Every time I see TV news footage of government officials speaking hair-raisingly bad Putonghua on important occasions, I can’t help but be amused. How can they possibly not even try to brush up on it? Do they think they can get away with it like Louis Koo?

Speaking of the use of Putonghua (or “boiled winter melon”, a tongue-in-cheek rhyming equivalent in Cantonese) in Hong Kong, those who speak lousy Putonghua－like “overboiled winter melon”－are usually the thirty something who are born and bred local. Growing up in the days of British colonial rule, they never had the chance to master Putonghua in their youth, and of course it’s too late for them to catch up now. On the contrary, teenage or preteen school kids can speak Putonghua much better than our generation. It’s simply because ever since the sovereignty handover, Putonghua has become a compulsory subject in local primary schools. Coupled with practice in Putonghua recital and the national flag raising ceremony held at the schools, the students take pride in speaking standard Putonghua. What’s more, with greater exposure to TV and film idols from Taiwan and the mainland, local youths naturally speak better Putonghua than their counterparts from past decades.

Trust me, those who are more mature but show some mastery of Putonghua must have a second wife in the mainland. The flirting and wooing no doubt make excellent practice.

* Translation from Chinese article.