CHANGSHA, July 13 [Xinhua] -- Zhong-guo, the two (characters) for China in Chinese, are written using 12 brush strokes as a Beijing primary student learns, (whereas) his counterpart in Taipei has to write 15 strokes to (complete) the word.

 The Chinese (language), with the same pronunciation in Mandarin, has largely two written forms, simplified and traditional, which are (used) by people in the mainland and Taiwan respectively. Many overseas Chinese people also use (traditional) characters.

 Now a debate is going on about how to (bridge) the gap between the traditional and the simplified.

 Traditional characters were used in all (parts) of China before the Kuomintang [KMT] troops fled the mainland in 1949. After that, the mainland developed a (simplified) set of characters in a number of reforms over the years, with fewer strokes and simpler design, while overseas Chinese and the KMT-occupied Taiwan (island) continued using the old style. 

 Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou suggested in early June that the (island) and the mainland should reach an agreement on language -- people (may) write simplified ones but should be able to read traditional characters.

 In response to his remarks, the Beijing-based State Council Taiwan Affairs Office (supported) discussion between experts on (both) sides on how to make communication easier in the field of linguistics.

 Some mainland linguists' views (coincided) with Ma's proposal, and a few moved even further. At the annual March session of China's top political advisory body, a (political) adviser Pan Qinglin proposed the mainland should use traditional characters again.

 Pan argued that many simplified characters (lose) delicate cultural connotation and, in the information age, many people use input software for computers (based) on pronunciation, through which traditional characters are no longer a (barrier) for learning and use.

 Dong Kun, a (senior) researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences [CASS] Institute of Linguistics, supported the idea of Chinese reading traditional characters, as an (effort) to pass on the tradition.

 "Characters are part of Chinese (culture) instead of simply a tool to express the culture. The design of Chinese characters reflected our ancestors' understanding of the (universe) and history," he told Xinhua in an interview.

 Dong said calligraphy, an ink-brushing skill that shows (aesthetic) structures and implications of traditional Chinese words, is also (a) very important part of Chinese art.

 In addition, he said, today's readers are (kept) away from ancient books, written in traditional characters. "It's a great pity. Chinese is a rare (continuous) language, with which people can read books written two thousand years ago."

Question)
1. How important is the issue?
2. How do you think of the policy of peaceful reunification?