BEIJING — China will launch a nationwide campaign to promote Putonghua, or Mandarin Chinese, from Sept 14 to 20, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) in a circular on July 16.

The weeklong campaign, administered by the MOE and seven other central agencies, is themed on speaking Putonghua together and walking hand in hand into a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

The event will focus on promoting the use of Putonghua in the country's impoverished areas to lift the language barriers impeding poverty eradication, according to the circular.

Various cultural activities will be organized during the campaign to promote Putonghua and traditional Chinese culture, said the circular, asking organizers to make full use of new media platforms.

This year's campaign is the 23rd since its launch in 1998. The annual event, which falls in the third week of September, has become an important platform for popularization of Putonghua and the promotion of fine traditional culture in China.