A first-ever dictionary of the Chinese-Manchu language, meant to “preserve the official language of the Qing Dynasty, China’s last imperial dynasty that lasted from 1644 to 1911,” has been published. As an article in The People’s Daily reports, Manchu was the official language until the Qing Dynasty was deposed and replaced by a republic, at which point “Manchu finally gave way to the Chinese, or Mandarin.” The new dictionary, “which contains nearly 1.1 million characters,” was compiled by a “public security official” named Zhao Shengli in what proved to be a 15-year effort.