At a recent conference marking the 20th anniversary of promoting Mandarin in Shanghai, education experts and linguists criticized Shanghai's white-collar workers for using too much English.

According to Oriental Morning Post, English fluency has become a badge of distinction for office professionals. In some companies, it is the only language used in intra-office communication. At some meetings, everyone is asked to speak English, even if everyone present is Chinese.

Dean of the Chinese department at East China Normal University, Professor Pan Wenguo, says the trend of using English in Shanghai is over the top. People overuse English because they are blindly following trends. Another Shanghai educator, Yu Lian, says although foreign languages are important, they shouldn't be considered more superior than the native tongue.