BEIJING -- The Chinese mainland and Taiwan Wednesday jointly launched a multimedia database offering free access to Chinese linguistic literature on line.

On the website "www.zhonghuayuwen.org" people can search information in two latest Chinese dictionaries jointly developed by the two sides of Taiwan Strait, as well as a large number of ancient Chinese literature, said Li Xingjian, head of the operation team for the website.

The database also includes audio versions of important poems and classics, audio material of various dialects in China, and a video program teaching how to write Chinese characters.

It highlights a dictionary elaborating the difference of Chinese language between the mainland and Taiwan.

The database is expected to facilitate learning and research of the Chinese language across the world, Li said.

"We will keep updating the content of the database and make it an online platform to spread and pass over the legacy of the Chinese language," he said.

The database has two versions, one in simplified Chinese commonly used in the mainland, and the other in traditional Chinese mainly used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao.