Zhou Youguang, a linguist considered the father of modern China's Pinyin Romanization system, died Saturday at the age of 111. Born in 1906 during China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing, Zhou died at his home in Beijing, one day after celebrating his birthday, according to state broadcaster Chinese Central Television and other official media outlets. Zhou went on to work on an official Chinese translation of the Encyclopedia Britannica and write on topics including the evolution of Chinese historical languages and scripts. In his later years, he became a scathing critic of the ruling Communist Party and an advocate for political reform, making him persona non grata at official events. "Ordinary people no longer believe in the Communist Party anymore," Zhou said in the interview.

Source: ABC News January 14, 2017 09:10 UTC