The highlight of my visit to the Shanghai Bookstore was noticing two kids signing to each other in Chinese sign language. I saw that one — the older brother, perhaps? — was wearing earbuds, but the other one — the younger sister, I assume — wasn’t. I spotted them on the seventh floor but caught up with the sister on the fifth floor. This was my attempt as speaking Mandarin (in case that would help her read my lips) and signing in ASL (in case any of the signs in American Sign Language were similar enough to Chinese Sign Language for her to understand.):
| Mandarin | 请问 | 我是美国人 | 我知道美国手说 | 你明白我? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASL | Excuse me | I am American | I know American Sign Language | You understand me? |
Just like in America, she seemed super happy that I could sign at all! In my (mangled) Mandarin and (alien) ASL, it did seem that we had a few signs that she understood — “sign” and “America” and “China” — so I’m counting the whole conversation as a success.
I’m going to make a point of learning some Chinese Sign Language.
Omg that’s so cool!