Local dialect is language from the heart

My husband's late grandmother, who lived her entire life in the family's village in Zhejiang province, was known for her feisty sense of humor, her nimble hands that could knit beautiful hats and scarves, and her homemade fried rice noodles, which were so delicious you could forgive her for adding a little too much salt.

But for years, I struggled to know her because she only spoke the local language.

Anyone familiar with this region of East China knows it is a land rich in dialects, which can differ greatly among neighboring counties. The most notable example in Zhejiang province is Wenzhounese, considered the least comprehensible Chinese dialect, which is why China used it for communications during World War II.