Mandarin is the official language of China and we call it putonghua. Putonghua is taught in schools and used in Universities, businesses and pretty much anywhere in China. although sometimes you might hear a different version of Mandarin from North of China, it still is easy to understand. But if you are living in the South, then you might have difficulties to understand the local dialect. Believe me, we Chinese have this problem too. This is why we use Putonghua as a common dialect.
Consolidate your knowledge of today's Chinese podcast by trying Chinese Test – In action
Discussion