Although that has helped to launch 700m Chinese people into cyberspace, it has not helped the party’s efforts to synchronise written characters with Mandarin pronunciation.

Some say the Mandarin pronunciation of the fruit (ju) sounds like the word for “good luck” (ji). Others point to its Cantonese pronunciation (gam), which is the same as the word “gold.” ...

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has taken his charm offensive on China to the next level, showing off his improved Mandarin pronunciation and vocabulary with a 20-minute speech to a ...