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English is a major working language in Hong Kong, and is widely used in commercial activities and legal matters. Although the sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred to the PRC by the United Kingdom in 1997, English remains one of the official languages of Hong Kong as enshrined in the Basic Law.
In China, it is the sole official language as Standard Chinese; in Taiwan, it is the de facto official language; while in Singapore (as Mandarin) it is one of the four official languages. In Hong Kong and Macau it is co-official as Cantonese, alongside English and Portuguese respectively.
The extensive migration from mainland Cantonese-speaking areas to Hong Kong continued up until 1949, when the Communists took over mainland China. In 1949, the year that the People's Republic of China was established, Hong Kong saw a large influx of refugees from mainland China, prompting the Hong Kong Government to close its border.
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SBS Radio broadcasts two hour-long daily programmes for the Chinese audience in Australia: one programme in Mandarin and one programme in Cantonese. Perth Chinese Radio 104.9 FM, located in Perth, broadcasts in Mandarin and Cantonese 24/7 and was established in 2007. 3ACR AM 1629 Radio is located in Melbourne, and founded in 2011.
In contrast to the general use of romanization in Mandarin-speaking areas of China, systems of romanization for Cantonese are excluded from the educational systems of both Hong Kong and the province of Guangdong. In practice, Hong Kong follows a loose, unnamed romanization-scheme used by the Government of Hong Kong.
Standard Chinese, known in China as Putonghua, based on the Mandarin dialect of Beijing, [5] is the official national spoken language for the mainland and serves as a lingua franca within the Mandarin-speaking regions (and, to a lesser extent, across the other regions of mainland China).
Article 9 of the Hong Kong Basic Law affirms the official status of both Chinese and English in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's population reached 6.99 million in 2006, [1] of which approximately 95% are of Chinese descent, the majority of which was Yue Chinese, such as Cantonese; and Hakka and Teochew. Some writers and media of Hong Kong use written ...