Welcome to my blog!

I just started this blog, but it's mainly about Chinese-Americans whose roots are from Shanghai, northern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu.  I guess it's not much relevant to most Asian Americans, but it should show a rather overlooked side of an Asian-American minority. So it would come of interest to Americans, especially other Asian-Americans who show interest in a rather unique region of China called Jiangnan (江南; kaon noe in Shanghainese), its language, its history and its culture. Most of the blog would be in English, even though there are a few occasions when there are Shanghainese posts (in traditional Chinese characters). I guess the names 'Jiangnan culture' and 吳越江南 (wu yiuih kaon noe) in the link name are a bit too vague in the context of being an American-born Chinese of Shanghainese heritage. I'm also planning on introducing the Shanghainese language, but it's mainly directed at those who have Shanghainese as their mother tongue to help read and write correct Shanghainese as a proper written language. But you don't have to be Shanghainese to learn it. Basically much like how I learned how to read and write it. But it won't focus on just Shanghainese, as I'll also give attention to other dialects of the Jiangnanese (Northern/Taihu Wu Chinese) language, as well as distantly related languages such as Huizhou Chinese or the various 'Wu Chinese' dialects of Southern Zhejiang. There will also be posts about famous people from all parts of Jiangnan as well as about Overseas Asians of Jiangnanese heritage.

Here's the story. I was born and raised in the United States to an immigrant family from Shanghai. Shanghainese was the only language that I grew up with until I was thrust into a foreign, English speaking world. I was almost woefully ignorant about it until I realize what my heritage was. Growing up, I spoke only Shanghainese amongst my family, friends and acquaintances from Shanghai. Oftentimes, I felt uncomfortable and unnerved at the thought of speaking English or Mandarin to them. I became interested in my heritage and culture and knowing that Shanghainese culture is more than just Shanghai, but a new beating heart within the ancient Jiangnan region. So this has mostly been a journey of self-improvement. Now reading and writing in Shanghainese in proper Chinese characters is to an extent, almost second nature to me. Knowing that Shanghai is an inseparable part of Jiangnan, its history as the heartland of China brings immense pride to my culture. And to this day, I speak Shanghainese every day and to some extent, brings me closer to my heritage, my family and my friends from Shanghai and the rest of the region.

Growing up in New York, most of the Chinese Americans around me were Cantonese or someone from the deep southern part of China, and I was different than them. I was Shanghainese, an anomaly, something different than the norm. Because of that, I never really felt attached to a lot of what my Cantonese acquaintances held dear unto them in terms of culture. And the few Chinese American friends I made, they were almost always Shanghainese or someone from a neighboring city, such as Ningbo or Suzhou. My parents sent me to Chinese school and I read and wrote in Traditional characters learning Taiwanese Standard Mandarin, which is almost identical to the Shanghainese-accented Mandarin my parents speak. This part of my education encouraged me to read and write in Shanghainese.