Consisting of 697 items, the publication was an introductory effort to provide the Mandarin equivalents for common food items which had been known primarily by their dialect names. The publication was part of the Speak Mandarin Campaign launched on 7 September 1979 that sought to simplify the language environment, improve communication among Chinese Singaporeans from the various dialect groups, and create a Mandarin-speaking environment in support of the national bilingual education policy.
