Shanghai... Do they use Traditional Hanzi here?

[ZhangXinQiang]

Before I was thinking they just use Simplified.. But I was speaking with someone today and she always wrote in traditional. So I asked her why does she use traditional? and she said we use traditional in Shanghai..

Is it true.. or is it just some areas in Shanghai that use Traditional Chinese?

[renzhe]

No, they don't. Shanghai, just like the rest of the mainland, uses simplified characters exclusively.

There must have been some misunderstanding.

[Xiying]

not exclusively...a good proportion of store signs are in traditional

[atitarev]

Simplified Chinese character distribution and use in Mainland China:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_character#Mainland_China_2

[muyongshi]

I know a few people that they personally use traditional characters but that in no way can be said to reflect a geographical region. It is simply a personal choice.

[YuehanHao]

After a recent unscientific small-sample survey conducted by myself of 4 major mainland Chinese cities, I noted a slightly increased usage of traditional characters in Shanghai as compared to the other 3 cities. For instance, in the hotel where I stayed, a number of the signs, as well as my room card bore traditional characters. Another example was a brochure with a directory for the Shanghai museum that was written in traditional characters. A few other examples I can't nail down right now as well. In any case, the difference I perceived was not overwhelming, but it did not seem coincidental either since similar places I visited in other cities generally used the simplified form for similar purposes. Could be that others had the opposite experience, but this was mine.

约翰好！

[anonymoose]

It seems some people in Shanghai like to use traditional characters, perhaps for artistic or cultural reasons, but this is a very small minority, and it could by no means be said that 'traditional characters are in use in Shanghai'. Many shop signs do use traditional characters, but this is not exclusive to Shanghai. In all the time I've been in Shanghai, I've not met a single local who ordinarily writes by hand in traditional characters. I was strolling in a park once and came across something written in chalk on a blackboard, and it had obviously been written to look aesthetically appealing, and so used traditional characters, but the odd thing was, only some of the characters were traditional - many characters which have traditional counterparts were still simplified, presumably as the scribe did not know how to write the traditional variant.

[renzhe]

not exclusively...a good proportion of store signs are in traditional

Signs and logos are an exception, especially those with a long tradition.

I don't recall any text meant for reading (and not decoration) being in traditional characters. Here and there you may see a traditional variant in the middle of simplified text, but I felt that this was just a variant.

Traditional characters were in "fashion" a few years ago, and everyone used them for signs, logos, designs, etc. but there was a crackdown and it was basically outlawed to use traditional characters in place of simplified.

Disclaimer: I'm not Shanghainese, but my girlfriend is from the region and studied in Shanghai, and her father is Shanghainese.

[msittig]

I was strolling in a park once and came across something written in chalk on a blackboard, and it had obviously been written to look aesthetically appealing, and so used traditional characters, but the odd thing was, only some of the characters were traditional - many characters which have traditional counterparts were still simplified, presumably as the scribe did not know how to write the traditional variant.

I've been amused by the same thing in Shanghai several times, and reasoned the same way.

The cool thing about the 转载 internet culture (and the relative immaturity of the Chinese legal code) is that the text of the Chinese law is all online and searchable thanks to Google. The particular law that deals with traditional vs simplified is called the 中华人民共和国国家通用语言文字法, or "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language". In fact this particular law is not only online, it has been translated into English.

http://english.gov.cn/laws/2005-09/19/content_64906.htm

　　Article 14 The standard spoken and written Chinese language shall be used as the basic spoken and written language in the following circumstances:

　　(3) written language in signboards and advertisements;

The only places you are legally allowed to use traditional characters in public are:

　　Article 17 Where by the relevant provisions of this Chapter are concerned, the original complex or the variant forms of Chinese characters may be retained or used under the following circumstances:

　　(1) in cultural relics and historic sites;

　　(2) the variant forms used in surnames;

　　(3) in works of art such as calligraphy and seal cutting;

　　(4) handwritten inscriptions and signboards;

　　(5) where their use is required in the publishing, teaching and research; and

　　(6) other special circumstances where their use is approved by the relevant departments under the State Council.

I've seen people use it informally for posting on BBSs, and it annoys the heck outta me.

[Lu]

Could it be related to the large number of Taiwanese businesspeople in Shanghai (up to a million, it seems)?