I'm in Korea right now and I see almost all Chinese characters on signage and newspapers in traditional characters. Pretty much the only simplified characters I see are on literature and signage directed solely at tourists from mainland China. I highly doubt many Koreans can even read simplified characters. Perhaps people who are learning Mandarin here might learn simplified characters as they usually learn Beijing dialect but in terms of public usage it's pretty much unseen. I learned a bit of Mandarin in Korea in school and I was taught in traditional characters from an ethnic Chinese-Korean instructor, but that was years ago. I suppose it's possible things have changed with the rise of China and improving bilateral relations.

Really? I've always felt Cantonese is too "choppy" for music... I actually like Taiwanese music, at least some of it. If they start singing in Hokkien I get totally lost though.

Today's New York Times has a review of two iPhone apps for learning Mandarin from basic to advanced. I installed the "Living Language - Chinese" app and it looks pretty good. The NYT gave a good review. And the basic level is free.

See: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/26/te...ref=technology

KTV teaching mainlanders traditional Chinese is like English being taught to kids in Mexico from Grand Theft Auto....

lol

The best part is to many people in Los Angeles, GTA's English is relatively like Shakespeare...

You have been missing out all the goodies in Taiwan. Have you heard of this, this, this and that?

I like Karen Mok (莫文蔚) too.

ABC's also learn traditional Chinese from KTV. Much more effective than weekend Chinese classes when they were little kids.

A goody from Taiwan

葉蒨文

Very melodic

If that's from Taiwan, why is it in Cantonese?

I guess that's where the money was/is at.

Yes, I learn ABCs are quite into KTV. I guess KTV is much less boring than then 2-hr Chinese School over the weekends.

Nah (see below for details).

No doubt she has a great voice but Sally Yeh is not "authentic" Taiwanese (i.e. born and raised in Taiwan). If I am not mistaken, she's been in Canada and was "accidentally" discovered by a star scout when she visited a family in Taiwan in the 80s. She's been more active in Hong Kong due to her "love interest", and now her husband, since 1990s. Hong Kong has been home for her for like more than 2 decades. I would have put her in the Hong Kong category if I had to.

There are other great non-Taiwanese singers whose great hits are 100% MIT (made in Taiwan) but I didn't mention in my earlier post due to the fact that they are not "authentic" Taiwanese. 孫燕姿 (Stefanie Sun: her MV-天黑黑) and 蔡健雅 (Tanya Chua: her MV- 無底洞) are two outstanding examples of such.

OK. Let me not be gender-biased. Allow me to honorably mention another Mr. Big from Taiwan: 李宗盛!

李宗盛: 給自己的歌

Maybe not in this case, but there was certainly a time when there was more money and interest in Cantonese music than Mandarin music. Almost every Mandarin singer who goes to HK records at least some Cantonese music. The trend seems to be going the other way now though with the rise of China and the suppression of non-Mandarin languages in Taiwan and Singapore. Personally I thought there was some interesting English music being produced in HK too pre-handover.

Lol

What "suppression of non-Mandarin languages" are you referring to? If anything, in Taiwan, there are [small] factions trying suppress Mandarin in favor of the Taiwanese dialect.

Not now but I meant until the 80s when Cantonese was definitely the dominant Chinese pop music language.