Simplified Chinese vs. Traditional Chinese
Also see Mandarin,
Cantonese - Chinese Spoken Dialects
Chinese Written Language: Countries of Use
Simplified Chinese: Mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia
Traditional Chinese: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Overseas Chinese Communities
Simplified Chinese Characters - General Information
Simplified Chinese Characters are one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of the contemporary Chinese written language. They are based mostly on popular cursive (caoshu) forms embodying graphic or phonetic simplifications of the "traditional" forms that were used in printed text for over a thousand years. The government of the People's Republic of China has promoted them for use in printing in an attempt to increase literacy. They are officially used in the People's Republic of China or Mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia, and the United Nations.
Traditional Chinese Characters - General Information
Traditional Chinese is currently used in the Republic of China (Taiwan), Hong Kong and Macau. Overseas Chinese communities generally use traditional characters, but simplified characters are often used among mainland Chinese immigrants.