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Popular Chinese television program revives the neglected Shanghainese dialect
A popular Chinese television show that is set in the glitzy but gritty Shanghai of the 1990s has rekindled interest in the city's fading dialect and generated a wave of nostalgia for the megacity's prosperous past.
Renowned Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai's much awaited "Blossoms Shanghai" is his small-screen debut, following the protagonist's journey from impoverished to wealthy businessman amid China's economic liberalization.
Superstars Hu Ge and Ma Yili from China are in the cast, but their characters' use of Shanghainese dialect has taken center stage.
The language, which was formerly a highly prized indicator that set residents of China's financial center apart from visitors, is playing a rare leading role.
Despite the fact that 14 million people still speak it, government attempts to discourage regional dialects and encourage Mandarin have caused it to become less common in daily and professional contexts.
"I felt very happy that us Shanghainese now had another TV show of our own," 22-year-old local Xie Niyun said to AFP while taking pictures of a "Blossoms" exhibit outside Shanghai's Peace Hotel. "Watching (the series) gave me such a sense of familiarity."
Although the official language of the 1.4 billion people living there is Mandarin, they nevertheless speak dozens of regional tongues that are incomprehensible to one another.
Though several of them can be regarded as stand-alone languages, linguists disagree, with Beijing officially classifying them as dialects.
Because "Blossoms" can be viewed in both Mandarin and Shanghainese, which is uncommon for a major TV show, its premiere last month generated a lot of controversy.
On social media, people have talked about the show is lexical correctness and provided lessons on common Shanghainese phrases.
The excitement is similar to that caused by the romance comedy "B for Busy" from 2021, which also primarily included dialogue in Shanghainese.
The frenzy surrounding "Blossoms," however, has been amplified by the star power of filmmaker Wong and his leads.
Fans have rushed to the film's central Shanghai shooting locations, which include the Art Deco-style Cathay Theatre and the nearly 100-year-old Peace Hotel.
Delivery services report a sharp increase in requests for iconic delicacies consumed on-screen, while themed walks and menus have sprung up all around the city in an attempt to cash in on the popularity of the series.
Duan, a 30-year-old Shanghai resident, said to AFP, "(Watching "Blossoms"), I feel like we are seeing our parents' halcyon days, when they were our age."
Originally from Shandong province, Duan needs subtitles to watch in Shanghainese -- but said she preferred it since "the Mandarin version does not quite have the same flavour".
Pop culture by itself is unlikely to bring Shanghainese back to anything like its previous standing.
The ruling Communist Party has consistently worked to restrict the use of regional tongues because it views Mandarin as a uniting tool to advance its ideology and political ideals.
Protests against Beijing's language policy have spread from Inner Mongolia to the southern province of Guangdong, and human rights organizations claim Mandarin is gradually displacing the Uyghur language, which is spoken by the minority in Xinjiang.
Regional dialects are still allowed, but Mandarin has been given preference in professional settings, including business and education. As a result, local languages are rapidly becoming less popular, particularly among young people.
Renowned linguist Qian Nairong claimed that a 1992 government move to outlaw Shanghainese in schools created a "crisis of inheritance" in Shanghai.
Despite recent attempts to revive the vernacular in after-school activities and public transportation announcements, Mandarin has become the primary language in the city.
Jason Wang is one of the few teachers in the city providing formal Shanghainese instruction at a tiny language school in the busy former French Concession; however, the majority of his students are foreigners.
The absence of current, standardized textbooks presents a problem.
"Some of these books' topics and content can be extremely antiquated," he told AFP, noting that beginners may find it difficult to transcribe Shanghainese sounds because there is no standard method.
Wang expressed his desire for greater representation in movies and music, pointing out that some individuals had "learned Cantonese because they loved Cantonese music so much" as a result of Hong Kong culture's immense appeal.
"Shanghai will undoubtedly benefit from having an increasing number of films and shows like this," he stated.
A man named Yu, who lived in Shanghai and was in his late sixties, expressed optimism about the gradual resurgence of the dialect.
He declared, "It is a Shanghai-rooted culture that must not be lost." tjx/reb/aha