We love going to Trivia Night at the Camel Bar in Pudong every Tuesday Night. To make sure we are up-to-date on local news that might be included in the quiz, we read the Shanghai Daily. Here are some of the fun stories from this past week:
“Smartphones? Better than sex!” Love this poll that showed the difference between China and the US in how Chinese women use social media including: follow boss—China 41% vs. US 8% and find love China 44% vs. US 12%. Stalkers aplenty at work and at home! Yes, of the Chinese women polled, “..almost half of them would rather abstain from sex for a month than give up their mobile devices..” Hmmmm…..
“Mutton eateries thrive in cold weather” Who doesn’t want a hot steaming pot of mutton when it gets cold? Well, no shortage of mutton in China thank goodness because “Mutton is thought to be a healthy food that reinforces yang, or hot energy, which is considered a masculine force in Traditional Chinese Medicine.” Who knew—manly mutton???
Let’s take the monkey’s seat too! Ladies Unite!
“Women call for more places to go” Ladies unite! It seems that women are rebelling and asking for more toliets in China because “long waits are not good for the health.” You think? Also, men are just peeing in the bushes and not even using what toliets they do have here so why don’t we just take over their facilities. Ladies, join with me to express the need for more seats!
This cat that I saw at the paper store looks happy but who really knows??
“Community love flows for cat rescued from pipe.” I laugh at how the news stories are not just about the facts—they inject personal opinion and speculation to keep us amused. This story detailed how “..he’s a happy cat despite all his issues.” How do you measure a cat’s happiness is what I want to know…quite frankly, most of the cats I have met have a serious attitude but I suppose a few might be considered happy. Maybe.
“Down jacket saves drunk woman from drowning.” After a night of drinking, “She was drunk and could not let her problems go…” I’m thinking that down doesn’t float and when it gets wet, it gets heavy like an anchor but okay. Still, I wouldn’t recommend a down jacket as my go-to floatation device.
“Commuters go half naked” Yes, even in China, locals participated in the No Pants Subway Ride recently. As one guy related, “I want to show that (Chinese people) are internationalized now…But people say I’m a psycho..” and cold too!
Always entertaining and educational, I’ll keep reading the local news and hopefully our team, the Gryffindor Geeks, will continue to rack up some serious trivia points!
Off to Beijing and Nanjing tonight for work trip…more stories to come as I head up North for adventures!
Wouldn’t life be better if we started our days dancing like these folks do? Every morning I walk by this grooving group of locals on my way to the subway and admire their grace and smooth moves. Enjoy and have a happy day!
I don’t claim to be an expert on China but I have survived for four months now living in Shanghai so that has to count for something, right? If I can download some useful information to visitors and expats coming here and save a life or two, I will consider this a worthy post. Now, on to life in Shanghai. This is a fascinating country in the throes of constant change. I appreciate the history, culture and people. I hope you will enjoy your trip or relocation here. If you follow my tips, your experience in China may be better and you will have wonderful memories to bring home. Pack that air mask and off you go!
Buses own the road-they drive fast and won’t slow down for pedestrians. Stay out of their way!
TRAFFIC Drawing on wisdom from Patches O’Houlihan “if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball”, my new daily motto has become: If you CAN’T dodge a bus, YOU COULD DIE, Shanghai style.
Cars park on the sidewalk because they can.
Yes, it’s nuts and crazy without any rules. Pedestrians NEVER have the right of way here. Ever. Your driver (hopefully you won’t try to drive yourself) will go on the wrong side of the road when he is impatient with how traffic is moving. And, he will do a U-turn almost anywhere even on crowded narrow streets. I just watched a huge truck do a six point U-turn on a four lane busy road, holding up traffic just because he could. Bus drivers are out to get you–stay far, far away from them. Scooters and bikes (none have headlights) will be a more painful, slower death but if you’re nimble, you can dodge them. I have had many a scooter rider actually touch me as they whizzed by and cut in front of me. Don’t think because you have the “green walk light” that you are safe—this means nothing. NEVER CHANGE DIRECTION. There are scooters and bikes on the sidewalks too and they will mow you down if you suddenly move. Most run pretty quiet so you can’t even hear them coming. I have gotten into the habit of looking everywhere-front, sides and behind before I move in any direction. So far, I’m still alive so my strategy is working! If you do get hit or are in a car accident, here are some words of wisdom—RUN!!! You are on your own if you get hurt so try to find a cab to take you to the nearest hospital and don’t leave home without having directions (in Chinese) to a Western style hospital with you at all times. There really aren’t ambulances so get a taxi. If you are in a car accident, throw money at the taxi driver and RUN!!! As the Laowai, you may be held accountable for any accident and may have to pay for it—yes, you weren’t driving but this is China and they could assume you have money. GET OUT! If you are on the highway/tunnel, you may not be able to run-good luck. If you see someone hit or hurt and help them, you may be held accountable and may have to pay for their injuries even though you didn’t have anything to do with it because they assume if you help, you must feel guilty because you are responsible. This is China! It doesn’t have to make sense….RUN! GETTING AROUND
Riding the ferries takes courage but they are fast.
The subways are crowded and crawling with a million hacking people. However, the subways are cheap, have English signing and can get you around quickly. I use them every day-wear a mask and bring hand sanitizer. You can buy a metro card at the staffed booth—a ride is usually 3-7 RMB ($1 US=6 RMB). Green lights signal that a taxi is available. There are usually no functioning seatbelts so brace yourself and hang on tight. Drivers do not speak any English-I use a mobile app, Hi Shanghai Taxi!, and it has a list of all the restaurants, hotels, etc. with taxi directions in Chinese. Works great! I also learned quickly the Mandarin way to say stop, left/right, etc. and now I can actually speak to the drivers. Taxi’s can be hard to get but try flagging them down on the street or at a hotel—then, give up after awhile and take the subway. Don’t take the ferries—you may live but it will scare you to death as they dodge the coal boats running up and down the Hungpao River. Just not worth it unless you want to be scared shitless especially at night as none of the boats use lights. Really. MONEY/CREDIT CARDS/PHONES You’re going to need to LOTS of money to buy all those fake Prada bags and Mao pillows to take home. We got an international credit card that didn’t charge transaction fees, which can add up quickly. This way, we can go to any ATM and get out local currency (RMB) from our U.S. account. If you are moving here, I would highly recommend such an account. We got a local credit card account too so we could order online from China websites like Taobao and that had “Union Pay” access which lets us use it like a debit card. Banks are everywhere and a safe place to exchange your money for local currency. You will have to communicate while you are here so just go to any newstand on the corner and get a sim card to use while in China. You have to have an unlocked phone (get this done with your phone carrier before you leave your home country), pop out your current sim and put in the new one. Easey peasy! Make sure you know if you have a micro sim or standard size sim card. The vendor should be able to punch out the size you need to accommodate. The SIM card should cost you 100 RMB for limited prepaid service. WeChat is the hot social texting app here in China. WeChat has become our “go to” for group chats and staying in touch in country and back home with our family. POLLUTION
View from my apartment on a “hazy” day-AQI 200+Tale of 2 air filters-white two months ago, black now with air particulate matter. Cough, cough!
Yes, it’s that bad. Our air filters in our super clean, never open a window ever, apartment turned black after 2 months and they should have lasted at least 6 months, at least in a first world country. Bring air masks with you or go to any Watson’s (the Walgreen’s of China) and buy one immediately. You never know when the AQI will soar and you should be prepared. There are mobile apps to confirm that the grey sky you are seeing is toxic-anything over 150 is really bad so get out the mask. Most people smoke in China because, really, why not? Our lungs will look like tar after a short while so you might as well smoke too. My friend who works here from the US gets 15% hazard pay on top of his salary. I would expect we are losing 15% a year of our life expectancy so that’s probably fair. At least I won’t have to worry about saving for my retirement. FOOD SAFETY
Roasting nuts in an open fire on the sidewalk. Cool for photos, not so cool for food safety.
Never, ever drink tap water. Buy the most Western branded bottled water you can find and use it for everything including to brush your teeth or wash off fruit/vegetables. Never, ever eat street food. I walk these streets daily and I can’t even begin to tell you the horror stories of non-existent food prep standards. Every day in the paper you read stories about reusing old oil to cook, subbing out fox for donkey at Wal-Mart, etc. There are Western groceries and restaurants that we frequent where we think it is probably better—City Shop grocery, Fresh Elements, Baker & Spice, even McDonald’s has some standards and Starbucks are everywhere. My boss gave me good advice that you should only eat where it is crowded because the grill will be hot—in an empty place, the grill will be cold so your food won’t be cooked right. Makes sense! You cannot buy OTC meds here-none-so bring Tylenol, Stomach Stuff, etc. or you will be sorry. Watson’s is the Walgreen’s of China but they only carry skin whitener (big here) and lotions/potions and nothing to help stop diarrhea, which you will get. Just hope you don’t throw up in a potted plant at the airport like I did after eating something bad. A moment I will never forget! BATHROOMS Work out those thigh muscles ladies because they still have squats in some public restrooms in buildings even in big cities like Shanghai. Yes, a “squat” is a hole in the floor that you have to use. Try doing it in heels and Spanx-I did but not by choice. When you have to go, you have to go. Always bring toliet paper/tissue and hand sanitizer with you. If you have to go, try to find a high end hotel or mall. Being a foreigner, they won’t question you and their bathrooms are quite nice. The Hotel Andaz even has heated toilet seats in their lobby restroom—I love my Toto Japanese toilet!!! TAKE OFF THOSE SHOES Phlegm flies everywhere in China. I had read about this happening but living here I have experienced dodging gobs of it–you hear it coming (cough, hack, cough) and then you RUN! With all the pollution, I have to say that I understand why it’s going on all over town but perhaps a new habit of hacking into a tissue should begin. You will also see cab drivers peeing by the side of the road everywhere and toddlers being held up to pee in the trashcans. Yep. That’s one good reason why there is a tradition here to take off your shoes as you enter your home because you have other people’s DNA all over your soles from walking the streets. GENERAL SAFETY You don’t need to carry your passport on you ever unless leaving the country or travelling within the country. They will ask for it at a new hotel. I leave my passport in a safe-all the hotels have them in the rooms and I have one now in my apartment. Use the safe for anything you leave in your room like technology, etc. It probably would be fine because theft is rare but it would be a pain in a foreign country so better safe than inconvenienced. I do feel perfectly comfortable walking the streets at night alone albeit having to dodge traffic. There is little street violence or crime. Thom witnessed a pick pocket on the street but only once—just keep your handbag across your body and walk with purpose. Always carry a map with you-most people will not speak English or think to help you if you are lost. We try to always help Laowai’s who look lost but most locals will not, probably because they don’t speak English.
Pack your sense of humor and air mask and join me in China!
Some people might be scared off by all these warnings but it would be a shame not to travel to this wonderfully complex evolving country that is so rich with traditions, (and also superstitions), history, beautiful sights and interesting people. Be forewarned, plan carefully and pack wisely. Yes, you could die but are you really safe anywhere? Life is short! Keep your sense of humor and marvel at all the crazy things you will see if you get out and walk the streets of Shanghai. I look forward to each and every day of my wonderful adventure here. Join me in China!
I got to play tourist late this afternoon with Thom! After yesterday’s soul-crushing and cough inducing pollution AQI 250+, we needed a break and, surprise, we got a beautiful sunny day with AQI under 100, which in Shanghai is good though in the U.S. it would be considered unhealthy. What can I say–our standards have slipped drastically since moving to China. After doing my work duty checking out the competition, we walked down Nanjing Road East to the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. We have been meaning to experience this tourist trap since we moved here and finally we took the gondola through the psychedelic light show. Reminiscent of Pirates of the Caribbean but China-style, we were treated to weird commentary in English and a relatively quick trip under the Haungpu River as we marveled at the colorful lights pulsating on the walls.
While this is truly just for tourists–the ferry across the river for locals runs 2 RMB vs. this trip was 50 RMB, which is a big difference to the average citizen–it was something you should experience if you are visiting the city. Arriving near the Pearl Tower, the iconic highly photographed anchor to downtown Pudong, we walked home under sunny skies enjoying a beautiful Shanghai day!
Hennessy Artistry ConcertShanghai Mercedes Benz Arena
Free VIP Tickets and Free Hennessy cognac cocktails! Hello, date night! Thom and I experienced another side of Shanghai last night attending the Hennessy Artistry concert at Shanghai Mercedes Benz Arena. Walking the red carpet and entering as VIP’s thanks to one of my co-worker’s connections, once again we were spoiled to be standing right by the stage to enjoy artists from around the world. Most were winners of X-Factor like contests and all were wonderful including Rebecca Ferguson from the UK and The Dickpunks from Korea. Yes, that’s really their names and they rocked it out with a Beatles-like feel and look.
Thom enjoying the view by the stage.Hipster famous China rock star hanging with us by the stage. Love the bow tie and plaid jacket!
The hipsters were out and rocking all the latest fashion. I saw lots of sequins, Doc Martens, skinny pants, boots, bow ties, plaid and Thom was rocking his kangol hat. At one point, they interviewed one of the performers next to us at the bar by the stage. Thom, looking so cool, was standing next to her and showing his big smile up on the jumbotron for all to see. He is so spoiled! Then, a band from China complete with silver metallic leggings tucked into their boots and fur accented jackets stood next to me to get their press pictures taken. Since we were one of the few Laowai’s there, I think they liked including us in their press photos. We made a friend from France who was with the event coordinator and Thom enjoyed talking Shanghai expat stories with him. When he found out we moved over here without ever having visited, he remarked how “brave” we were. He was probably really thinking that we are crazy but what an interesting life you can lead when you appreciate every moment of every day as an opportunity to experience new things!
I, of course, worked my way up to the special leather couches up front only to be told politely that this area was reserved seating for the Hennessy executives at the event. No problem! The lovely event coordinator introduced me to her boss, who was rocking thick black framed glasses and a fedora plus a metallic shirt, and we became friends when I won him over with a big smile. You do get much better treatment when you’re nice vs. acting entitled or being demanding. He escorted us to the bar instead to enjoy “the best seats in the house” PLUS immediate access to the various complimentary cognac cocktails being liberally pushed upon us because, after all, the concert was really a big marketing event for Hennessy and extremely well done to seduce all the rich Chinese to buy their liquor. I was happy to sample the offerings and enjoyed the apple and berry concoctions. Cognac and The Dickpunks…just another night in Shanghai!
There was a towering gold horse, of course, with smoke streaming out his huge bedazzled nostrils (what the Hell, might as well add to the hazy polluted skies) as well as Snow White & the Dwarfs, Mary & Joseph, the Easter Bunny and many other sequined and totally unconnected characters all featured at Yu Yuan Gardens in an over-the-top Chinese New Year Celebration for the Year of the Horse. It didn’t make any sense whatsoever but it was quite the show that you just have to experience to believe so I shot some video for you:
Crazy, right? This is THE place to see Chinese New Year decorations in Shanghai, similar to perhaps Rockefeller Center in NYC but much more colorful and crazy. I’m just glad that I’m not here for the Year of the Rat–can’t even imagine an enormous rat taking center stage for all this hoopla! Yu Yuan also has gardens, closed when we visited, plus a huge array of shops that attracts LOTS of tourists as well as locals looking for Chinese New Year decorations.
After my office got all dolled up for the holiday, I just had to dress up our house as well. I got all the essentials–red hanging lanterns with lots of gold accents, a red metallic stuffed pony, red velvet knotted hanging thing with sequined gold pony and fish, etc. When in Rome! I bargained hard but the vendors were tough to negotiate down in price this time. All in all, I got all my tacky colorful decorations for under $40.
I finally found a nice stall with a pleasant young man to carry around my stuff as I picked it all out. Thom, of course, wanted nothing to do with the process and waited outside as I haggled like the stubborn mule I have been accused of being and probably am. Now, Thom gets to hang the shit all over the apartment as we start to stock up on groceries and DVD’s. You see, we have been warned by Fiona that you’ll get a firecracker up your ass if you step outside during Chinese New Year and we trust Fiona. We plan on hunkering down for the first few days of the holiday, that really goes on for about 40 days as everyone travels back to their families to celebrate. Midway during the holiday period, if we survive the toxic fumes from all the fireworks going off to ensure wealth and happiness (but obviously not good health) in the New Year, we are going to go to Vietnam where we will no doubt have more crazy adventures. Stay tuned!
Never having been to China before I moved here four months ago, I couldn’t have imagined the super trendy Shanghainista scene I have found here…from the coolest shoes (including lots of handmade shoe stores) to fur galore to an obsession with lace/plaid hipster outfits, I am loving all the diversity, even if I can’t pull off wearing every trend I see or agree with where it originated.
Let’s start with the touchy subject of fur-yes, it’s real here and no, you can’t tell from
what animal it came from but probably most are outlawed in the U.S. From regular brown tones to the wild and crazy pink, purple and you name it, you can find it because the fur is flying everywhere in Shanghai. Once upon a time, I had a full length fur coat because it was the “thing” to wear in NYC and I spent a whole month’s salary to buy one to look cool. It weighed a ton and smelled nasty when it got wet but I felt like a million bucks wearing it and thankfully never got paint thrown on me by a protestor. I would never wear one now but I can relate to the status of it (very big here in China) and the warmth of it as well. You can even buy fur pelts right on the street—name your price, guess your species. Again, not my cup of tea but it is very common in China to see these street pelt vendors, especially in Beijing.
The scope of fashionable shoes here does surprise me because most people have hefty commutes with lots of walking. Believe me, there is a reason that foot massages are part of every day life here. After you walk a mile in stiletto’s, your tootsies are crying out to be rubbed for an hour or so with hot oil. Looking good here takes precedent over comfort (not for me, of course, but for fashionable people-I keep my heels at the office and wear ugly “pillows of heaven” Uggs for the commute). Besides the high heels, though, Doc Martens are featured everywhere right now in fabulous bright colors and patterns. I’m tempted to buy a pair to make a statement AND still be able to walk miles on the streets of Shanghai, as Thom and I love to do on the weekends. Yes, I’m probably too old to wear them but who cares! I’m imagining some thick soled, neon patterned or polka dot suckers worn with black tights (yes, going to the gym is paramount to this look) and a black skirt with a bright wool jacket…also needing to be purchased. The coats here are adorable but not necessarily warm so I haven’t found the right one yet but I will keep on looking.
Then, there is the whole plaid/lace fashionista thing going on with whole stores devoted to this type of outfit. Let’s face it, you have to be petite and below a size 4 to pull this type of look off and look adorable. Thus, the reason you don’t see these stores in the U.S. where the average size is a 12 not a 4. I find here that I am no longer a size 6/small but have graduated to a size 10/medium if I’m lucky and that’s at a nicer European store like Zara….again, another reason to make you want to go to the gym and stay there for awhile. That being said, I could never pull off the plaid/lace look but I do appreciate all the styling that goes into it with multiple layers, jewelry, boots, tights, hats, etc. It’s not easy to be a fashionista and when I see a great outfit styling, I appreciate all the work that went into completing the image. Who knows—maybe I’ll have to crank up my shopping and styling to keep up with the Shanghainistas but I draw the line at pink fur!
Walking by the hanging meat, fish and “who the hell knows what it is” on the sidewalk, Thom and I wondered why there seemed to be an increase in the endless bonanza of carcasses on parade.
CHINESE NEW YEAR-duh! Coming up in a few weeks starting on 1/30, the entire country goes on holiday for at least a week and preparations have begun for some serious partying. Let the fireworks begin!
We saw some displays of fireworks in Shanghai on New Year’s Eve but besides the large display by the Pearl Tower, not really as major as I would have expected. The reason I found out from Fiona, my language teacher, is that they save up their firepower all year to let loose during Chinese New Year because if they shoot off fireworks at their home, it will draw good luck to them for the new year—I hear that more is better. Also, on the last day of the holiday, I’ve been told that all the firework vendors let loose with their remaining stock and the streets are on fire all day/night with indiscriminate and very dangerous displays. Locals have cautioned us to stock up on food/water in the apartment and stay inside and off the streets, lest we get a rocket in the ass. Crazy times ahead in Shanghai!
Chinese New Year is the one major holiday that lasts long enough for citizens to return to their home villages and visit relatives. Virtually everyone has the holidays off from work and, if you do have to work, usually there is added pay to make it worth your while. Thus, the buses and trains are mob scenes pretty much for days on end and to be avoided at all costs if at all possible. We couldn’t even get a ticket out of town on Vietnam Airlines until mid-holiday. More to come on our upcoming Hanoi/Ha Long Bay adventure!
So all these people going home want to bring gifts, of course. This is the major gift giving holiday, not Christmas. I see lots more people actually shopping vs. the usual browsing and food gifts, especially chocolate, seem to be very popular. Now, I can get behind some Godiva going home to Momma but eel??? We walked down this street by my office and while some of the fish and meat products hanging everywhere resembled something familiar, the really large fish carcass was unknown to me…turns out it is eel. Those are big ass 4-5 feet eels! I definitely do NOT want to be near any bodies of water where these suckers are swimming. Fiona told Thom that people pick out the best eel weeks ahead of the holiday and the shop filets it and hangs it out to dry (in the lovely smog so it has that “smoked” taste) and then it goes home on the train…imagine what the public transportation smells like with millions of people with their eels and chickens and pigs, oh my!
Big. Ass. eel.Sidewalk alive with carcasses!No need to “smoke” it–the smog takes care of that!
Oranges are also very popular in China as Chinese New Year gifts (and smell much better than eel!) I hear that “orange” sounds like “lucky” in Chinese so gifting oranges, which are sold on every corner, are given especially this time of year.
Our local vendor where we buy our definitely non-organic fruit.
Many more stories and pictures to come as we experience Chinese New Year for the first time in Shanghai and take off to Vietnam to explore!
Driving back from the airport with our son James in tow, our driver, Billy, was silent most of the way. I knew he had worked a 16 hour day working primarily for my boss who was nice enough to loan him to us to get James. Billy is a college graduate and speaks English so he is in demand. I especially appreciate that Billy doesn’t seem to drive like he has a death wish like most Shanghai drivers do.
As we chatted with James about China and our adventures here, Billy just listened. After talking about our daughter Hannah’s upcoming graduation ceremonies, he finally spoke up with an observation, “U.S. children are much happier than Chinese children.” was all he said. I asked why he thought that to be true. Replying softly he said, “Because you are allowed to have brothers and sisters.” He went on to explain that he was an only child due to China policy and that made for a lonely life.
Quiet settled over the car as we took in what Billy had said. Will this comment help James appreciate that he has a sibling? Maybe not now but hopefully he has now experienced another culture’s sad reality and he sees how lucky he really is to have Hannah in his life. I know change in this policy is starting to happen, hopefully soon enough for Billy to have several children to keep him company in the years to come. Everyone deserves to have the family they want, no matter what. At least, that’s my opinion.
I couldn’t find room on the Line 8 train tonight to squeeze on and, believe me, I tried. So, I waited three minutes for the next one and muscled me way into a car so crowded that I didn’t need to hold on to a pole because I was wedged in nice and cozy—I could have fainted and would still be standing. My subway commute in Shanghai consists of three trains plus a healthy walk to get to/from work. While taxi’s are cheap, they are not plentiful during the peak commuting hours so I am getting used to taking the subway along with the 24+ million people who live here.
Scooters waiting to get off the ferry.
What’s it like to live with that many people? Well, you quickly get used to people in your private space. While you must be very nimble to dodge traffic, usually you are safe enough if you cross with lots of other people (safety in numbers and all) but tonight, in a crosswalk with others, a lady on a scooter came up from behind me so close that she touched my arm and then cut directly in front of me. Close call but I suppose I should be grateful that she allowed me a warning before trying to run me down. Thanks, scooter lady! Have a nice evening!
Need some pants hemmed–tailor on the sidewalk can help!Sidewalk street barber.
As I have said many times, the Chinese live their lives on the sidewalks, whether it’s socializing, sewing, eating, spitting or smoking. You also get used to people taking care of their business in public with trash cans being used by men and also by toddlers being held up by their moms, all aiming for the opening but probably missing quite frequently. Taxi drivers especially seem to have the need to relieve themselves in public between customers on busy streets and highways. I’ve gotten so used to seeing these type of activities that I just avert my eyes now and power walk to get past as they do their thing in full view of all who pass by. I suppose it’s just a case of too many people, not enough bathrooms. That being said, you also get used to taking your shoes off before you enter your home at the end of a long commute because you have literally stepped in some serious shit that should not be tracked inside.
I’m not judging, just observing and learning. When in China, you learn to have patience, be nimble like a cat (which you rarely see because they are running for their lives) and appreciate the hard working people who live here trying to make a better life for their child, pinning their hope for the future on their only offspring. I am experiencing China while being one of the few of the 24+ million here to have heat, a soft bed, a bathroom and enough food to eat. Believe me, I realize I am one of the lucky ones.
Travels with Melinda 