Mandarin over Mongolian: Students protest against language policy

China’s leaders say promoting the Han culture and nationalising Chinese language provides minorities with better opportunities.

Students and teachers in the northern Chinese province of Inner Mongolia are taking part in rare protests against a new policy requiring that certain classes be taught in Mandarin.

The main language used now is Mongolian and is spoken by a fifth of the province’s population.

Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu is in Beijing.