without a lingua franca. The Chinese government's language policy been largely successful, with over 80% of the Chinese population able to speak Standard Chinese as of 2020. The Chinese government's current goal is to have 85% of the country's population speak Standard Chinese by 2025, and virtually

2139-453: Is dedicated to Xuan Tian Shang Di, otherwise known as Duo Lau Yah. The left temple is dedicated to Tian Hou Sheng Mu, otherwise known as Ma Zu. The Xuan Tian Shang Di is a god worshipped by the Taoist. It is very much respected and worshipped by the secret societies in 19th Century. Mazu is worshipped as she guides ships to safety in times of peril. The Yueh Hai Ching Temple is an expression of

2232-449: Is defined as that of the Beijing dialect . The usual unit of analysis is the syllable, consisting of an optional initial consonant , an optional medial glide , a main vowel and an optional coda, and further distinguished by a tone . The palatal initials [tɕ] , [tɕʰ] and [ɕ] pose a classic problem of phonemic analysis. Since they occur only before high front vowels, they are in complementary distribution with three other series,

2325-420: Is the official language of the mandarins and of the court; it is among them like Latin among ourselves.... Two of our fathers [Michele Ruggieri and Matteo Ricci] have been learning this mandarin language... During the 17th century, the state had set up orthoepy academies ( 正音書院 ; zhèngyīn shūyuàn ) in an attempt to conform the speech of bureaucrats to the standard. These attempts had little success: as late as

2418-500: Is the primary lingua franca of more recent Chinese immigrants , is rapidly increasing. While Standard Chinese was made China's official language in the early 20th century, local languages continue to be the main form of everyday communication in much of the country. The language policy adopted by the Chinese government promotes the use of Standard Chinese while also making allowances for the use and preservation of local varieties. From an official point of view, Standard Chinese serves as

2511-523: Is the symbol of earth, the property of the Emperor. As such, it is often regarded as a symbol of grandeur, power and state. In the temple, gold (instead of yellow) is used on roof trusses, brackets, eaveboards, Door Gods and he Chinese characteristics of plaques. Blue, the colour of sky, is also an Imperial colour which signifies the colour of the east. In the temple, blue is used for decorative painted patterns on beams and background colours of plaques. Red

2604-573: Is thought to have used a dialect known as yayan rather than regional dialects; during the Han dynasty , texts also referred to tōngyǔ ( 通語 ; 'common language'). The rime books that were written starting in the Northern and Southern period may have reflected standard systems of pronunciation. However, these standard dialects were mostly used by the educated elite, whose pronunciation may still have possessed great variation. For these elites,

2697-610: Is used in informal daily life and is heavily influenced in terms of both grammar and vocabulary by local languages such as Cantonese, Hokkien, and Malay. Instances of code-switching with English, Hokkien, Cantonese, Malay, or a combination thereof are also common. In Singapore, the government has heavily promoted a " Speak Mandarin Campaign " since the late 1970s, with the use of other Chinese varieties in broadcast media being prohibited and their use in any context officially discouraged until recently. This has led to some resentment amongst

2790-530: Is used in most official contexts, as well as the media and educational system, contributing to its proliferation. As a result, it is now spoken by most people in both countries, though often with some regional or personal variation in vocabulary and pronunciation. In overseas Chinese communities outside Asia where Cantonese once dominated, such as the Chinatown in Manhattan , the use of Standard Chinese, which

2883-483: The Riau Islands also began settling in Singapore after 1819. Today, Teochew language is the second-most spoken Sinitic language in Singapore. They are the second-largest race / Ethnic group in Singapore, comprising 21% of the sinitic population. As a result, they play a significant role in commerce and politics. Most of the Teochew descendants in Taiwan have already been " hokkienized " ("hoklonized"). They speak

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2976-462: The Sanskrit word mantrin ('minister')—and was initially used to refer to Chinese scholar-officials . The Portuguese then began referring to Guanhua as "the language of the mandarins". The Chinese have different languages in different provinces, to such an extent that they cannot understand each other.... [They] also have another language which is like a universal and common language; this

3069-594: The Taiwanese Hokkien language instead of Teochew, but some Teochew are still in Chaozhou township , in Pingtung County . A 1926 Japanese census found that 134,800 people in Taiwan were of Teochew ancestry. Like the rest of the Chinese diaspora, the Teochew have been known for their ability to thrive in adverse settings and harsh conditions, and to tolerate very low margins in the initial phase of

3162-584: The Yueh Hai Ching Temple on the south bank of the Singapore River. From the 19th century, significant numbers of Teochew people left their homeland for Singapore and a new life. Early Teochew settlers could trace their origins to eight counties/prefectures: Chao'an, Chenghai, Chaoyang, Jieyang, Raoping, Puning, Huilai and Nan'ao. In addition to these new immigrants from the port of Swatow ( Shantou ), Teochew immigrants from Siam and

3255-438: The diaspora would generally use ting nang (Chinese: 唐儂 ; pinyin: tangnóng ) to indicate Sinitic heritage in a cultural sense. Tingnang and tangren are broadly used by most of the southern Sinitic people living outside of China, referring to their maintaining a substantial cultural identity they consider to be Sinitic people. The identification of " tingnang " could perhaps be due to their early affiliation with

3348-736: The 19th century and early 20th century. "Teochew" is derived from Teochew prefecture (Chaozhou Fu) the departmental city where they originate. The writings of Stamford Raffles and William Farquhar indicate that the British found Temenggong Abdul Rahman with 400 to 500 residents in Singapore in January 1819. Another member of the 1819 expedition party, Captain John Crawford, recalled in his diary an encounter with “upwards of 100” of Chinese. British colonial documentations revealed that Temenggong Abdul Rahman had provided these Chinese who were Teochews

3441-531: The 19th century could offer their prayers and gratitude for their safe journey. This is reflected in the temple's name, which translates as “Temple of the Calm Sea”. Philip Street was once near the sea, so that sailors could head to the temple immediately after docking. Due to land reclamation, the temple was effectively distanced from the shore. When the Ngee Ann Kongsi was formed in 1845, it took over

3534-473: The 19th century, the emperor had difficulty understanding some of his ministers in court, who did not always follow a standard pronunciation. Before the 19th century, the lingua franca was based on the Nanjing dialect , but later the Beijing dialect became increasingly influential, despite the mix of officials and commoners speaking various dialects in the capital, Beijing . By some accounts, as late as 1900

3627-515: The British found Temenggong Abdul Rahman with 400 to 500 residents in Singapore in January 1819. Another member of the 1819 expedition party, Captain John Crawford, recalled in his diary an encounter with “upwards of 100” of Chinese. British colonial documentations revealed that Temenggong Abdul Rahman had provided these Chinese who were Teochews the cost and expenses of opening gambier plantations at Mount Stamford (now Pearl’s Hill) prior to British arrival. He had also “in some instances” advanced money to

3720-562: The Cantonese accent, range from disdain to admiration. Chinese is a strongly analytic language , having almost no inflectional morphemes , and relying on word order and particles to express relationships between the parts of a sentence. Nouns are not marked for case and rarely marked for number . Verbs are not marked for agreement or grammatical tense , but aspect is marked using post-verbal particles. Wak Hai Cheng Bio Multiple narratives provide conflicting accounts on

3813-956: The Chinese government has not stated its intent to replace regional varieties with Standard Chinese. However, regulations enacted by local governments to implement the national law−such as the Guangdong National Language Regulations —have included coercive measures to control the public's use of both spoken dialects and traditional characters in writing. Some Chinese speakers who are older or from rural areas cannot speak Standard Chinese fluently or at all—though most are able to understand it. Meanwhile, those from urban areas—as well as younger speakers, who have received their education primarily in Standard Chinese—are almost all fluent in it, with some being unable to speak their local dialect. The Chinese government has disseminated public service announcements promoting

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3906-587: The Chinese language was unified in Literary Chinese , a form that was primarily written, as opposed to spoken. The term Guanhua ( 官話 ; 官话 ; 'official speech') was used during the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1912) dynasties to refer to the lingua franca spoken within the imperial courts. The term "Mandarin" is borrowed directly from the Portuguese word mandarim , in turn derived from

3999-597: The Enforcement Rules of the Passport Act ( 護照條例施行細則 ) passed on 9 August 2019, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that romanized spellings of names in Hoklo , Hakka and Aboriginal languages may be used in Taiwanese passports. Previously, only Mandarin names could be romanized. Mandarin is one of the four official languages of Singapore, along with English, Malay , and Tamil . Historically, it

4092-822: The Philippines. The community can also be found in diasporas around the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and France. Teochew can be romanized in a variety of schemes, and are known in Mandarin as Cháoshan rén and in Cantonese as Chiushan yan . In referring to themselves as Sinitic people, Teochew people generally use Deung nang ( Chinese : 唐人 ; pinyin : Tángrén ; lit. ' Tang dynasty people'), as opposed to Hang Jin (simplified Chinese: 汉人 ; traditional Chinese: 漢人 ; pinyin: Hànrén ; lit. ' Han dynasty people'). Teochew people of

4185-455: The Standard Chinese spoken in Taiwan is nearly identical to that of mainland China, the colloquial form has been heavily influenced by other local languages, especially Taiwanese Hokkien. Notable differences include: the merger of retroflex sounds (zh, ch, sh, r) with the alveolar series (z, c, s), frequent mergers of the "neutral tone" with a word's original tone, and absence of erhua . Code-switching between Mandarin and Taiwanese Hokkien

4278-545: The Taiwanese government introduced two laws explicitly recognizing the indigenous Formosan languages and Hakka as "Languages of the nation" ( 國家語言 ) alongside Standard Chinese. Since then, there have been efforts to redefine Guoyu as encompassing all "languages of the nation", rather than exclusively referring to Standard Chinese. Among Chinese people, Hanyu ( 汉语 ; 漢語 ; 'Han language') refers to spoken varieties of Chinese . Zhongwen ( 中文 ; 'written Chinese') refers to written Chinese. Among foreigners,

4371-564: The Tang dynasty. The Teochew people are those who speak the Teochew language and identify with Teochew culture, cuisine, and customs. The Swatow people are those who speak the Swatow language and identify with Swatow culture, cuisine, and customs. Kekyeo , Teochew , Swatow and Chaoshan people also commonly refer to each other as ga gi nang (Chinese: 家己儂 ; pinyin: Jiājǐrén ; lit. 'our own people'). The ancestors of

4464-499: The Teochew cultivators on the understanding he would be repaid in the form of gambier or other produce. Farquhar had the impressions that the Temenggong’s interests in these plantations were represented by a brother-in-law of his named Baba Ketchil and the first Captain China of Singapore, a Teochew merchant named Tan Heng Kim (陈亨钦), was “one of the principal persons concerned”. The first Teochews in Singapore were led by Tan Heng Kim, who

4557-581: The Teochew people moved to present-day Chaoshan as refugees from central and northern China due to various reasons. Historical texts suggests this was likely due to war and famine in the region. The Teochews, along with the Hokkien people, migrated from the Central Plains and Yellow River region, mainly from the Henan, Shaanxi and Shandong provinces. This is evident in several genetic studies, which show

4650-485: The Teochew people, one such notable drama is the Singaporean 1995 drama series The Teochew Family . In 2019, Netflix released the documentary series Flavorful Origins , which focused on Teochew cuisine. Standard Chinese Standard Chinese ( simplified Chinese : 现代标准汉语 ; traditional Chinese : 現代標準漢語 ; pinyin : Xiàndài biāozhǔn hànyǔ ; lit. 'modern standard Han speech')

4743-464: The Unification of Pronunciation was convened with delegates from the entire country. A Dictionary of National Pronunciation ( 國音字典 ; 国音字典 ) was published in 1919, defining a hybrid pronunciation that did not match any existing speech. Meanwhile, despite the lack of a workable standardized pronunciation, colloquial literature in written vernacular Chinese continued to develop. Gradually,

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4836-533: The United Kingdom and Macau's handover from Portugal, their governments use Putonghua to communicate with the PRC's Central People's Government . There has been significant effort to promote use of Putonghua in Hong Kong since the handover, including the training of police and teachers. Standard Chinese is the official language of Taiwan . Standard Chinese started being widely spoken in Taiwan following

4929-478: The capital needed to become the nations' bankers. Throughout a history of over 1000 years, the region of Chaoshan , known in ancient times as Teochew Prefecture, has developed and cultivated a prestigious culture, which manifests its unique characteristics in language, opera, traditional dress, cuisine, tea practice, music, and embroidery. The Teochew language ( simplified Chinese : 潮州话 ; traditional Chinese : 潮州話 ; Teochew pronunciation: Diê5 ziu1 uê7)

5022-558: The citizenry was originally borrowed from Japan in the early 20th century. In 1902, the Japanese Diet had formed the National Language Research Council to standardize a form of the Japanese language dubbed kokugo ( 国語 ). Reformers in the Qing bureaucracy took inspiration and borrowed the term into Chinese, and in 1909 the Qing education ministry officially proclaimed imperial Mandarin to be

5115-425: The coda of the base syllable in a rhotacizing process called erhua . Each full syllable is pronounced with a phonemically distinctive pitch contour. There are four tonal categories, marked in pinyin with diacritics, as in the words mā ( 媽 ; 妈 ; 'mother'), má ( 麻 ; 'hemp'), mǎ ( 馬 ; 马 ; 'horse') and mà ( 罵 ; 骂 ; 'curse'). The tonal categories also have secondary characteristics. For example,

5208-406: The context of linguistics , the dialect has been labeled Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin , and in common speech simply Mandarin , more specifically qualified as Standard Mandarin , Modern Standard Mandarin , or Standard Mandarin Chinese . Among linguists, Standard Chinese has been referred to as Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin . It

5301-419: The cost and expenses of opening gambier plantations at Mount Stamford (now Pearl’s Hill) prior to British arrival. He had also “in some instances” advanced money to the Teochew cultivators on the understanding he would be repaid in the form of gambier or other produce. Farquhar had the impressions that the Temenggong’s interests in these plantations were represented by a brother-in-law of his named Baba Ketchil and

5394-449: The courageous and meritorious deeds of the gods and ancient heroes of Chinese legend. These figures were created using a traditional technique known as cut-and paste porcelain shard work (嵌瓷 or 剪瓷雕). Wires and rods are used to form armatures around which a cement-like lime base is formed of either limestone powder or seashell powder. The limp is mixed with sand and help wool to form the substance onto which porcelain shards are set, providing

5487-540: The date the temple was first constructed. Some traced the history of the temple to as far back as to 1738. The general consensus is that the temple was first put up in 1820 as a simple wood and attap temple. A research study to verify details given in oral traditions published by Phua Chye Long (潘醒农) in Teo-chews in Malaya (马来亚潮侨通鉴) in 1950 found that the writings of Stamford Raffles and William Farquhar indicate that

5580-431: The dental sibilants, retroflexes and velars, which never occur in this position. The [ɹ̩] final, which occurs only after dental sibilant and retroflex initials, is a syllabic approximant , prolonging the initial. The rhotacized vowel [ɚ] forms a complete syllable. A reduced form of this syllable occurs as a sub-syllabic suffix, spelled -r in pinyin and often with a diminutive connotation. The suffix modifies

5673-506: The early Communist leader Qu Qiubai in 1931. His concern echoed within the Communist Party, which adopted the term Putonghua in 1955. Since 1949, usage of the word Guoyu was phased out in the PRC, only surviving in established compound nouns, e.g. ' Mandopop ' ( 国语流行音乐 ; Guóyǔ liúxíng yīnyuè ), or 'Chinese cinema' ( 国语电影 ; Guóyǔ diànyǐng ). In Taiwan, Guoyu is the colloquial term for Standard Chinese. In 2017 and 2018,

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5766-573: The end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, with the relocation of the Kuomintang (KMT) to the island along with an influx of refugees from the mainland. The Standard Chinese used in Taiwan differs very little from that of mainland China, with differences largely being in technical vocabulary introduced after 1949. Prior to 1949, the varieties most commonly spoken by Taiwan's Han population were Taiwanese Hokkien , as well as Hakka to

5859-494: The entire country by 2035. Throughout the country, Standard Chinese has heavily influenced local languages through diglossia , replacing them entirely in some cases, especially among younger people in urban areas. The Chinese government is keen to promote Putonghua as the national lingua franca: under the National Common Language and Writing Law , the government is required to promoted its use. Officially,

5952-401: The entire temple. The courtyard of Yueh Hai Ching Temple are enclosed by the walls and buildings around it, takes on a special introverted quality. The seclusion of the courtyard, separated from the outside world, forms a world by itself. The stone-paved courtyard provides abundant supplies of air and light for interior space. The roof of the temple of Xuan Tian Shang Di has ridge ornaments over

6045-493: The first Captain China of Singapore, a Teochew merchant named Tan Heng Kim (陈亨钦), was “one of the principal persons concerned”. Based on Teochew oral traditions in Singapore published by Phua Chye Long (潘醒农) in Teo-chews in Malaya (马来亚潮侨通鉴) in 1950, the first Teochews in Singapore were led by Tan Heng Kim, who was from Siam, and a second merchant named Heng Hong Sung (王丰顺) from Ampou town in Chaozhou, China. Together, they founded

6138-605: The management of the temple from Ban See Soon Kongsi. Between 1852 and 1855, the present temple was constructed. In 1895, the Ngee Ann Kongsi submitted a building plan which called for substantial rebuilding of the temple. By the late 19th century, the Teochews were the second largest and most influential of the Chinese dialect groups after the Hokkiens. Besides being a place of worship, Yueh Hai Ching Temple also acted as

6231-581: The medium of instruction with the standard shared with Singaporean Chinese. Together influenced by the Singaporean Speak Mandarin Campaign and Chinese culture revival movement in the 1980s, Malaysian Chinese started their own promotion of Mandarin too, and similar to Singapore, but to a lesser extent, experienced language shift from other Chinese variants to Mandarin. Today, Mandarin functions as lingua franca among Malaysian Chinese, while Hokkien and Cantonese are still retained in

6324-571: The members of the National Language Commission came to settle upon the Beijing dialect, which became the major source of standard national pronunciation due to its prestigious status. In 1932, the commission published the Vocabulary of National Pronunciation for Everyday Use ( 國音常用字彙 ; 国音常用字汇 ), with little fanfare or official announcement. This dictionary was similar to the previous published one except that it normalized

6417-547: The mid-1960s. Gradually, the term has been re-appropriated to refer specifically to Standard Chinese. The term is mostly used in Singapore , Malaysia , Indonesia , and the Philippines . The Chinese language has had considerable dialectal variation throughout its history, including prestige dialects and linguae francae used throughout the territory controlled by the dynastic states of China. For example, Confucius

6510-558: The most distinctive characters in Teochew opera, and fan play and acrobatic skills are prominent. Teochew music ( Chinese : 潮州音樂 ) is popular in Chaoshan's teahouse scene. The Teochew string instrument, gong, drum, and traditional Chinese flute are typically involved in ensembles. The current Chaozhou drum music is said to be similar to the Drum and Wind Music form of the Han and Tang dynasties. Teochew woodcarving ( Chinese : 潮州木雕 )

6603-516: The most unusual ornaments of complicated layouts of one- and two-storey mini-structures and human figurines. They are laid in such a way as to depict clusters of buildings within a Chinese town. In this temple, not only is the ridge extremely crowded with dragons and miniature models of dwellings, the copings, gable ends and hips are also adorned with all kinds of structures of pagodas, sheds, dwellings and niches. Human figurines area displayed everywhere, depicting scenes from Chinese operas which illustrate

6696-627: The name used in Taiwan . The forms of Standard Chinese used in China and Taiwan have diverged somewhat since the end of the Civil War, especially in newer vocabulary, and a little in pronunciation. In 1956, the PRC officially defined Standard Chinese as "the standard form of Modern Chinese with the Beijing phonological system as its norm of pronunciation, and Northern dialects as its base dialect, and looking to exemplary modern works in written vernacular Chinese for its grammatical norms." According to

6789-438: The nave in the form of two dragons flanking a blazing pearl, which is lifted on a metal rod. To the ancient Chinese, the dragon is the emblem of guardianship and vigilance and the symbol of strength, authority and justice. The roof of the temple of Mazu has a ridge design composed of dragons guarding the city against evil influences and were emblematic of geomantic power to revert evil forces into beneficial energy. Both roofs have

6882-403: The neutral tone. It is common for Standard Chinese to be spoken with the speaker's regional accent, depending on factors such as age, level of education, and the need and frequency to speak in official or formal situations. Due to evolution and standardization, Mandarin, although based on the Beijing dialect, is no longer synonymous with it. Part of this was due to the standardization to reflect

6975-399: The new national language. The term Putonghua ( 普通话 ; 普通話 ; 'common tongue') dates back to 1906 in writings by Zhu Wenxiong to differentiate the standard vernacular Mandarin from Literary Chinese and other varieties of Chinese . Since 2000, the Chinese government has used the term "Countrywide common spoken and written language" ( 国家通用语言文字 ), while also making provisions for

7068-428: The northern part and central part of Peninsular Malaysia respectively. In some regions controlled by insurgent groups in northern Myanmar, Mandarin serves as the lingua franca. In both mainland China and Taiwan, Standard Chinese is taught by immersion starting in elementary school. After the second grade, the entire educational system is in Standard Chinese, except for local language classes that have been taught for

7161-508: The official definition, Standard Chinese uses: Proficiency in the new standard was initially limited, even among Mandarin speakers, but increased over the following decades. A 2007 survey conducted by the Chinese Ministry of Education indicated that 53.06% of the population were able to effectively communicate using Standard Chinese. By 2020, this figure had risen to over 80%. In both mainland China and Taiwan, Standard Chinese

7254-491: The older generations, as Singapore's migrant Chinese community is made up almost entirely of people of south Chinese descent. Lee Kuan Yew , the initiator of the campaign, admitted that to most Chinese Singaporeans, Mandarin was a "stepmother tongue" rather than a true mother language. Nevertheless, he saw the need for a unified language among the Chinese community not biased in favor of any existing group. In Malaysia, Mandarin has been adopted by local Chinese-language schools as

7347-418: The people living in the halls and courtyards with a pleasant micro-climate. One of the characteristics of classical Chinese architecture is the symmetrical structuring of the plan and elevation. Yue Hai Ching Temple has asymmetrical layout. Courtyards and gardens as visual components of Chinese architecture. Upon passing through the front entrance gate, the large forecourt gives visitors a panoramic view of

7440-491: The position of the Nanjing dialect was considered by some to be above that of Beijing; the postal romanization standards established in 1906 included spellings that reflected elements of Nanjing pronunciation. The sense of Guoyu as a specific language variety promoted for general use by the citizenry was originally borrowed from Japan; in 1902 the Japanese Diet had formed the National Language Research Council to standardize

7533-479: The primary spoken language, alongside a local form of Standard Chinese ( 書面語 ; syu1 min6 jyu5 ; 'written language') used in schools, local government, and formal writing. Written Cantonese may also be used in informal settings such as advertisements, magazines, popular literature, and comics. Mixture of formal and informal written Chinese occurs to various degrees. After the Hong Kong's handover from

7626-509: The pronunciations for all characters into the pronunciation of the Beijing dialect. Elements from other dialects continue to exist in the standard language, but as exceptions rather than the rule. Following the end of the Chinese Civil War , the People's Republic of China (PRC) continued standardisation efforts on the mainland, and in 1955 officially began using Putonghua ( 普通话 ; 普通話 ; 'common speech') instead of Guoyu , which remains

7719-454: The temple various awards, the Award of Merit at the 2014 UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards , 2014 Urban Redevelopment Authority's Architectural Heritage Awards and 2013 National Architecture Institute of China's Vernacular Architecture Award Covering a total floor area of 1440 square meters, the Yueh Hai Ching Temple was divided into two temples, each with its own entrance. The right temple

7812-534: The term Hanyu is most commonly used in textbooks and Standard Chinese education, such as in the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) test. Until the mid-1960s, Huayu ( 华语 ; 華語 ) referred to all the language varieties used among the Chinese nation . For example, Cantonese , Mandarin , and Hokkien films produced in Hong Kong were imported into Malaysia and collectively known as " Huayu cinema" until

7905-447: The third tone is long and murmured , whereas the fourth tone is relatively short. Statistically, vowels and tones are of similar importance in the language. There are also weak syllables, including grammatical particles such as the interrogative ma ( 嗎 ; 吗 ) and certain syllables in polysyllabic words. These syllables are short, with their pitch determined by the preceding syllable. Such syllables are commonly described as being in

7998-523: The two groups of those who temporarily migrated to the capital city of Fujian later moved to parts of Chaoshan instead in batches during the Tang dynasty , genetically intermixing with the local people within Chaoshan there. The Teochew people are mistakenly known to the Cantonese as "Hoklo", literally meaning "men of Fujian", although the term "Teochew" was used in the Straits Settlements in

8091-437: The use and protection of ethnic minority languages. The term is derived from the title of a 2000 law which defines Putonghua as the "Countrywide Common Spoken and Written Language". Use of the term Putonghua ('common tongue') deliberately avoids calling the dialect a 'national language', in order to mitigate the impression of coercing minority groups to adopt the language of the majority. Such concerns were first raised by

8184-559: The use of Putonghua on television and the radio, as well as on public buses. The standardization campaign has been challenged by local dialectical and ethnic populations, who fear the loss of their cultural identity and native dialect. In the summer of 2010, reports of a planned increase in the use of the Putonghua on local television in Guangdong led to demonstrations on the streets by thousands of Cantonese -speaking citizens. While

8277-450: The use of Standard Chinese is encouraged as the common working language in predominantly Han areas on the mainland, the PRC has been more sensitive to the status of non-Sinitic minority languages, and has generally not discouraged their social use outside of education. In Hong Kong and Macau , which are special administrative regions of the PRC, there is diglossia between Cantonese ( 口語 ; hau2 jyu5 ; 'spoken language') as

8370-429: Was carried out between 1995 and 1997 (URA, 1997). On 28 June 1996, the temple as gazetted as a national monument of Singapore. The latest round of restoration was officially carried out from 2011 to 2014. However, study of the temple structure for restoration purposes commenced a few years before 2011 (Personal interview with Dr. Yeo Kang Shua). This restoration is highly acclaimed. The restoration and conservation earned

8463-473: Was from Siam, and a second merchant named Heng Hong Sung (王丰顺) from Ampou town in Chaozhou, China. Together, they founded the Yueh Hai Ching Temple on the south bank of the Singapore River. In 1826, pioneer of Man Say Soon Company, Lim Poon erected a shrine on the same site on Philip Street with a 999-year lease. It was managed by a board of trustees consisting of 14 members. The shrine was constructed so that sailors sailing between Singapore and China during

8556-492: Was initially used during the late Qing dynasty to refer to the Manchu language . The 1655 Memoir of Qing Dynasty , Volume: Emperor Nurhaci ( 清太祖實錄 ) says: "(In 1631) as Manchu ministers do not comprehend the Han language, each ministry shall create a new position to be filled up by Han official who can comprehend the national language." However, the sense of Guoyu as a specific language variety promoted for general use by

8649-542: Was seldom used by the Chinese Singaporean community , which primarily spoke the Southern Chinese languages of Hokkien , Teochew , Cantonese, or Hakka . Standard Singaporean Mandarin is nearly identical to the standards of China and Taiwan, with minor vocabulary differences. It is the Mandarin variant used in education, media, and official settings. Meanwhile, a colloquial form called Singdarin

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