There are two kinds of sayings about "San":
One said that Indians were a conquered people, and their status in the eyes of Shanghainese was lower than that of Jia Qian and Hua Jia.
There is also a saying that Indians have buzzwords "I say" and "I say", and the homonym is "A San".
Extended data:
At the beginning of the 20th century, there were many Indians working as guards in the British Concession in Shanghai. For example, at the gates of hotels, high-class dance halls and powerful families in Shanghai at that time, Indians were generally invited as doormen, which was the embodiment of wealth and fashion.
These Indians like to put on airs in front of China people. Usually, when they speak some fluent Chinese, they will unconsciously add "I said ..." (I said ...) to show off to China people that they can speak English, so as to find a sense of existence in the concession.
Shanghainese actually look down on these Indians from the bottom of their feet, so they use their wisdom, combine the English word "A say" and call them "A San" in a homonym. They habitually call these Indians "A say". Over time, "A Shuo" became a homonym "A San". Of course, this title has some derogatory meanings.