But Ms Zhao says the last time this happened was about four months ago.

ECONOMIST: One hundred years on, only a few native speakers remain

But in all of China, there are only a handful of people like Ms Zhao.

ECONOMIST: One hundred years on, only a few native speakers remain

But Ms Zhao does not think this will make much difference.

ECONOMIST: One hundred years on, only a few native speakers remain

Ms Zhao grew up speaking Manchu.

ECONOMIST: One hundred years on, only a few native speakers remain