Zhou Youguang, creator of the Pinyin writing system, has died
Very cool.<p>I noticed an interesting quote in the article:<p><i>Before Pinyin was developed, 85% of Chinese people could not read, now almost all can.</i><p>While the literacy rate used to be 15% and is now 95%, that means that there are still 54 million illiterate people in the country.  Obviously nothing wrong with the quote and it is at least in spirit correct, but it&#x27;s interesting how vague language can be.<p>Edit: while looking for those numbers, came across this which is a bit dated now (2001), but gives more insight into the situation there:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2001&#x2F;02&#x2F;12&#x2F;news&#x2F;chinas-long-but-uneven-march-to-literacy.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2001&#x2F;02&#x2F;12&#x2F;news&#x2F;chinas-long-but-uneve...</a><p><i>According to Wang Dai, an official with the ministry&#x27;s Illiteracy Elimination Office, literacy rates stand uniformly near the 95 percent level in the nation&#x27;s major cities, and throughout its more prosperous coastal region.<p>In China&#x27;s less developed western region, however, there remains much to be done. The problem is especially acute in areas populated by non-Chinese ethnic minorities, such as Tibet, where illiteracy rates today run as high as 42 percent.<p>Nationwide, there are still 30 million Chinese between the ages of 15 and 50 who cannot read at all. Adding in all those defined as &quot;semi-literate&quot; and those, like Hua Lijun, who are above 50, the total approaches 150 million. About 70 percent of all illiterate Chinese are women. The largest gains against illiteracy were made in the 1950s and 1960s when the government made good on its promises to provide at least basic education throughout much of the country.</i>