Out of Gas - S1-E5
Trivia: Wash sets up a big red button for Mal to push to call back the shuttles if help arrives. He tells him "When your miracle gets here, just hit this button". After the show got cancelled, Alan Tudyk sent the button to Joss Whedon with the same message enclosed.
Chosen answer: One of the premises of the show is that the two major Earth societies that survived, and ultimately merged, were the Chinese and Americans. As a result the common language includes much Chinese. Clothing, signage, and building designs also have a heavy Chinese influence.