Taiwan's dominant language is Mandarin Chinese (Guoyu, 國語, 'national language'), introduced as the sole official language after the Republic of China government relocated from the mainland in 1949. A crucial distinction sets Taiwanese Mandarin apart from the Mandarin of mainland China: Taiwan has preserved the Traditional Chinese character system (繁體字) used throughout Chinese history, while the People's Republic of China introduced Simplified characters in the 1950s to boost literacy. This means the written heritage of classical Chinese literature, calligraphy, and historical records is more directly accessible in Taiwan than anywhere else. Alongside Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien (Min Nan) is spoken natively by the majority of the population as a heritage language, and Hakka is spoken by a significant minority. Indigenous Austronesian languages — some 16 recognised groups — are the oldest languages of the island and are now protected under language revitalisation laws.
