China's vast territory encompasses a multitude of dialects. The "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language," enacted on October 31, 2000, established Mandarin (Putonghua) as the national lingua franca. The Han society experienced varying degrees of regional division and integration during its development, leading to the gradual emergence of distinct dialectal variations.
The formation of dialects can be attributed to two primary factors:
- Societal, historical, and geographical factors, including prolonged small-scale agrarian economies, sociopolitical fragmentation, population migrations, and geographical barriers;
- Linguistic factors, such as uneven linguistic evolution, interlingual conflicts, and cross-dialectal influences.
According to the China Language Resources Overview 2019 published by the Ministry of Education, Chinese dialects are categorized into ten major groups: Mandarin (官话方言), Jin (晋方言), Wu (吴方言), Min (闽方言), Hakka (客家方言), Yue (粤方言), Xiang (湘方言), Gan (赣方言), Hui (徽方言), and Pinghua-Tuhua (平话土话). Each dialect group further comprises numerous sub-dialects and local vernaculars. The most widely spoken Mandarin dialect group includes eight subcategories: Northeastern Mandarin (东北官话), Beijing Mandarin (北京官话), Jilu Mandarin (冀鲁官话), Jiaoliao Mandarin (胶辽官话), Zhongyuan Mandarin (中原官话), Lanyin Mandarin (兰银官话), Jianghuai Mandarin (江淮官话), and Southwestern Mandarin (西南官话).
CnOpenData has systematically compiled two versions of regional dialect information tables (1986 and 2012 editions) and a regional ethnic minority dialect information table based on The Language Atlas of China. These datasets incorporate geographical coordinates at the district/county level alongside provincial, municipal, and county administrative divisions, as well as granular dialect classifications, providing comprehensive resources for related research.
Temporal Scope
Categorized by editions of The Language Atlas of China: 1986 edition and 2012 edition.
Field Description
Sample Data
Regional Dialect Information Table - 1986 Edition
Regional Dialect Information Table - 2012 Edition
Regional Ethnic Minority Dialect Information Table - 1986 Edition
Related Literature
- Jiang, Wei, Zhou Quan, Xiang Shuting, and Li Xitao. 2021. "Dialect Diversity, Team Collaboration, and Chinese Enterprise Exports." The Journal of World Economy 4.
- Pan, Yue, Xiao Jinli, and Dai Yiyi. 2017. "Cultural Diversity and Corporate Innovation: A Dialect Perspective." Journal of Financial Research 10.
- Lin, Jianhao, and Zhao Zile. 2017. "Invisible Barriers to Balanced Development: Dialects, Institutions, and Technology Diffusion." Economic Research Journal 9.
- Liu, Yuyun, Dai Tianshi, and Xu Xianxiang. 2017. "Chinese Dialects, Market Segmentation, and Resource Misallocation." China Economic Quarterly 4.
- Dai, Yiyi, Xiao Jinli, and Pan Yue. 2016. "Can 'Local Accents' Reduce Corporate Agency Costs? A Dialect Perspective." Economic Research Journal 12.
- Ding, Congming, Ji Zhenlin, Lei Yu, and Liang Zhenqiao. 2016. "Dialect Diversity and Market Integration: A City Cluster Perspective." Economic Research Journal 11.
Data Update Frequency
Irregular updates