Chinatown Face-off: Mandarin vs. Cantonese

Until recently, Cantonese dominated the conversation in Chinatowns around North America. Now “Mandarin is pushing into Chinatown’s heart,” writes Kirk Semple. He writes:

The change can be heard in the neighborhood’s lively restaurants and solemn church services, in parks, street markets and language schools. It has been accelerated by Chinese-American parents, including many who speak Cantonese at home, as they press their children to learn Mandarin for the advantages it could bring as China’s influence grows in the world.

©2026 World Hum, All Rights Reserved