Language

Chinese
If you have studied Chinese you may find it frustrating that during your travels around the country you are still unable to understand what the people around you are saying. One of the main reasons for this is that there are many dialects spoken in China, and Nanchang, like most cities, has its own. Although the official language of Putonghua (Mandarin Chinese) is the language taught in schools all over China including Nanchang, Nanchanghua (Nanchangese) is used widely by the locals.
Nanchanghua is distinctly different from Mandarin and belongs to the Gan family of dialects (named after the short name of Jiangxi province through which the River Gan flows). However, most people in Nanchang can also speak Mandarin so there’s actually no need to worry. Nevertheless, amongst themselves many locals prefer to use their own dialect, so if you are staying in Nanchang for quite a while it may be worth picking up a little of the local language and it isn’t actually that difficult to collect a few phrases.

English
English is not commonly spoken beyond a few well worn phrases such as “How are you?” though many younger people, thanks to China’s emphasis on English in schools, can communicate with foreigners to an extent. Be prepared to encounter quite a lot of ‘Chinglish’ (Chinese-English) if you are communicating in English. This is not too much of a problem as it is usually quite intelligible. The problem is more likely to be that you find it difficult to make yourself understood. You may find that you need to slow down and simplify your use of English. That being said though, there are quite a few people who can speak excellent English and it is not difficult to meet such people.

Other languages
It is even more difficult to find speakers of other languages, with the possible exception of Japanese. French and German are taught in some of the city’s universities but the number of students is quite small and the subjects are relatively new so it will be nigh on impossible to find anyone except a few students and teachers who can speak these languages.

Learning Chinese
The number of foreigners studying Chinese in Nanchang is increasing every year. Most of them, if not all, study in one of the city’s universities. There are currently no schools offering evening, weekend or part-time courses though this may change soon as the number of long-term expats is growing. At present, those who do not wish to study full time usually find a language partner who teaches Chinese in return for learning English.

Useful Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gan_(linguistics)