The TV series “Flowers” directed by Wong Kar-Wai was staged and caused an immediate stir. Especially in Shanghai, when everyone talks about “Flowers” now, they both play it and praise it. Regardless of whether it plays or praises it, Shanghainese people are very excited. After all, this is a rare thing that “sets the stage” for Shanghainese people with such sincerity.
This TV series is adapted from the Shanghai-language novel “Flowers” and has two versions, one in Shanghai-language and one in Mandarin. In the Shanghainese version, all the actors who play Shanghainese speak Shanghainese. If you watch a TV series that tells authentic Shanghainese stories, if you can listen to Shanghainese, then of course you have to watch the Shanghainese version, which will be truly lifelike. The other day, a friend asked me whether the Shanghainese spoken by the actors in the play was authentic. I said that some were OK, and some were very poor. The bad ones all have a northern Jiangsu accent in their Shanghainese dialect.
But it’s no wonder. Nowadays, young people in Shanghai speak Mandarin in school. Once they are used to speaking Mandarin, they will have a Jiangbei accent when they speak Shanghainese. When speaking Shanghainese and mixing Jiangbei accent, it is easy to become a Jiangbei person speaking Shanghai. . Authentic Shanghainese should have a Suzhou accent rather than a Northern Jiangsu accent. In the past, speaking Shanghainese with a Northern Jiangsu accent was meant to make Shanghainese laugh. For example, Shanghai comedians spoke Shanghainese with a Northern Jiangsu accent on stage. There must be a roar of laughter. Therefore, even a native of Northern Jiangsu who speaks Shanghainese in Shanghai hopes to cover up his hometown accent to preserve his dignity. But times have changed, and now Shanghai is dominated by the Shanghai dialect with the northern Jiangsu accent. When young people speak, they all have the accent of Mr. Jiang Zemin.
I had nothing to do at home this evening. I rewatched Wong Kar-Wai’s “Days of Being Wild”. In the film, Pan Dihua’s sister played Leslie Cheung’s adoptive mother and spoke Shanghainese throughout. The Shanghainese dialect with a hint of Suzhou flavor is truly authentic and makes Shanghainese feel comfortable. Therefore, Wong Kar-Wai is still knowledgeable. It’s not that he doesn’t know what authentic Shanghainese is, but after thirty-three years, it’s hard to find an actor who can speak Shanghainese like Sister Pan.
Li Chun’en
