Variety TV show seeks to preserve Shanghai dialect

Shanghai Media Group’s City TV Channel begins airing the second season of its popular Shanghai dialect talent show on Friday.

The weekly variety show features original stage acts performed in Shanghainese, with the hope of encouraging more locals to speak their mother tongue.

Contestants come from all walks of life. Among them are college students, white-collar professionals and Internet celebrities who have posted their own creative Shanghai dialect acts on Weibo and Douyin.

The acts cover a wide range of genres, including ballads, satire and Huju Opera. The show will also collect short videos of people speaking Shanghainese to help promote and preserve the dialect.