What Languages are Spoken in Shanghai?
Putonghua (Mandarin Chinese) is the official language and is the language used in schools all over China. Shanghaihua (Shanghainese) is largely spoken by the locals but isn’t taught or broadcast in any way outside of a few pop songs. Most locals know both languages, though convenience store clerks will usually bombard you with rapid-fire Shanghainese. Shanghainese isn’t just an accent, but rather a dialect distinctly different from Mandarin. As a foreigner, if you know a bit of Mandarin, getting around will present no problem, though you’ll score points if you pick up a few words of Shanghainese. After being here a bit, it’s quite easy to recognize. Day to day, English isn’t really that common. Most of the younger generation can communicate with foreigners, though are sometimes reluctant to do so, since in Chinese schools the emphasis is on writing and grammar rather than conversation and speaking skills. In general, the older generation don’t know much English, other than “hello” and