For more than 70 years, the Shoong Family Chinese Cultural Center (SFCCC) in Oakland has been teaching Cantonese and Mandarin to Bay Area school kids. When the school first opened its doors, the students were mostly the children of Chinese immigrants in the Bay Area. In its more recent history, the classes have become more diverse, with families of all backgrounds wanting their children to be immersed in Chinese language and culture. “Apart from learning Chinese words, we teach them Chinese culture,” said kindergarten teacher Joyce Li, who has been teaching at the school for more than a decade. Classes are offered from kindergarten through high school as an after-school program. Some students have been attending the school for a decade. Emerose Chu, now a ninth-grader, has been attending the school since she was in kindergarten. “When I first started to really get into it, I realized I learned a lot of words and a lot of phrases that I can use for everyday life and that can really help me in the future and also with communicating with my family,” Chu said.While the school teaches both Mandarin and Cantonese, teachers say it’s much more difficult to find resources and materials for Cantonese.The lack of learning materials is representative of a fear among some people that the Cantonese language is disappearing. Hong Kong has always been the hub for Cantonese speakers. But as Mandarin becomes more and more popular in China, the use of Cantonese is waning. Similarly, in the Bay Area, SFCCC says more second- and third-generation Cantonese speakers are turning to English. “Chinese is their second language, so you must spend time helping them understand the meaning of words,” Li said. Still, more than 80 million people worldwide speak Cantonese. But that’s just a fraction compared to the more than a billion — and growing — people who speak Mandarin. “I actually am a bit worried it’s going to completely disappear, because most of China is speaking Mandarin and now people here are speaking English with their parents,” Chu said. “I’ve thought about this before, and if we stop having Cantonese speakers, we’re just going to lose a big chunk of history.”It’s one of many reasons SFCCC is an important resource in Northern California and the entire United States. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
OAKLAND, Calif. —
For more than 70 years, the Shoong Family Chinese Cultural Center (SFCCC) in Oakland has been teaching Cantonese and Mandarin to Bay Area school kids.
When the school first opened its doors, the students were mostly the children of Chinese immigrants in the Bay Area. In its more recent history, the classes have become more diverse, with families of all backgrounds wanting their children to be immersed in Chinese language and culture.
“Apart from learning Chinese words, we teach them Chinese culture,” said kindergarten teacher Joyce Li, who has been teaching at the school for more than a decade.
Classes are offered from kindergarten through high school as an after-school program. Some students have been attending the school for a decade. Emerose Chu, now a ninth-grader, has been attending the school since she was in kindergarten.
“When I first started to really get into it, I realized I learned a lot of words and a lot of phrases that I can use for everyday life and that can really help me in the future and also with communicating with my family,” Chu said.
While the school teaches both Mandarin and Cantonese, teachers say it’s much more difficult to find resources and materials for Cantonese.
The lack of learning materials is representative of a fear among some people that the Cantonese language is disappearing.
Hong Kong has always been the hub for Cantonese speakers. But as Mandarin becomes more and more popular in China, the use of Cantonese is waning. Similarly, in the Bay Area, SFCCC says more second- and third-generation Cantonese speakers are turning to English.
“Chinese is their second language, so you must spend time helping them understand the meaning of words,” Li said.
Still, more than 80 million people worldwide speak Cantonese. But that’s just a fraction compared to the more than a billion — and growing — people who speak Mandarin.
“I actually am a bit worried it’s going to completely disappear, because most of China is speaking Mandarin and now people here are speaking English with their parents,” Chu said. “I’ve thought about this before, and if we stop having Cantonese speakers, we’re just going to lose a big chunk of history.”
It’s one of many reasons SFCCC is an important resource in Northern California and the entire United States.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel