Written languages:
In the 1950s, there was a growing consensus that the writing system constituted an obstacle to the achievement of a higher literacy rate. Mainland China therefore adopted an approach to reduce the number of strokes per character and the number of characters used. However in both Hong Kong and Taiwan, Traditional Chinese are still the main written forms.

Spoken dialects:
There are many regional forms of spoken Chinese that are generally referred to as dialects. In Hong Kong, the main dialect is Cantonese, though after the return to China in 1997, Mandarin has become significantly popular in some trades. The official dialect in Taiwan and the Mainland are Mandarin, but local dialects are often used in various regions (i.e. Guangzhou and Shanghai).

Layout structure:
You will find that older literature is often written from right to left, top to bottom. Although the latter methodology is still commonly used in written materials, it is rare to find any text written from right to left today.

Purchase guide:

• Traditional Chinese characters are more complex than Simplified Chinese. We advise that the minimum font size should be no less than 12 or it could be difficult to read.
  

• Although red symbolises prosperity and good fortune in the Chinese community, the misuse of red text in business documents, e-mails, and letters in particular, may upset the recipients: this is because red can also imply anger, frustration or discontentment.
  

• Silver or white text on black should be used carefully in public or marketing materials. This is the main colour for Chinese monuments, so the colour selection is crucial.
  

• There’s an old belief that the number “4” implies misfortune, simply because it has the same pronunciation as “death” in both Mandarin & Cantonese. For this reason, you’ll find that hardly any business will have the number “4” in their contact details or business names.