Oct. 2, 2024
E9 - THE MAN WHO MADE CHINA A LITERATE NATION – ZHOU YOUGUANG, FATHER OF THE PINYIN WRITING SYSTEM by Mark O’Neill (Joint Publishing H.K., 2023)
Zhou Youguang (周有光) was one of the creators of Hanyu Pinyin, a system of romanization for Chinese characters. Introduced to PRC elementary schools in the late 1950s, it was instrumental in improving China’s literacy rates. Zhou had an extraordinary life and a long one, living to the age of 111. Prolific Hong Kong-based author Mark O’Neill shares his knowledge and admiration for this underappreciated scholar.
(Apologies for the audio quality.)