I wish jheem were still around...

So do I, ASp.

He would have stated with authority* what I merely surmised.

"The history of the Chinese Language dates back at least 6,000 years. Today, the official language of China is Mandarin Chinese or Putonghua meaning common speech. Historically, Putonghua was the dialect spoken by the majority ethnic group within China, the Han, who make up about 80% of the population. Indeed, the term most commonly used by the Chinese themselves to refer to their language is Hanyu meaning the "Han-language"."

http://www.cctv.com/program/RediscoveringChina/20030326/100838.shtml

* But I wish he were around for other reasons as well, as we all do. We miss him.