Father of Chinese Romanisation, Zhou Youguang, dies at 111

Zhou Youguang, a linguist considered the father of modern China’s Pinyin Romanisation system, died on Saturday at the age of 111

Zhou Youguang. Pic/AFP

Beijing: Zhou Youguang, a linguist considered the father of modern China’s Pinyin Romanisation system, died on Saturday at the age of 111.

Born in 1906 during China’s last imperial dynasty, the Qing, Zhou died at his home in Beijing, one day after celebrating his birthday, according to state broadcaster Chinese Central Television and other official media outlets.

After the Communist victory in 1949, he was placed in charge of a committee working on a new system to allow Chinese characters to be converted into Roman script.

Adopted by the People’s Republic in 1958, Pinyin has virtually become the global standard due to its simplicity and consistency, although some Chinese communities continue to use alternatives.

Pinyin has become more ubiquitous than ever, with traditionalists lamenting that it is supplanting the original Chinese characters from which it derives.

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