Every city in China has its own local language, but the official language of China is Mandarin. I was born in Chengdu, China, and grew up speaking Sichuanese until I entered elementary school and started learning Mandarin. Then, I immigrated to the United States at the age of 26 to begin systematically learning English. In the US, if I run into a Sichuanese person, we very naturally communicate in Sichuanese. If I meet other Chinese people, we will definitely communicate in Mandarin. In schools, hospitals, and other places, I'm often required to speak English. However, what usually comes to mind first is Mandarin, which I then translate into English and say. This makes me feel hesitant to speak English.

Every city in China has its own local language, but the official language of China is Mandarin. I was born in Chengdu, China, and grew up speaking Sichuanese until I entered elementary school and started learning Mandarin. Then, I immigrated to the United States at the age of 26 to begin systematically learning English. In the US, if I run into a Sichuanese person, we very naturally communicate in Sichuanese. If I meet other Chinese people, we will definitely communicate in Mandarin. In schools, hospitals, and other places, I'm often required to speak English. However, what usually comes to mind first is Mandarin, which I then translate into English and say. This makes me feel hesitant to speak English.