I grew up in an "enclave" in the mountains. Before I was born, the threat from north of China prompted our great leader to call for a relocation of strategically important industries of China to mountainous regions, to scatter and hide to survive the imminent threat from the old brother. The unit where my parents worked had no official name, but a numerical code. The unit next to us was designated a different number, and the next, on and on. These units were total foreigners to local people. They occupied a large swath of land, usually on the distant outskirt of a local municipality. I call it "enclave" because we had everything we needed to survive and flourish. There were schools, hospitals, stores and entertainment facilities, all erected to serve the strategic manufacturing functions. People can be born, go to school, work, marry, live and die in the enclave. There were very limited connection to the immediate outside world, but rather the ties were with the cities where these units originally came from, their relatives, their dialects and their nostalgia. Growing up in such setting, I learned to pick up several dialects. Our unit was from Nanjing. So naturally the Nanjing dialect became my first social language. The unit next to us was from Northeast. Thus Dongbei Hua became my 2nd language. The logistic operation and service department were staffed with a lot of locals, so their kids taught me the local dialects. There were also "capitalist" merchants and carpenters from Zhejiang, where my parents originated. I knew how to talk to them instinctively. Drifters came from Anhui every summer after the flood, surprisingly they spoke much alike Nanjing dialect. All these people became part of my life's journey and left their marks in my accent. The only dialect that I had no clue of was that of those construction workers mostly from Fujian. That was truly foreign to me. Well, they were mostly single men, no kid. So I didn't get a chance to enter their world.
居然从没听过你说中文，哪天读一个，听听你是不是标准普通话？：）
还记得你以前写的你小时候学英语的文章：）
多年以后，老师也感慨当年是多么的胆大妄为，敢现学现教。也只有当年的厂子弟学校能让她这么干。她带我们晨跑，唱Do Re Mi。她开心不用下车间，我们开心因为跟着她好玩。
It's nice to grow up in such a melting pot. It gave you an unique perspective.
Very well-written piece. Enjoyed reading it!
如今山东口音一点没改, 我老婆生在那里, 没学会山东话, 如今说普通话还南腔北调, 一个楼里什么地方人都有, 各种口音,方言
Amazing minutes all in one clip like this-:)),&
Thank you for sharing your memories of the Chinese "melting pot"-
Fond & beloved memories-:))..-,
Thank you..-:))..