Shanghai Aquarium

I'll miss you, May!

I don’t really get to spend much time with my good friend May anymore; however, I wanted the chance to hang out before going back to the States.  On Thursday, May was sweet enough to take a day of work so we could hang out.  We talked about doing a day trip somewhere, but decided instead to stay in Shanghai and check out the Shanghai Aquarium.  (This ended up being the perfect plan, because sandwiched between a blue sky, beautiful Wednesday and a warm & dry Friday, we had a rainy miserable Thursday – being inside was a good thing.)

Dark, cloudy and rainy!

The Shanghai Aquarium is right next to the Oriental Pearl Tower in Pudong. As we were walking by the tower, I realized in my time in Shanghai, I have only been over to the area near the tower about four times.  Every time, it happened to be wet, cloudy and miserable.  So this is how the tower has always looked to me when ever I have seen it up close and personal.  (I have yet to actually bother going inside.)

We arrived at the aquarium, bought our tickets (160 rmb/adult) and noticed that we were just in time for the shark feeding on the feeding schedule! Yippee!  We asked where the shark tank was and learned about the one downfall of the aquarium – one way traffic.  You start out on the third floor of the aquarium and work your way down and through the three levels of exhibits – once you pass through you can’t go back.  The shark tank, of course, was at the end.  So we weren’t able to watch them feed the sharks but it was still a great trip to the aquarium.

This is a sea apple.

There was a special exhibit of dangerous sea animals, lots of funky looking poisonous fish, electric eels, sea urchins and little shell fish that you would never imagine had venom in them capable of killing hundreds of humans.

No offense, but you are sort of ugly....

Funny lookin' poisonous fish

There was an alligator (or crocodile, I don’t really know the difference) that was laying there SO still, I swore he was dead.  He had obviously been laying there for awhile because someone had thrown a coin on him and it was laying on his back.  May said he was definitely alive… I had my doubts.

Can you see the silver coin on his back?

One of my favorite parts was the jellyfish section, huge tanks full of beautiful jellyfish of all different sizes and colors.  They are such fascinating looking creatures, floating about, gliding effortlessly through the water.  One of the huge tanks of hundreds of clear/white colored jellyfish was illuminated by lights that changed colors, making the entire tank and jellyfish look like they were changing colors.

Gorgeous and colorful!

May gazing at the jellyfish.

jellyfish

In the SOS (save our sharks) exhibit, there were graphic images of the brutalities sharks face as they are hunted for shark fin soup, a delicacy in Asian countries.  There was also one of the most fascinating things I have ever seen, live fertilized, developing shark eggs.  Okay, so maybe eggs aren’t the most fascinating thing ever… but this certain type of shark actually develops and hatches from an egg.  The aquarium had eggs at their different developmental stages on display with light shining through them so you could actually SEE what was going on inside the egg.  In the first several stages, there was still a yolk inside the egg with the little teeny shark embryo.  The eggs from 41-50 days old were the best I thought, because you could see the yolk, and then around the yolk you could see a little teeny baby shark swimming around inside the egg.  I was fascinated!  In the later stages of development, you could see the little shark (and if definitely looked like the body of a little shark) just cramped up inside the egg ready to be freed into the world.  Awesome.

That is a shark swimming around a yolk in an egg. Fascinating.

My other favorite section was the “World Longest Underwater Viewing Tunnel at 155m” as the sign said.  The tunnel is broken up into sections and different sections feature different types of fish and sea life.  An area with huge schools of fish swimming super fast in circles around you, an area with a coral reef and lots of small colorful fish, and of course the best part, the huge sharks, giant sea turtles and graceful stingrays.  Have you ever been in a glass tunnel with a shark swimming above your head, so close you could touch it, or with a huge sea turtle (that probably weighed way more than me) swimming straight at you?  It is pretty amazing.  Unfortunately, with my fussy, broken camera and the fast swimming animals, my attempts to photograph the experience didn’t work so well.

Schools of fish swimming all around me!

So it isn't the best picture... but he is lookin' straight at me. If it weren't for the glass above my head, I may have been lunch!

I did spend a long time in that tunnel, just in awe of the beautiful, stunning, creatures of the sea.  I had heard good things about the Shanghai Aquarium and I am really glad I took the opportunity to check it out.  It is well laid out, everything is in English as well as Chinese, the displays and amount of animals you get to see are quite impressive.  I would absolutely recommend it if you are hanging out in Shanghai on a rainy day and need a good indoor activity.

What a cute little lizard!

After the aquarium, May and I headed to the Super Brand Mall where we feasted on delicious dim sum at Bi Feng Tang for lunch.

In my window

Other than my bed, there is probably one place where I have spent more time than any other single place in the past 13 months.  My very favorite spot in Shanghai, my favorite spot in my apartment, is sitting on the wide window sill of my bedroom window.  Made comfortable with blankets and pillows from Ikea, the small desk with my laptop next to me, or sitting with my laptop on my lap.  On the 28th floor, looking at the Shanghai skyline, lit up in gorgeous colors on clear nights, looking down the river to Nanpu Bridge, or sometimes just looking at smog.  I could check to see when people were walking up towards my apartment if I gave them directions from the subway stop, I can look down and see if my fruit guy is selling fruit from the back of his van.

The apartment gate, my fruit guy and a man selling DVD's, my typical view

I watched lightening storms here, I spent hours on skype with family and friends here, I wrote almost all of my blogs sitting here, I watched fireworks on Chinese New Year here, I watched giant snowflakes floating through the air here, I watched the progress of the (soon to be) second tallest building in the world being built here. I cried here, I watched movies and TV on my laptop here, I read here, I drank my morning coffee and ate dinner here.  It is my little spot. I love my little spot.

Snowing in Shanghai, watching giant snowflakes from my window

Today, I sit in my little spot for the last time.  I look out over the Shanghai on a cloudy day for the last time.  I close my eyes and envision the lights for the last time.  I look down and see my fruit guy for the last time.  I see taxis, buses, cars, bikes, scooters and people on the main road just half a block away for the last time.  Today I’m leaving my apartment, my wonderful roommate, and my sweet kitten.

My last day view...

In 45 minutes, I have to be at work.  When I come home I’m grabbing my stuff and heading to a friends house.  I will be bouncing from house to house for the next 19 days until I leave China. I’m moving back to the States, my Life in China is, for now at least, coming to an end.

Cloudy and smoggy, but always pretty...

When I think back, I have many memories, may adventures, many stories.  But honestly, it is this spot right here, sitting in my window, looking out over the 26 million people in my city of Shanghai, where I spent so much of my time.  It is such a perfect spot.  I will miss it.

My spot

M&M Recap

Well, after two weeks of exhaustion and fun with my mom and Matt (M&M),  and a crazy, stressful weekend back at work, I have finally had the chance to sit down, breathe and get myself back together.  In the twelve days my mom and Matt were here, we saw many sights, drank good beer, slept a little, traveled a lot, ate all types of food and took thousands of pictures!  (I took over 700 myself, and I’m sure they took even more.)

There were many times over the couple weeks I thought, I could write a blog about this.  But I didn’t have time. Now, I’m in a relaxation and recovery state and I don’t have the creative/reflective juices flowing and I’m lacking the energy.  I will try to recap you though.

It was a non-stop adventure for all of us and exhausting! I’m sure dealing with jet-lag made it crazy for my guests, but I had to deal with keeping up with my normal life (I only took 4 days off work in the 12 days they were here), entertaining, hosting, sleeping on the couch and on a HARD bed in a hotel, and being on 100% of the time.  My brain, emotions and body were stretched to the limit.

Leifang Pagoda in Hangzhou

The last time I posted was Sunday, September 4th.  I worked all day and M&M arrived in the afternoon. That evening, we went to the train station where I learned we could only buy tickets to Beijing 6 days in advance, took a walk around to see a bit of the city,  went to dinner and got settled in my apartment.  The following morning, we met my friend and co-worker, Colin at 7am.  He had arranged for a driver to take us to the nearby city of Hangzhou for the day.  I have wanted to go to Hangzhou since arriving in China, and with mom here I finally got my chance!  We spent the first full day of M&M’s vacation touring around the famous and beautiful West Lake, eating a traditional Chinese meal at the famous Louwailou restaurant, visiting the Leifang Pagoda, Feilaifeng and a couple temples.  Which was followed by beers and french fries for an early dinner.  After making our way back to Shanghai, we had no energy left for a real meal.

Looking over West Lake with the city of Hangzhou in the background

On Tuesday, we started out by going to the Shanghai train station, again, where this time I learned I had miscounted and Wednesday was the first day to buy tickets for the following Monday, and then to a camera shop where we got mom’s camera fixed.  (Her camera had been pushed off the x-ray machine at the subway station on her way into Shanghai. The filter had completely broken and was crushed onto the lenses making it impossible to take off – luckily she had another lens for the day in Hangzhou, but still needed it fixed!).  We then went to the classic Yuyuan area, walked around classic Chinese building filled with touristy shops and down Fangbang Road.  I led us to Huaihai Road for a coffee break, then to the Bird and Flower Market where the older Chinese residence were busy gambling over cricket fights.  We continued walking through the antique markets near Laoximen but after a long morning, decided we needed a rest.

A cat chilling in front of a fish shop at the Bird and Flower market

I led us to Boxing Cat for a beer, but they weren’t opening until 5pm that day.  Tired and irritable, we managed to stumble upon a neat little place on Sinan Lu where we got some beers and refreshed our spirits.  We had dinner plans at 5:30pm, still had a couple hours to spare and weren’t sure what to do next.  Mom remembered she wanted to visit the ELS office and that it was somewhere in the French Concession.  I found the address by using the internet on my cell phone and with the help of the staff at the coffee shop where we were, I figured out the approximate location.  We decided our feet hadn’t had quite enough that day, and walked another 3 kilometers or so over to the ELS office. (When my mom worked in Ashland, Oregon, she worked for ELS for many years and was the director of their Ashland branch.)  The couple people my mom knew were not in the office, or were no longer working at that location, but we met the new director and he was willing to show the unexpected visitors around their beautiful Shanghai location.

After that, I realized we were right next to the Avocado lady, so we swung by but didn’t get anything from her, as it was about time for us to head towards Zhongshan park to meet a few of my Chinese coworkers for a delicious, spicy, Sichuan dinner.

I don't think Mom approved of me ordering the bullfrog for dinner, Matt ate it though!

When we got home we brought out the map of Shanghai to see just how far we had walked, Mom and Matt were impressed that I had in fact dragged them ALL over Shanghai, on foot.

Wednesday, was a more normal day for me.  But by no means relaxing.  My Chinese classes at Donghua University had started on Monday, and Wednesday, I decided, was the only day in the first 2 weeks of classes I could actually make it.  Mom and Matt got up and traveled over to the University with me, eating delicious street food for breakfast along the way.  While I spent 3 hours in Chinese class, they wandered around the area nearby.  After I was done in class we took the subway to the Shanghai South Railroad Station and finally, on our third try, got our high speed train tickets for Beijing.  We then made our way over to Tianzifang where we had a late lunch.  I left M&M with instructions to get back to my place, and I took off to go to work for the evening while they explored the area.

A painter at work in Tianzifang

Thursday morning, no time for rest!  We got up and went to Jing’an Temple.  Having been outside Jing’an Temple many times, but having never gone inside, I wasn’t sure where the tickets to enter the temple were purchased.  So when I saw swarms of people in lines wrapping halfway around the temple I got a bit nervous.  Why in the world were so many people lined up to get into the temple?  We would never get inside with hundreds of people in lines that seemingly weren’t even moving.  I knew there was a holiday coming up, but it was the following week, why was it so busy?

After a few moments of being puzzled trying to figure out what was going on, I decided to use a life-line and phoned a friend.  May also had no idea why everyone would be wanting to go to the temple that day.  So, as we were both confused, I did what anyone would do.  I walked to the beginning of the line and handed my phone over to a complete stranger – gesturing for her to talk.  May was on the line of course and was able to ask this nice, albeit confused, women what the deal was.  Turns out – none of them wanted to go into the temple!  They were all waiting in line for special mooncakes made at the temple!  Mooncakes are the traditional food eaten for the mid-autumn festival which was the holiday the following week.  All these people wanted the temple’s mooncakes!

One of two lines for Mooncakes! Can you see why I was concerned?

Oh… well, duh, Julia!  So we found the ticket window, with no line, and were able to explore inside Jing’an temple.  Afterwards, I took us on another hike through Shanghai as I figured exploring the city by foot allows you to see more than exploring the city by subway. We walked down West Nanjing, through People’s Square and all the way down East Nanjing until we got to the Bund.  It was a hazy day to walk along the Bund, and I don’t think I even got out my camera.  Haze or no haze, it is a must see for every visitor to Shanghai.  After walking for hours, we took a cab from the South end of the Bund back to my apartment!  A 20 minute catnap and I was off to work!

After what seemed to become a daily trip to Boxing Cat for M&M, Matt relaxed at the apartment that evening. However, once I was done working, my mom and I headed out to meet my friend May for massages!  A nice 100 minute foot and body massage was exactly the type of relaxing I needed!  One of the workers even offered to provide my mom’s treatment for free, in exchange for marrying her daughter.  Ha!  We did not accept the proposal.

M&M’s first four days in China were certainly packed full.  I’m exhausted just writing about it!  More to come…

Shanghai Ink

Everyday is an adventure in Shanghai, but yesterday a few girls decided to go on an adventure I had yet to experience in a foreign country.  I believe the idea started with Cat, another American teaching at Kid Castle in Shanghai.  She wanted to get some ink for her birthday which is coming up soon.  Lindsay, a Canadian teaching at Kid Castle who also happens to have a birthday in the next couple weeks, decided to join her.

A friend of Lindsay had a large tattoo done in Shanghai, and the work was fantastic.  He recommended the place to Lindsay and Cat with only one warning – they don’t speak any English.  Small details, when you want to discuss artwork that will permanently be placed on your body, right?

So Lindsay recruited Mandy, a Taiwanese co-worker, to help with the translation and scheduling. My co-worker and friend from Taiwan, May and I heard about the girls plan and decided to join.  As did two other friends, one more American and another Taiwanese.

So yesterday was tattoo day.  I met Lindsay at the subway and we made our way over to meet May, Penny and Mandy around 3pm at the tattoo parlor.  Cat and Tara joined shortly thereafter.  On the way, Lindsay still was undecided as to exactly what she wanted but had some ideas – and with the help of a computer would be able to show her best idea to the artist.

It was slow going when we first got there, us girls all sitting around in the smoke filled lobby area of the tattoo parlor, looking through books of pictures, discussing ideas, and trying to get a grasp on price range.  There were 2 Chinese men there when we got there, but when Lindsay started talking specifically about the tattoo she wanted we were informed she would have to wait for the “tattoo master” because of the level of detail in her tattoo.  The artist who was there would not be doing hers, and the other man there at the time was an “intern” and doesn’t do any of the work.  (I referred to him as the air freshener - as he sat around chain smoking for a good portion of the time we were downstairs.)  Lindsay inquired as to when the tattoo master would be back, another day?  Another week?  Oh no, he will be here in 10 minutes!  Wonderful!

Once the ideas were formed, the price negotiations began.  They were a bit steeper than we imagined at first, but with 3 girls there all wanting tattoos the Chinese speakers managed to negotiate the prices down a bit.  Once Cat came and let them know she wanted to get 2 tattoos, the prices were dropped a bit again.

Probably an hour and a half after Lindsay and I arrived at the tattoo parlor, the designs were decided on, the prices were dropped one final time, and the 4 girls were ready to get their tattoos.  Cat was getting INI tattooed on the inside of her finger and a Chinese symbol 凰 (huáng or phoenix) tattooed on her back – the price 600 rmb ($93) for two small tattoos.  May decided to get a blue and black star tattooed behind her ear – the price 500 rmb ($78).  Mandy, who was the only one who had never gotten a tattoo before, decided on a small angel (fairy?) on her back with BTS2010 written under it for 700 rmb ($110).  Lindsay’s was the biggest, most detailed and was the only one done by the tattoo master, it is a picture from the cover of her favorite book (which apparently I need to read) A Fine Balance.  It actually took just about as long to prepare and do Lindsay’s tattoo as it did for the other artist to do the 4 small tattoos on the other 3 girls.  The final price for Lindsay – 2300 rmb ($360).

The smoke filled lobby was bothering a couple of us and we were craving coffee, so Cat, Tara and I set off to grab some coffee for everyone while the artists got started on Lindsay and May. We had been at the tattoo parlor for probably a good two hours, and we were finally going to move upstairs and get the show on the road!

It was a nice place, clean and respectable, the guys were obviously very talented and it had come recommended.  Although there was some discussion and debate; all of the girls were ready to have their tattoos done at this place.  The language barrier was tough, and Lindsay, especially, spent a lot of time discussing via Mandy as translator the specifics and details of her tattoo.  The colors, the size, the precise location and position, the price, the details of the shading… When we first walked in she was wary as to whether or not she would be able to clearly illustrate what she wanted, but I think we were all confident with the artist’s ability when he started and only more so when he finished his work.

As for me, I watched and took pictures.  It was definitely a fun time – even if I didn’t get any ink of my own.  Around 8pm we were finished, paid and hungry so 6 out of the 7 of us went out for dinner and drinks to celebrate our freshly tattooed friends!

Here are just some of the shots I took:

Price, designs and waiting.... the long process before the ink!

Discussions we don't understand

Browsing for ideas

The peanut gallery! Anxious to watch and photograph the start of Lindsay's tattoo.

Does she look excited?

Apparently behind the ear hurts...

May is the first one finished! I left the sepia theme to show the beautiful blue!

The first-timer is a bit nervous!

Here she goes! First ink.

Mandy is the second one done!

An artist capturing his work

Lindsay watches intently as her process begins

Coffee & Tattoos

She is done and happy!

A perfect replica

It was Cat's idea - but she is the last to begin

Tattoo #1 - done!

On to number two...

Who smiles while getting a tattoo? Our dear Cat does!

The last of the five tattoos is done!

My freshly inked girls and the non-English speaking hard working artists

If you are in Shanghai and in need of some tattoos, I would recommend checking this place out.  Their website is www.sh-tk.com, they are located at 654 Yan’an Xi Lu near Jiangsu Lu (延安西路654号near 江苏路).

Wet and Miserable

So our dreaded typhoon Muifa came and went without making too much noise.  Luckily for me, the threat of the typhoon caused my school to decide Saturday afternoon that they would cancel all classes on Sunday.  A free Sunday followed by my normal Monday/Tuesday off??  Sure, I’ll take it!

The storm itself was rather disappointing.  Other than dropping buckets of rain on Shanghai, mostly during the night/early morning hours, and some wind, Muifa didn’t cause much disturbance for Shanghai residents.

On the inside looking out

I did manage to get on the wrong side of a police line surrounded by firemen though…

In the days before the storm, and Sunday afternoon there were actually some gorgeous blue skies and white fluffy clouds to be seen!  It was quite impressive and almost made me feel the air was clean!  We are back to smog now, and the residents of Shanghai can go back to being miserable.

Despite North Korea’s report a couple months back that China is number one on their “Global Happiness Index”, see my post Shanghai Seconds, China has recently let us know that Shanghai is far from the happiest place in China to live.  In fact, there are 96 cities in China that are “happier”.  Even Beijing beat us by a hair coming in as the 95th happiest city to live in within China.  That’s right, China put out a national city survey that ranked the major metropolitan areas and cities in China in terms of their “happiness”.

Apparently, having all the western amenities, a beautiful skyline (while not clothed in smog), the highest standard of living and the highest amount of disposable income in the country does nothing for those of us who call Shanghai home.  What is used to calculate happiness?  According to the authors of the survey: “The criteria for happiness include a sense of belonging, safety and satisfaction of a city’s residents, and how much outsiders appreciate the city…” Link: Shanghai Daily

I don’t see why outsiders wouldn’t appreciate Shanghai, personally I love when waitstaff in restaurant treat me like an unnecessary disturbance and burden, when I get pushed around in the subway, run down on the street by cab drivers, yelled at in Chinese by the lady in the train station who doesn’t really feel like selling me a ticket, cut in front of in any line anywhere, ripped off by vendors…  Oh, China… one thing is for sure, without a sense of humor I would certainly be miserable!

An uncommon site - a couple days before Typhoon Muifa

Bye Brays!

My friends and fellow MIM alumni, Adam and Yumi Bray, left Shanghai a couple days ago after 5 months of living the crazy life in Shanghai.  I just read Yumi’s Goodbye China post on their blog and it was very sweet and very very true!  Just wanted to share it with anyone interested!

http://lifeandloveinchina.blogspot.com/2011/07/after-five-months-of-living-in-china-we.html

Glad you had a safe trip home, Adam & Yumi!  I hope to see you back on this side of the pond soon.

Adam and Yumi!

Shanghai 2nds

Well, you can’t always be number one, but China seems to be pretty good at being number 2.

I mentioned previously, it was announced early this year that China beat out Japan as the second largest economy in the world.

I also posted when they broke ground for Shanghai Disney (links: my blog, Shanghai Disney Resort) which will be the second Disney resort in China (the first being Hong Kong Disneyland).

In the past couple days I have been reminded of a couple other 2nds happening in Shanghai:

The world’s largest IKEA is in Sweden, naturally.  The world’s second largest IKEA – SHANGHAI!  At 49,400 square METERS (almost 532,000 sq. feet), the largest IKEA in Asia and the second largest in the world opened today in Pudong.  Link

Shanghai, as the article mentions is the first city in China to have more than one IKEA.  A third will be opening in 2014, and discussions are underway for a forth.  Apparently, the growing middle class needs furnishing.

Shanghai is home to the 3rd tallest building in the world (the Shanghai World Financial Center seen from my bedroom window below) but why stop there.  It was briefly the 2nd tallest (after the Taipei 101 Tower) until the Dubai Tower (Burj Khalifa) was built in 2010.  But we will let the SWFC slip back to 4th place in order to put ourselves back in second place.

The Shanghai World Financial Center and the Jin Mao tower as seen today from my bedroom.

Under construction for some time now, the Shanghai Tower (or Shanghai Dragon) is starting to make an appearance as its construction has hit the 100 meter mark.  By 2014, when it is completed it will be 632 meters, dwarfing the 492 meter SWFC and the 366 meter Jin Mao Tower it will sit next to.  Of course, there are plans for an even taller building to be completed in Shenzhen, China in 2015.  But we will take number two while it lasts.

You can see some pictures of what the cool tower will look like and the construction so far here: Link

Or you can just check out my view point.  By moving from my bedroom to the kitchen and REALLY utilizing the zoom on my little canon, I come up with this shot of the cranes working on the new tower right between SWFC and Jin Mao.

This might be something big...

Looks like my view is only going to get better… maybe I should stick around awhile.

Second is better than last, which is how our milk is rated.  As the Chinese dairy industries have the lowest standards for milk in the world: Link. Why I drink the stuff is beyond me, but it hasn’t killed me yet.

Second place is also better than being used a second time, as are many of the bottles from imported beers and liquors.  Oh yes, I have long known that you must be wary of the quality of beverages you are served in bars.  So when I saw this little piece of news about thousands of bottles – with foreign labels – being refilled with local cheap beer I wasn’t terribly surprised. Link

Okay, enough of China’s seconds.  What about being first!  Well, according to North Korea’s “Global Happiness Index” China is the happiest place on earth!  The United States, by the way, according to North Korea – is in 203rd place. Link

Ah, yes…. life is grand in Shanghai!

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…

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.

Street Sweepers

I read an interesting article in a (an English) Shanghai magazine the other day about the life of street sweepers in Shanghai.  You will see these women and men out on the streets where ever you go, day or night.  Tidying up Shanghai with their blue uniforms, quite frequently with home-made brooms made out of branches.  Today, these workers are mostly migrant workers, like one of the two workers the article focused on.  She moved to Shanghai to work 12 hour days, at least 5 days a week, for 1000rmb a month (that is about US$150) to send the money home so her kids can go to school.

A typical broom

The other street sweeper the article focused on is from Shanghai.  Those who prove they are from Shanghai can make up to 2000rmb/month.  This particular man has been working as a street sweeper since 1979, when he was given the job by the “iron rice bowl” state run society.  When you throw trash on the ground, or light off fireworks for Chinese New Year, he comes by and sweeps up your mess, just as he has been for over 30 years. He says he enjoys his work and is happy to make his 2000rmb/month.  But things have obviously changed over the years he has been working.  He claimed before there were only 6 people assigned to his district, these days, especially because of the efforts to clean up for the 2010 Expo, he can’t keep track of how many street sweepers there are in any one area.  Also, there are proportionally far less Shanghainese than there used to be.

Working for a living

While one or two thousand rmb sure doesn’t seem like much, especially to an American.  It is actually far more than what many in this city are making.  The poverty line in Shanghai – meaning the wage people must be under in order to get state support – is set at 425rmb ($60) a month.  A person making this amount would not make enough in a year to pay for 1 month’s rent in my apartment. Now, I don’t live in the most posh apartment in the city.  I share a two bedroom apartment with one other person. Moreover, considering there are apartments listed on many expat (expatriate) websites listing apartments for up to 10x the cost of mine per month, I don’t consider my lifestyle at all extravagant.

That brings me to the whole topic of income disparity in China, which I won’t soapbox you on today.  But if you are curious where you stand amongst the world’s population, just take a look at www.globalrichlist.com.