Green Things

It is amazing how much some trees and greenery can excite foreigners who have been in Shanghai for a couple months.  I was looking for somewhere to go this afternoon as tomorrow (Tuesday) is my one full day off each week, but this week I have training for work all afternoon.  I needed to get out and do some exploring.  I sent out a text to a couple friends this morning during Chinese class and got a response from Adam & Yumi (fellow MIM 2010 graduates who are studying in Shanghai this term) saying, “Going to a picnic to see cherry blossoms. Meet at Jing’an subway stop at one.”  Hmmm… I don’t know where there are any cherry blossoms (or spots to picnic) anywhere near Jing’an Temple or on West Nanjing road – but I headed in that direction after getting out of class.

Map of phase 1 of Gucun park

Apparently, Jing’an was only the meet up point.  After a few delays and meeting up with Adam, Yumi and six others from their university, we hopped on the line 7 to ride all the way (14 subway stops) out to Gucun park.  When we finally arrived and walked out of the subway station we saw – construction, more construction, cranes and an empty shopping center that reminded us of an outlet mall in the states more than anything.  But it was further out of the city than any of us had been in quite some time, and beyond the newly constructed, still empty shopping center it appeared to be the end of the world.  No more city, no more buildings, just… wait for it…. TREES and an empty road lined with colorful flags.

Where are the cherry blossoms?

Gucun park – phase 1 is 180 hectares of manufactured nature.  Yes, it is true they manufacture everything in China, even nature.  Phase one is still being implemented, as we noticed when we were unable to enter the “exotic romance garden” as it was still under construction, and we saw truck driving loads of blooming flowers into the park. Phase 2, the sign says, will be another 250 hectares.  I’m assuming of more gardens, pathways, amusement park rides (which strangely no one ever seems to be ride) and really odd out of place statues, artwork?  Like machine guns, or the giant Tarzan like man with an ape .

Children in a fort, a child in a boat, flags and... a ninja with a machine gun??

Posing with the giant machine gun statue

Was it the Princess and the Pea or the Princess IN the Pea? I don't know, I was just excited to see another blonde!

We did find a grassy spot to sit down in and eat our lunch, and after awhile, were joined by a Chinese man who asked (in Chinese), “May I look at you for awhile?”  We said he could, so he did.  He observed the foreigners sitting on the grass eating, made some remarks in Chinese about us and then walked away as we got up to leave.

This is really hard to do...

I think they meant get off your bike...

The cherry blossoms which were blooming were beautiful, but there were many more not in bloom yet. Waterways, bridges, the random art and plenty of good Chinglish made it a delightful afternoon.  But honestly, greenery, trees, flowers and quiet open spaces made it worth the hour long subway ride.  Was the air “fresh”? Perhaps not – the horizon in all directions was the normal China-grey, the sun slightly dimmed by the haze; yet, the CO2 loving, oxygen producing, trees and plants did feel nice.  We felt that perhaps a bit more oxygen was being delivered to our nostrils.  Maybe Shanghai has driven us to fantasize – but we take what we can get.

Trees! And flowers! Is this heaven?

Cherry blossoms in the sun

I might as well be out in the country!

China, Oh China

Lunch and a 20 minute walk on a sunny day can be inspiring.

Welcome to Shanghai:

Where you can buy lunch for two (at a restaurant, I’m not just talking street food here) and a kilo of fresh strawberries then walk down the street and spend just as much money on one latte.

Where you can watch a child take a dump on the sidewalk… just 3 feet from the large basket of strawberries you just purchased from.

Where you can get turned around while walking one evening, not be sure where you are going and run into someone you know in a city of 25 million.

Where, in the most populated country on earth, the government is so alert that it will cut off your cell phone service if you quote  Shakespeare.  (see NY Times Article)

Where foreigners doubt the news they read in the NY Times and quote Shakespeare, speak of Bob Dylan (who is visiting Shanghai soon) and confuse Chinese workers in order to prove the NY Times wrong and that quoting Shakespeare will NOT shut off your phone service.  (see blog post)

Where, in many ways, woman are advancing more in the workplace than in other parts of the world; and, thanks to a 1979 population control policy, they aren’t worried about childcare.  (1 child policy equates to 4 grandparents per child.)  (see Shanghaiist post)

Where you are just as likely to be hit by a motorcycle, moped, scooter, taxi, bus, bicycle, Mercedes or rickshaw crossing the street when you have a walk signal as when you have a don’t walk signal.

Where you can purchase bunnies, turtles, hamsters, umbrella’s, leggings and an apple logo for your fake ipod at the subway station.

Where you can purchase live bullfrogs & crabs, pigs feet/tongue/stomach, and a duck head at the meat market – or just choose your chicken and watch them kill it for you.

Where you can intend on studying Chinese characters all day, but get distracted thinking of the obscurities of Life in China instead.  There are over 40,000 Chinese characters and I need to learn at least 21 today…

Air

The quality of Portland air is one thing I miss most in China. I have jokingly asked for someone to bottle some up for me so I can keep it by my bed and take a big breath of clean air each night. It is something that is always on my mind, partially because I see it each and every day (yes, I do see the air), and partially because I breathe it every day.  Today, I don’t have a voice.  My first month in the country, I was stricken with head cold symptoms that only ebb and flow, but never completely go away.  I use almost as much tissue in Shanghai as I do in allergy season in Corvallis (which is unofficially the allergen capital of the world).  Today I read an article, found after reading another article recommended by my dad, about the air in China and it’s affects.  My favorite (perhaps most striking) quote:

“After stalling, the Chinese government recently accepted a World Bank estimate that some 750,000 of its people die prematurely each year just from air pollution.”

Read the whole article at:  How I Survived China by James Fallow

This article and the recent wide struck fear of radiation, motivated me to write about the air in China.  Today it rains, as it did yesterday and Saturday. As I left work Saturday, I was warned to be careful as the rain is dangerous. Of course the rain is acidic, the quality of the air should give that away.  But I think the comment was more inline with the (hoax) text message I received last Tuesday delivering the message so many in China received:

“Japanese government confirms radiation leak at Fukushima nuclear plants. Asian countries should take necessary precautions. If rain comes, remain indoors first 24hrs. Close doors and windows. Swab neck skin with beta dine where thyroid air is, radiation hits thyroid first. Take extra precautions. Radiation may hit Philippines starting at 4pm today. Pls send to your loved ones.”

While those in other countries rushed the stores looking for iodine pills (article), those in China looked to a more commonly found source in table salt.  Wiping out supermarkets and convenient stores in a mad rush to buy pounds of salt. (Times article)

Apparently, the radiation rumors and the salt rush only caused scandal in China – which was, in one case, handled by the Chinese government.  See: Punishment for Rumors and Salt Refunds.

I often sit in my large window sill in my bedroom window of my 28th floor apartment.  I made it into a cozy seat with Ikea blankets and pillows.  A small desk, protrudes from a large entertainment center/wall unit and is to my right, handy for my laptop (when not on my lap), a cup of tea or my Chinese homework.  The window over looks the section of Puxi (the west side of the Huangpu river that divides Shanghai) between my apartments and the river, the Pudong skyline, and to the left the Nanpu bridge (which I got a closer view of one day while wandering).

My lovely view - on a very clear (despite being cloudy) day!

Nanpu Bridge - also visible from the comfort of my room

So what does this have to do with the Chinese air – well my window also serves as my pollution detector.  Occasionally, I actually see real true fog (although I’m sure it is not clean fog).  But most mornings, I can open my window and get a good glance at the air quality that day.  Some days I get a clear view, like above.  Some days, I can barely make out the outline of the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center in the brownish yellow haze.  You know it isn’t just cloudy and overcast when you look up and see bright blue skies, yet look out and see only gray.

Gray skies - with the sun brightly reflecting off the Pearl Tower

But remember, Shanghai has “clean air” compared to many places in the country.  Beijing had “unmeasurable” pollution a few weeks ago.  See Beijing Air.  Chongqing (the fastest growing city in China, located in the middle of the country), Guangzhou and Hong Kong also made a recently published report on the Top 10 Cities with the World’s Worst Air.

All this talk about air quality is making my throat hurt… off to get some more lemon-ginger tea with honey to nurse my voice back to life before I have to teach again.  Hopefully, the rain will wash away some of the grime in the air and give us a day or two of “fresh air”.

The Student

Over the past 12 years of my life, I have spent almost 8 years both working and studying.  For most of those years, I was studying full time and working part time.  More recently, I was working full time and obtaining my masters degree part-time (who ever decided a part-time graduate student should take 12 credit hours in a term doesn’t understand the definition of part-time).  And now, after a brief 3 months of being out of school I decided to go back, to study Chinese (the original reason for shipping myself to Asia) at Dǒnghuá University in Shanghai.  This time, my work and my studies are both based around a foreign language, either learning one or teaching one.  It makes for interesting (and long) days (and nights).

I decided I shouldn’t be completely insane, and signed up for the part-time language course at Dǒnghuá as opposed to the full time language course and I am very glad I did (I do enjoy my one day a week of complete freedom).  I also, despite having taken some Chinese classes in the States while in the MIM program, decided to put myself into the first level of Chinese as we did not learn characters (Hànzì) at PSU and the next level up at Dǒnghuá is based entirely on characters. (No pinyin, the Romanization of Chinese, in the book or the class at all.)  I figured the review wouldn’t hurt and I could spend my time focusing on learning to read and write Chinese while only improving my speaking skills.

My classes are three mornings a week, MWF from 9:25am until 12:10pm.  This leaves me with a 1.5 day weekend (Monday afternoon – Tuesday night) as I work Wednesday-Sunday.  Originally, the school created two classes of part-time beginning level Chinese students, such as me. However, because of the program’s popular demand, after one week of sitting in a class with 27 or so other students, the students complained about class size and the school created a third section.  About 8 -10 students were taken from each class to make 3 classes of 20 or less students.  I was randomly chosen to move to this new class so after a week of one teacher and getting comfortable with the flow, fellow students, the teaching style – I was moved to a new class with a new teacher.  I have now been in the new class for 4 classes and it is going quite well.  I was one of several Americans in my original class but now am the lone Měiguó rén (American) in the class.

I do relish the diversity of my new class, here is the breakdown:

5 Brazilians (Bāxī rén) By far the biggest population in the class.

3 French (Fǎguó rén)

2 Dutch (Hélán rén)

2 South Koreans (Hánguó rén)

1 Flemish Belgian (Bǐlìshì rén)

1 German (Déguó rén)

1 Serb (Sàiěrwéiyà rén)

1 Indonesian (Yìndùníxīyà rén)

1 Zimbabwean (Jīnbābùwéi rén)

1 South African (Nánfēi rén)

And 1 American (Měiguó rén)

It is a good group despite the vast range of Chinese ability in the “beginning class” and I think I’m really going to enjoy the classes.  I was even unanimously called on to be “class monitor” for my class.  What does this mean?  Apparently, according to the meeting I had for class monitors today, it means “taking care of my classmates”.  Everything from helping the teacher, encouraging students to get involved in extra curricular activities, communicating news about events and activities to my classmates, arranging class outings & events and just being awesome in general.

And my Chinese, well – I’m still working on it.

The school isn’t too far from my apartment, but with the subway it takes me about 45-50 minutes to get there in the mornings.  Plus, I give myself a little extra time in case I have to wait for a subway, my transition between subway lines doesn’t go smoothly, or I want to stop and get some delicious and cheap street food on the way.  Bacon, a fried egg, lettuce and your choice of spicy or not spicy condiments wrapped in a crepe for a dollar or less is always a delicious treat before school!

Pearl milk tea and a crepe with fried egg - less than $1

More on the China Job Market

As I posted a few days ago about the search for jobs in China, I decided that this article would make a good follow-up.

This is for any of you who are wondering if it would be so much easier to find a job in China as a recent college grad than it is in the States, given the current economic crisis in the States and the fact that China’s economy is still booming. For recent Chinese college graduates, the answer is no – it isn’t much easier here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/12/world/asia/12beijing.html?pagewanted=1&ref=asia

Chinese Jobs

Do you want to know why your job left you for China?

I think this explains it.  Can you name FIVE Americans that would spend a Sunday standing in a line for hours in the freezing cold, rain & wind waiting to get into a  job fair?

20,000 Chinese students did.  Their dedication and drive is why your job is in China.  Oh, and the fact that they will do the work for a fraction of what you demand.

http://shanghaiist.com/2011/03/02/this_is_what_a_job_fair_in_china_lo_1.php?gallery0Pic=1#gallery

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90783/91300/7302717.html

Detour

I decided to take a walk to the fabric market today and check it out.  I had been reminded in my Chinese class yesterday (oh yea, I’m a student AGAIN!) that it is really close to where I lived.  I figured it would be a good way to spend part of the day before heading off to work, get a little exercise and fresh air.

The fabric market was more than I expected, I expected fabric (duh) and people that could custom make suits and stuff.  But I didn’t expect all the types of clothes, all the types of fabric and examples of any item of clothing you could ever want.  Needless to say, I wondered why on earth I ever bought clothes in a store and decided I probably never should again.

If I ever need bridesmaid's dresses, might need to have them made here.

You know you want a custom tailored red plaid suit!

I had to get a picture of this sign because the world needs to know intellectual property laws in China are alive and well.  Or so they say.  I saw many brand name items before seeing this sign and chuckled at the sight of it.  If it is too small to read, the basic idea is “the following trademarks cannot be sold in clothing markets without the authorization of the trademark owner.”

Trademark Enforcement

Do you think Louis Vuitton and Coco Chanel approved the sale of these leggings?

I actually found the leggings on my detour on the way back from the fabric market.  I was distracted by little streets of rundown shops and food stands and may have gotten a bit turned around as I was headed north instead of west.  I walked about an hour farther than I needed or intended to, but it was quite enjoyable and I saw some of the ‘real China’ along the way.

Chinglish of the day. Someone, please tell me what this means. "Noodles Anticipates to Wholesale Quantity Body to Make to Order"

The 'real' Shanghai

I wish my photo could show the little old man with spectacles on his face, bundled up because of the cold working under a small hanging lamp inside this home (below).

Homes in Shanghai

Working for a Living

Itty bitty kitty eating noodles for lunch.

Selling roasted sweet potatoes

Typical fruit stand

I couldn’t get a good picture showing what this woman (in the background bending over) was doing as well as the metal barrel with bread/rolls for sale.  But she is doing laundry, by her feet is a small bucket of water and she is scrubbing clothes on a washboard. Not only is it normal to see laundry hanging out to dry everywhere (like above the fruit stand in the previous picture), but you also see laundry being done, dishes being washed and other chores taking place on the street or sidewalk in front of a home (which may also be a “storefront”).

Breakfast & Laundry

First, I just saw this pigeon on a leash in the street with her owner.  Then I saw the basket the pigeon was tied to, then I wondered why another man was trying to catch the pigeon and pick it up.  Looking in the basket answered my question.  “Yes, of course my pigeon is healthy!  Feel her, nice and plump!!  Buy some eggs – they are mighty fine!”

Buy her eggs! She's a good pigeon!

If you aren’t much for pigeon, no worries.  There are plenty of chickens around.  I saw a crate of these strapped to the back of a bicycle the other day; unfortunately, did not have a camera handy.

Plenty of chickens...

You can use a bike (or a tricycle…) for anything in China.

Veggies on wheels!

And as I’ve said, you can also buy anything in whatever form you like.

Tea in bulk!

My last picture for the day, although not the greatest, is for the old Chinese man I saw on the street today.  He was calling at me, waving at me, beckoning to me and when I tried to walk away yelled down the street to me.  I finally gave in, all he wanted was for me to take a picture of  this lady playing with her dog & smoking a cigarette.  He could have been her father, a friend, neighbor or stranger.  But he saw me with my camera and just needed me to take her picture.  If only he knew the world could see it now.

The lady & her dog to please the old man.