Resolution of the National People's Congress on the Scheme for a Chinese Phonetic Alphabet
Adopted by the Fifth Session of the First National People's Congress on February 11, 1958
Having discussed the Motion on the Draft Scheme for a Chinese Phonetic Alphabet submitted by Chou En-lai, Premier of the State Council, and the Report on the Current Tasks of Reforming the Written Language and the Draft Scheme for a Chinese Phonetic Alphabet delivered by Wu Yu-chang, Director of the Committee for Reforming the Chinese Written Language, the First National People's Congress, at its fifth session, resolves: 1. that the Scheme for a Chinese Phonetic Alphabet be approved; 2. that it agrees in principle with the Report on the Current Tasks of Reforming the Written Language and the Draft Scheme for a Chinese Phonetic Alphabet delivered by Wu Yu-chang. Congress is of opinion that the simplification of the Chinese characters be continued; that the common speech be actively popularized; that the Scheme for a Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, as an aid in learning the Chinese characters and popularizing the common speech be taught first of all in normal, secondary and primary schools to gain experience, while gradually applying it in publications and other fields, and, from the experience and results in these fields, efforts be made to attain its further improvement.
