China. The dialect spoken in the majority of the Northeast is the Northeastern Mandarin, which is a very slight variant of the Standard Chinese but retains sporadic elements from native Tungusic languages, Korean and Russian, where there are enough differences to give the dialect its own distinctive characteristics. However, many residents in the southern fringe of the Liaodong region (mostly in Dalian and Dandong) speak the Jiaoliao Mandarin, which is actually a Shandong dialect. Ethnic Manchus speak mostly Mandarin, and the Manchu language is almost extinct due to widespread assimilation to Han culture over the last four centuries. Ethnic Mongols tend to be bilingual in their own Mongolian tongues as well as Mandarin. Cuisine Northeastern Chinese cuisine reflects the region's ethnic diversity. Northern Chinese, Manchu and Korean cooking styles all find their traces in Manchurian cooking. One of the distinguishing characteristics of the cuisine is the use of uncooked fresh vegetables. During the long winter season, pickled Chinese cabbage, which is called "suan cai", is preserved and used for cooking. In almost every other region of China, vegetables are cooked thoroughly before being eaten. Most of the meat dishes are based around pork due to how cold it can get. Often braised pork or dumplings are the main attraction of a meal. This region's often cold climate makes it hard to grow or produce much of anything and growing seasons are correspondingly very short. Folk dance and sports Errenzhuan, yangge, Jilin opera and stilts are popular forms of traditional entertainment in Northeast China. "Northeastern Cradle Song" is an example of the folk songs of this region. Because of its climatic conditions, Northeast China is the base for China's winter sports. Ice hockey and ice skating athletes often come from or were educated in Northeast China. Major universities Jilin University (吉林大学) Northeast Agricultural University (东北农业大学) Northeast Normal University (东北师范大学) Harbin Institute of Technology (哈尔滨工业大学) Northeastern University (东北大学) Liaoning University (辽宁大学) Shenyang Agricultural University (沈阳农业大学) Shenyang University of Chemical Technology (沈阳化工大学) Dalian University of Technology (大连理工大学) Dalian Maritime University (大连海事大学) Northeast Forestry University (东北林业大学) Shenyang Normal University (沈阳师范大学) Changchun University of Science and Technology (长春理工大学) Northeast Petroleum University (东北石油大学) Shenyang Aerospace University (沈阳航空航天大学) Harbin Engineering University (哈尔滨工程大学) Heilongjiang University (黑龙江大学) Dongbei University of Finance and Economics (东北财经大学) See also Outer Northeast China (Outer Manchuria) Northeast Area Revitalization Plan Notes References Citations Sources Thomas R. Gottschang and Diana Lary: Swallows and Settlers -