The Man Who Revolutionized Chinese Writing: Zhou Youguang, Inventor of Pinyin


Pinyin is the Romanisation of Chinese characters It has helped millions if not billions of Chinese and non-Chinese master the basics of Chinese pronunciation.

Before it was created, the methods for Romanisation were next to useless.

The old versions are the reason we still call Beijing Duck Peking Duck and why brands like Qingdao Beer are written Tsingtao.

To say that Pinyin has improved everyone's ability to learn Chinese is an understatement, but . . . . .

that's not why we are here today.

Today, we are going to look at the man behind the Text, the late the great, Mr. Zhou Youguang!

Ok, so Zhou Youguang, also known as the father of Pinyin had probably one of the most interesting lives in modern Chinese History.

Born in the Jiangsu province in 1906, Zhou Youguang came from a respectably wealthy family that . . . .

was until they lost most of their fortune during the fall of the Qing Dynasty.

Despite financial difficulties he managed to get a degree in economics in Shanghai and then moved Japan to continue his studies, that was until war between China and Japan broke out and he was forced to move back to China.