This story is one of the saddest things I have ever heard. Chinese and Japanese teenagers, who now use their phones and computers very heavily to communicate, are beginning to have a very hard time remember how to write the different characters of their language.
Like every Chinese child, Li Hanwei spent her schooldays memorising thousands of the intricate characters that make up the Chinese writing system.
Yet aged just 21 and now a university student in Hong Kong, Li already finds that when she picks up a pen to write, the characters for words as simple as “embarrassed” have slipped from her mind.
“I can remember the shape, but I can’t remember the strokes that you need to write it,” she says. “It’s a bit of a problem.”
Surveys indicate the phenomenon, dubbed “character amnesia”, is widespread across China, causing young Chinese to fear for the future of their ancient writing system.
Young Japanese people also report the problem, which is caused by the constant use of computers and mobile phones with alphabet-based input systems.
There is even a Chinese word for it: “tibiwangzi”, or “take pen, forget character”.
More than just the ability to write out thoughts, China is very proud of the written form of their ancient language. Many of the museums I visited had examples of calligraphy, which is a big deal for them as a form of art.
What hope does a culture have if its children can no longer write?
