Shanghainese class for Baiyin residents
Shanghainese (上海话) is the dialect of Shanghai.
Some new residents at the Baiyin neighborhood in Jiading New Town have been learning Shanghainese from Zhang Aizhen, a retired teacher.
More than half the residents at the neighborhood are from outside Shanghai, such as Jiangsu and Qinghai provinces. Their lack of Shanghainese often led to misunderstandings.
Zhang, a Shanghainese and former English teacher, started a Shanghainese class at the neighborhood to teach new settlers for free. Zhang has her own way to teaching the newcomers.
From counting numbers to folk rhymes, the new settlers learn from Zhang word by word.
Over the past two years, the new settlers have learned to speak Shanghainese more fluently and some of them even performed talk shows on stage during community activities.
Zhang’s weekly class also promotes good neighborhood relations.
“Previously, when I visited the neighborhood committee, I felt embarrassed as the committee workers usually speak Shanghainese. But now I enjoy talking in Shanghainese with them and sometimes ask them to correct my pronunciation,” said Luo Xiaoping, one of the new settlers.
“Language is like a bridge and we hope more people join us to build a harmonious neighborhood together,” Luo added.
