Mandarin Mashup July 13, 2012

• Speaking easy in Nanning - star.com.my

  CANTONESE-speaking people will be pleasantly surprised when they roam the streets of Nanning city in China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, or its famous food haven of Zhongshan Road.

  They will be able to speak to the locals in a dialect close to theirs. The bai hua (or bak hwa in Cantonese) dialect used by the urban residents of Nanning may not be exactly the same as Cantonese but it is quite easy to understand.

  One just needs to avoid words like leoi (duit), suom ma (semua), lok seoi (raining); kau (dollar) and baan nai (pandai) as these words are probably only recognised by Malaysia's Cantonese community.

  Check it out: A fruit and snack seller (right) speaking to customers in the bai hua dialect at the famous Zhongshan Road Snack Street in Nanning.

  Other than that, everything should be fine. Nanning residents speak more or less like the older generation of the community when they just migrated to Malaysia or the relatives of their age in China.

  "We speak rather monotonously and it sounds quite crude, if you may," said Nanning native Li Keke.

  "But, we understand people who speak Cantonese. We usually learn how to speak better Cantonese from Hong Kong people," she said.

  She added that besides Nanning, those from Qinzhou, Baise, Wuzhou and Fangchenggang cities in Guangxi also speak similar dialects with only a bit of difference in their intonation.

  Tasty treats: Visitors checking out a seafood stall at the Zhongshan Road Snack Street.

  According to Chinese historical records, during the Han dynasty some 2,100 years ago the Chinese from the central plains of China moved south to Guangdong province and formed their own vernacular Cantonese language.

  Then, Guangdong merchants travelled west along the West River and settled in Nanning. The mass migration brought together the language which eventually replaced the ping hua predominantly used in the area.

  Even if the Nanning residents speak Mandarin, they sound pretty much like the Malaysian Mandarin or that spoken by Guangdong people. They are very different from northern Chinese who speak more eloquently and stylishly.

  Generally speaking, one will be of the impression that Nanning residents do not really belong to the region's largest city for their lack of sophistication and vibe.

  But, it is the very casualness and go-getter virtue that make them one of the friendliest Chinese to get along with.

  Nanning is one the few Chinese cities with a huge population (55%) of minority ethnic groups, but most races share the similar virtues and the ability of speaking bai hua, too.

  Nanning mayor Lv Jie describes the city as a big family of various minority ethnic communities.

  "It is made up of 50 ethnic groups including the Zhuang, Han, Miao and Yao but we all live in harmony.

  "Every ethnic group has got the opportunity to hold all kinds of cultural activities and their cultures have flourished over the decades," she said.

  Most Malaysians came to know about the city about a decade ago when the annual China-Asean Expo was first held in 2004. The city has since become a gateway for Asean countries to enter the Chinese market.

  Now, every resident welcomes Asean visitors with a smile, and the many signboards and banners around the city frequently remind the residents of treating their Asean neighbours as best friends and business partners.

  Last year, Guangxi received 3.03 million tourists, up 21% year-on-year, with 849,000 of them from Asean nations. Malaysian tourists were ranked second behind Vietnam in the top 10 list of foreign tourist arrivals to the region.

  The mayor said the Nanning government would have to take advantage of the current trade, investment and cultural interaction climate and would further build the city around the context of the Sino-Asean cooperation.

  "We will make every effort to construct a city of prosperity in years to come and cherish the vast opportunities brought about by the fast economic growth in the China-Asean Free Trade Area (which was established in 2010).

  "In order to serve our Asean neighbours better, we will elevate the city to a regional centre for modern trading, logistics, advanced manufacturing, transportation, information exchanges and finance," she said.

  Plans are under way to upgrade the Yongjiang River that cuts across the city, revitalise the office, commercial and financial area in the Chaoyang, Langdong and Fengling districts, and build a new Nanning township in the Wuxiang New District.

  No matter how developed Nanning will turn out to be, its people will remain the most lovable factor.

  
• 「大中名校」

  重慶時間 has added a photo to the pool: