The "unchanging gene" of the "fine Chinese language"
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New guideline issued to promote Chinese language:
7 main tasks set to highlight ‘never-changing gene’
By Li Yuche, Global Times (1/19/2026)
If you're wondering what brought this on, I think it's AI and LLMs, which are featured in the rest of the article, especially as they relate to oracle bones and traditional Chinese writing.
It will also help to understand the aim of the article if you know something about the nature of the journal in which it appears, for which see below.
Here are the first three paragraphs:
A new multi-agency policy has been jointly issued by seven national-level departments, including the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, to promote the inheritance of the Chinese language and traditional culture and enhance public literacy in these fields.
The newly released guideline highlights its goal to promote the "creative transformation and innovative development" of fine traditional Chinese language and culture, and to "continuously enhance the language and cultural literacy of all citizens, particularly the youth."
Zhang Yiwu, a professor of Chinese language and literature at Peking University, told the Global Times that "fine Chinese language" is like the "never-changing gene" of Chinese culture. "Even in this AI era, the Chinese language remains the fundamental driver of all narratives, something that physical technological models cannot create on their own," said Zhang.
Background on Global Times
The Global Times is a daily tabloid under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party's flagship newspaper, the People's Daily, commenting on international issues from a nationalistic perspective.
Established as a publication in 1993, its English version was launched in 2009. The editor-in-chief of Global Times was Hu Xijin until December 2021, who has been described as an early adopter of the "wolf warrior" communication strategy of loudly denouncing perceived criticism of the Chinese government and its policies. The newspaper has been the source of various incidents, including fabrications, conspiracy theories, and disinformation. It is part of a broader set of Chinese state media outlets that constitute the Chinese government's propaganda apparatus.
(WP)
GT is well-known as a feisty, combative journal, especially when it was under the editorship of Hu Xijin. In recent years, it also has some decent, not-too-polemical, not-too-propagandistic articles on archeology, art history, and so forth.
Selected readings
- "Dung Times" (3/14/18)
- "The Great Translation Movement" (4/19/22) — GT takes on TGTM
- "Vicious smears" (9/10/20)
- "Vicious smears, part 2" (3/26/22)
David Marjanović said,
February 3, 2026 @ 5:58 am
Not to single GT out, but as a biologist I hate that metaphor.
Jonathan Smith said,
February 3, 2026 @ 8:05 pm
This weird use of "fine" is translating yōuxiù 优秀. Maybe one day these people will realize that the worst of the LLMs does better English then them… or maybe that's the least of their concerns.
Bùbiàn de jīyīn 不变的基因 'unchanging gene' is just race-supremacist-type lingo.
Calvin said,
February 4, 2026 @ 2:16 am
What if "never-changing gene" is replaced with "in our DNA", as a very common metaphorical expression is English? Would that make it less "race-supremacist-type lingo"?
Not sure what the original Chinese text was, but ChatGPT suggested these "safe" English alternatives:
– “deeply rooted in our culture”
– “a core part of who we are”
– “central to our identity”
– “longstanding tradition”
-“historically ingrained”
Global Times should take note.
Scott Mauldin said,
February 4, 2026 @ 5:08 am
Huh. They know nothing about language OR genetics.
Jonathan Smith said,
February 4, 2026 @ 11:25 pm
@Calvin I can't pin down what Zhang Yiwu actually said to the Global Times or when, so strike my Chinese phrasing until further notice. SO just re: the above statement in English — "'fine Chinese language' is like the 'never-changing gene' of Chinese culture" — no, surely halfway thoughtful people would not be caught using a phrase like "in our DNA" in relation to language/culture.
BUT as I pointed out in my unaltered post, white supremacist thinking (such as it is) does deploy such framings — with good examples now to be found issuing from e.g. the highest levels of government in the US. Alas, this LL department focuses on criticism of the PRC, as you probably know — and, as I discovered to my dismay back during the John V. Day saga, even works to amplify white supremacist voices through private forums after public ones have proven unwelcoming. Sad times man.
Philip Taylor said,
February 5, 2026 @ 5:23 am
« surely halfway thoughtful people would not be caught using a phrase like "in our DNA" in relation to language/culture » — I genuinely cannot see why not. Languages and cultures emerge within (relatively) ethnically pure groups, and the fact that these languages and cultures are then adopted (and frequently adapted) by other immigrant ethnic groups cannot (and does not) change that simple fact. For example, the British English language is in my (metaphorical) DNA, and the fact that it is also spoken by Belarussian, Carribean, Czech, French, Filipino/a, German, Indian, Polish, Thai, Ukrainian and Vietnamese friends does not affect that fact. It is equally clear (to me, at least) that it is not in their (metaphorical) DNA, and I am certain that none would assert that it was.
Andreas Johansson said,
February 5, 2026 @ 12:54 pm
The context where I most often see "it's in our DNA" is companies claiming that some skill or similar is inherent in their corporate culture. Now you might maintain that advertising is never thoughtful, but they're certainly not trying to say anything about race.