Different signs are used in different parts of China. This is no surprise in itself, but it’s nice to see this reported in China. According to the article below, in Guangdong some 70 percent of the target audience for CCTV’s sign-language news are unable to understand the signs used on the show. Moreover, new signs are being created all the time.

Xiàmén gēn Quánzhōu de shǒuyǔ bù yīyàng, gēn Shànghǎi de shǒuyǔ yě bù yīyàng, gègè dìfang de shǒuyǔ dōu yǒu gèzì de tèdiǎn.

Xiàmén tèxiào jiàoyánshì fùzhǔrèn Huáng Zǒngzhì shuō, bǐfang “zuò zuòyè”, Xiàménrén shì liǎng ge quántou shàng-xià bǐhua, érhòu yòushǒu shǒuzhǐ héngfàng zài zuǒshǒu shǒuzhǎng xià, gòuchéng yī ge “yè” (业) zì; Quánzhōurén zéshì liǎngshǒu bǐhua yèpiàn de xíngzhuàng. Guǎngzhōu lóngyǎrén duì “xìngzāilèhuò” de dútè biǎodá shì gēbo jiājǐn, liǎng zhī xiǎo bì xiàngshàng wānqū wòquán, yǒushíhou huì bèi [cuò]wù rènwéi gēbo bù shūfu.

Zài rú “Pānyú” yī cí de dǎfǎ tōngcháng shì Pīnyīn dǎfǎ, ér Guǎngzhōurén zé dǎ “dà fānshǔ” de xiàngxíng, yīnwèi Pānyú shèngchǎn dà fānshǔ.

Jùxī, Guǎngdōng qī chéng lóngyǎrén kànbudǒng Yāng-Shì [i.e., CCTV] de “shǒuyǔ xīnwén”, Xiàmén yòng de shì quánguó tōngxíng de biāozhǔn shǒuyǔ, dànshì Xiàmén de lóngyǎrén chángcháng wúfǎ lǐjiě wàidì shǒuyǔ. Huáng zhǔrèn shuō, měi nián de xīn cíhuì bùduàn chūxiàn, gè dì de xíguàn yòu yǒu bùtóng, yīxiē shǒuyǔ lǎoshī hé lóngyǎrén bùdébù zìjǐ chuàngzào xīn de biǎodá fāngshì. Zhèxiē xīn fāngshì tōngguò miànbù biǎoqíng hé qítā fǔzhù xìng de dòngzuò, jiāoliú de shuāngfāng hěn kuài jiù huì shúxī.

source: Shǒuyǔ yěyǒu fāngyán, Xiàmén Wǎnbào, March 6, 2006