(ECNS) -- Beijing plans to introduce school courses in local dialect, the phonological basis of Standard Chinese, according to Chinese language newspaper The Mirror.
A report about the current conditions of the Beijing dialect will be released before the start of the new semester in September, said He Hongzhi, office director of Beijing's language committee.
The report will present current knowledge and information on geographical names in the capital's core urban areas, 208 intangible cultural heritages and historical documents relating to the dialect, which refers to the form spoken in the city's urban area only.
As Beijing becomes highly international and urbanization, the city's demographic structure has seen remarkable changes, resulting in a younger generation not familiar with speaking the local dialect, said the report.
"The percentage of old Beijingers is getting smaller and there are more and more newcomers. The decline of the Beijing dialect is an issue also facing other dialects in many parts of the country, " He noted.
Elementary and middle schools in the city may offer courses on the Beijing dialect and organize school activities about the language.
He added that a digital museum on the dialect will be online by the end of this year where by users can listen to the pronunciation of couplets or plaques in the city's royal parks and ways of peddling in the past.
