Huawei Built a Secret Programming Language… and It’s Insane #programming #coding #cangjie

Better Stack · 1m · transcribed Jul 2026

Section Insights

# 0:00

Introduction to Cangjie

What is Cangjie and why is it significant?

Cangjie is a general purpose programming language developed by Huawei, named after the mythical figure who invented Chinese writing. It features modern programming capabilities and is open source, yet remains largely unknown outside of certain circles.

Cangjie is Huawei's programming language for Harmony OS.
It incorporates modern language features that many developers are still waiting for.
Despite its capabilities, Cangjie is not widely recognized in the global developer community.

# 0:18

Development Background

Who developed Cangjie and what is its purpose?

Cangjie was developed by a team led by a computer science professor at Nanjing University, with contributions from other universities. Its primary purpose is to support app development on Harmony OS, which aims to reduce reliance on American technology.

Development of Cangjie began in 2019.
It is part of Huawei's strategy to create an independent tech ecosystem.
Collaboration with universities highlights the academic backing of the language.

# 0:37

Language Features

What are the key features of Cangjie?

Cangjie is a statically typed, multi-paradigm programming language that draws inspiration from several popular languages including Swift, TypeScript, Rust, and Go.

Cangjie combines features from multiple established programming languages.
It is designed to be versatile and modern, appealing to a wide range of developers.
The language's design reflects current trends in programming language development.

# 0:55

Global Awareness and Adoption

How is Cangjie perceived in different regions?

While Cangjie has gained significant attention on Chinese platforms, with introductory tutorials receiving over 100,000 views, it has not garnered the same level of interest in English-speaking communities, as evidenced by minimal discussions on platforms like Hacker News.

Cangjie has a strong following in China but is largely overlooked in the English-speaking developer community.
The disparity in attention highlights a gap in global awareness of emerging technologies.
There is a rich ecosystem developing around Cangjie that many developers are unaware of.

# 1:14

Conclusion and Implications

What does the development of Cangjie indicate about the global tech landscape?

The evolution of Cangjie suggests that while the developer world appears interconnected, there are significant technological advancements occurring in parallel that may go unnoticed unless actively sought out.

The tech ecosystem is more diverse and global than it may seem.
Developers should explore beyond familiar platforms to discover new technologies.
Cangjie represents a growing trend of independent tech development in regions outside of the US.

Transcript

0:00 A trillion dollar company shipped its own general purpose programming language two years ago. It's open source, it has native support for modern language features most of us are still waiting for, and almost nobody has ever heard its name. The language is called Cangjie, named after the mythical figure who supposedly invented Chinese writing. It's Huawei's, and it's the native language for building apps on Harmony OS, their operating system that's trying to cut its dependence on American tech entirely. Development started back in 2019, led by a computer science professor at Nanjing University with help from other universities over five years before it ever went public. It's statically typed, multi-paradigm, and it borrows ideas from Swift, TypeScript, Rust, Go, and more. Here's the part that actually gets me. Look at the attention gap here. On Chinese platforms, intro tutorials for Cangjie pull well over 100,000 views. Meanwhile, the biggest thread about it in English on Hacker News scraped together about 40 points.

1:02 Yeah, 40 points. That's a whole language ecosystem, compiler, standard library, tooling, a Turing conference forum, apps already shipping in China, growing almost completely outside the view of most devs reading in English. The takeaway to all this? The dev world feels global, but there's an entire mature technology stack evolving in parallel that you'll never bump into unless you go looking. If you enjoy coding tips and tricks like this, be sure to subscribe to the Better Stack channel.

Summary

Cangjie, an open-source programming language developed by Huawei, is designed for building applications on Harmony OS and features modern programming capabilities. Despite its advanced features and significant usage in China, it remains largely unknown in the English-speaking developer community.

- Cangjie is named after a mythical figure credited with inventing Chinese writing.
- It was developed over five years, starting in 2019, by a team led by a computer science professor at Nanjing University.
- The language is statically typed and multi-paradigm, incorporating elements from Swift, TypeScript, Rust, and Go.
- Cangjie has gained substantial traction on Chinese platforms, with introductory tutorials attracting over 100,000 views.
- In contrast, discussions about Cangjie in English-speaking forums like Hacker News have received minimal engagement.
- The development of Cangjie highlights a growing technology ecosystem in China that is largely overlooked by the global developer community.
- The situation underscores the existence of parallel advancements in programming languages and tools that may go unnoticed by many developers.