[In Focus]
Shanghai

From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue

by Shen Xinyi
February 23, 2026
Share Article:
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue
From Canal to Catchphrase: How a Buried Waterway Still Speaks 'Yangjingbang' in Shanghai's Ever-Mutating Tongue

A Song of Yangjingbang: Me More Say, Cool!

Caption:

Singer-songwriter: Wang Yuanchao

Source:

  • "On the Historical Background for the Appearance of Chinglish in Modern China"
  • "The Formation of Chinese Pidgin English"
  • "A Study on the Changes of Pidgin English Vocabulary in Shanghai Dialect"
  • "An Illustrated Guide to Shanghai Slang"
  • "Modern Shanghai Research Series No. 14 – Yangjingbang: The Rise and Fall of an Urban River"

Photos by Shen Xinyi and Ti Gong

Graphics and illustrations by Shen Xinyi and AI

Editor: Chen Jie


参考文献

  • 《洋泾浜英语在近代中国产生的历史渊源之探讨》
  • 《中国洋泾浜英语的形成》
  • 《上海方言中"洋泾浜英语"词汇的变迁研究》
  • 《上海俗语图说》
  • 《现代上海研究论丛14–洋泾浜:一条城中河的兴盛与消亡》

照片:沈昕熠、提供

图形和插图:沈昕熠、AI

编辑:陈洁

#Shanghai
Share Article:

Popular Reads

Wrecked EV From Fatal Crash Sells for Four Times Starting Price at Court Auction
1

Wrecked EV From Fatal Crash Sells for Four Times Starting Price at Court Auction

City Boosts Consumption Incentives for Double Five Shopping Festival
2

City Boosts Consumption Incentives for Double Five Shopping Festival

[China Tech] Shanghai Doctors Successfully Treat Critically Ill 34-day-old Infant
3

[China Tech] Shanghai Doctors Successfully Treat Critically Ill 34-day-old Infant

[China Tech] Nature Publishes Research Report on Locally-Developed Gene Therapy for Deafness
4

[China Tech] Nature Publishes Research Report on Locally-Developed Gene Therapy for Deafness