Becoming a Chinaman

Shanghai Roundup

2009-01-16T12:56:00.005+08:00

Whoa, it has been a long time since my last update! However, that's not to say I've forgotten about this blog. So much has already happened in 2009 that it has been hard to update.

My domain name is currently a misnomer, as I am now in Hong Kong. I'll be here for a month or so, just visiting some relatives and enjoying the decadence of living in a "westernized" society. And then... I'm not sure how things will pan out. Lets just say that my current job situation is "complicated."

For those in the know, "Helga" came to visit me for a few days in Shanghai, before both of us left for HK. She's with her relatives now, and I'm with mine. However, I think the places we visited during the roughly 5 days we had together in Shanghai cover all the essential sights and our itinerary provides a good guideline for future visitors who are shopping-oriented:

01/08 - Bullet train from airport to Shanghai
01/09 - Nanpu Bridge Tailor Market, West Nanjiing Road (including fake market), People's Square, Teppanyaki
01/10 - Yu Garden, East Nanjing Road, the Bund, Rubble Street Cafe
01/11 - Tailor Market (again), SCF, Dong Bei Ren (restaurant serving cuisine from Northern China)
01/12 - Science & Technology (market in the subway area), Jinmao Tower, Pearl Tower (Shanghai History Museum in the basement), Tailor Market (last time!)

Take care everybody.

Merry _ _ _ _ _ _ mas

2008-12-20T23:07:00.014+08:00

And so, it came to pass.

Every year, the citizens of Mankindsville would prepare earlier and earlier to celebrate that wonderful day in December. Storekeepers were exhausted after months of preparing for the most consumer-frenzied occasion. Restaurants had placed their orders for ingredients weeks in advance, for fear their otherwise reliable suppliers would run out during the busiest time of the year. City council once again voted unanimously to increase the budget for multicolored LED lights to adorn the city for this most festive occasion. Children could hardly sit still in anticipation of all the great presents they'd receive, after hinting for the entire year to their parents. And the parents could hardly wait for all of it to be over, with all the early morning queues and traffic jams.

December 25th. The older people knew what that day was all about. Or, at least they faintly recalled. Something concerning little towns and sheep. Anyway, it was an old Semitic tradition about shepherds that was no longer very relevant, save for a few conservative people that would chime in once in awhile to ruin everyone's mood. In time, their "self-righteous" indignation and brisk social commentary about the "true meaning" of _ _ _ _ _ _ mas was ignored. People didn't need to be told why they were celebrating. All they knew was that their fathers, and father's fathers had long taken advantage of this joyous season to eat, drink and be merry. And the occasion was more inclusive now than it had ever been before.

The children stared up in amazement at the giant, green, plastic cones adorned by neon lights and crowned with gold stars. They were all over the city during this time of the year. Known affectionately as the gift centers, these giant cones were the distribution hubs which allowed the jolly old man to drop presents with precision. Teenagers though, knew better. Santa was just a myth. But they still appreciated the days off from school, and had many colloquialisms for _ _ _ _ _ _ mas. Xmas. Red Hatter Day. Gift Fight. And the girls giggled as they hushed, "Love Day." The most wonderful time of the year.

-------------------------

In China, December 25th isn't really a big deal. Most people still work on this day. The lights and artificial trees are everywhere, and there are sales on already cheap goods. Certainly, the day is not as much of a fixture as it is in the West. People still give gifts and families still eat together, but the atmosphere is markedly subdued and the reason for celebrating, obscure. It seems like an eerie preview of what the secularization process stands to achieve, of what putting the "X" in "Xmas" leads to.

In fact, in some instances the past few days I forgot that it's almost here. Back home, I would have already taken a week of vacation to celebrate this time with friends and family. I would procrastinate and gently agonize about what to write on my cards before delivering them to friends in the nick of time. Of course, there was also the shopping: that mad scramble to locate gifts, the symbols of thoughtfulness, generosity, love and friendship. Although the malls were unbearable, the satisfaction of finding the right gift was still great (of course if I had planned earlier I would have bought them online). There were also the potlucks, the failed Secret Santas and random house parties.

More importantly, it was a time to remember the less fortunate, to contribute to food banks and "adopt a family" for the occasion. Some of my most special memories came from getting these families exactly what they wanted, and hopefully more for the 25th. I remember one year, meeting a family in the outskirts of Richmond and seeing an immigrant family's toddler play with the new fire truck we bought him. It was a season where hopes and dreams were fulfilled and unhappiness was staved off, if only for a short while.

Most importantly, it was and is, the season of Advent, and counting down the days to His birth. The humble beginnings of the life that would become the model for my own, which I will continue in my attempts to emulate, rather imperfectly.

The setting has changed for me this year. I don't feel the warm fuzziness I've associated with it in the past. No botched Secret Santas here. But it doesn't mean that the meaning's lost and I've stopped celebrating. Maybe I see it more clearly this year than ever before. I hope all of you will truly savor what this special day means to you as well. And hopefully, we'll never forget why we celebrate it.

Merry Christmas everybody!

Better City, Better Life?

2008-12-13T22:33:00.021+08:00

A little while ago I visited the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, which is currently showcasing the "Path to the World Expo." In line with the city's Expo 2010 motto: "Better City, Better Life", the exhibit showcased all the infrastructure the city is set to complete by 2010. There's no doubt that in a little over a year, this city will look better, glittering even more brightly than it does now. Whether or not this investment will make a material difference to the everyday lives of Shanghai's citizens remains to be seen. After all, every city in the world has at some point hoped that new infrastructure would be the panacea to solving their societal problems. Another city that's preparing for a big 2010 event comes to mind.

In brief, the Exhibit featured six floors of 3D models featuring the new initiatives, Expo buildings, transportation projects and an overview of the city as a whole. Aside from riding a helicopter, visiting this exhibit was the best way to get an isometric view of the city. I managed to spend three hours there.

A post on this topic is pointless without pictures, so here's the running commentary:

The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition building, with its distinctive flat roof cannot be missed from People's Square (note the fake Starbucks in the foreground). An "adult ticket" costs 30 RMB, and upon entering there is a model of the Bund.

The second floor displayed a timeline of the city's development, beginning from the Ming Dynasty. Unfortunately, most of the exhibits weren't very photo-worthy. One caught my eye though.

The third floor was dedicated to Expo-related construction projects. I was particularly intrigued by "Welfairytales" - the Danish Pavilion (http://www.ebst.dk/expoinfo.dk). Apparently it is representative of an integrated healthy community concept, which is a bike course combined with public meeting areas and an ice rink. But really, it just looked cool. Luxembourg also had a pavilion designed... but it was a random-looking mound of brown.

This floor also featured a stretch of the Whampoa River, complete with all the requisite landmarks:

The next four buildings are being constructed explicitly for the Expo. Each of the facilities will be ultramodern and emphasize sustainable, state-of-the-art designs. They include the Performance Center, Theme Pavilion (which will be solar powered), Expo Center and the China Pavilion. All four of these buildings will be situated by the Whampoa River, along with an entire stretch of the riverbank reserved for the Expo itself.

Speaking of the Expo, many of the existing buildings will have their roofs repainted with the flags of participating nations.

The fourth floor was amazing. It featured a 3D overview of the entire city, and spanned the entire floor. It was truly the largest city model I've ever seen, and must have taken many months to build, paint and transport (not to mention millions of dollars in materials and workmanship).

This was also the first time I saw the "park" of Zhongshan Park, which is where my shuttle bus stops every time I arrive in Downtown Shanghai. My stop is at the mall that is joined with the blue skyscraper, which is a hotel.

The fifth floor featured transportation. Since the city is trying to establish itself as the centre of commerce for all of Mainland China, it is also expanding its logistical capabilities to facilitate international trade. The Pudong airport continues to undergo expansion, while the city is also expanding the Yangshan Deepwater Port so it can accommodate more heavy freighters. The Donghai Bridge, which spans 32.5km, will connect the port with the processing hub. One cool feature about this exhibit was that it simulated a sped-up 24 hour day. What wasn't cool was the lame boat simulator that accompanied the exhibit, which was loudly blaring Whitney Houston.

And here are a few cross sections of the Shanghai subway system (although there should be twenty times the number of people):

Finally, these pictures are what artists envision Shanghai will look like in the near future:

The last picture succinctly captures the gist of the entire exhibit, and perhaps even summarizes the main goal of the Shanghai's development strategy. Shanghai wants to rub shoulders with the world's greatest cities (barring Canberra?), and be considered one of the trend-setters, a city people instantly think of when deciding where to vacation or host a fashion show.

The counterpoint I offer is this. Is New York a leading city because of the Chrysler Building? Or Paris a leader in haute couture because of the Louvre? Or London the world's greatest producer of contemporary art because of the Tube? Or is there something more? Perhaps, it is the people and the culture they breathe, the summation of their daily interactions, that make a city great.

And if this is truly the case, the other city that is scurrying to meet its 2010 deadlines should not worry so much about its buildings, but what message the new projects send to society about the city's priorities.

Dialogue

- Fong, I'm really glad I only have to deal with public transportation on the weekends.
- niCk, They introduced it to me.

Crowd Dynamics

2008-12-08T22:41:00.006+08:00

I caught myself the other day subconsciously playing the role of a NFL linebacker. I was an equal opportunity hitter. Women, children or elderly. Tall, short, chubby or skinny. Lao wai or local, it didn’t matter; I just wanted to get out at my stop.

In short, I have already become what I despised back home on the public transportation network: a self-centred survivalist.

I wasn’t always this way. Back home, I always tried to be courteous whenever I had to contend with the 1800 rush after work from downtown. Sometimes it felt a bit cramped, and people got testy… but I never betrayed my manners. Then, from time to time I’d notice Asian grannies elbowing me in the back or jumping in front of me to get a seat. It was irritating, but acceptable.

During my stay in Shanghai, I’ve been introduced to a new definition of the transportation blues. In the late afternoon and early evening in People’s Square, human logic fails to prevail. First come, first serve does not apply. Standing right by the door does not work. One must position themselves right in between all the people exiting and all the people entering, like a UN peacekeeper, albeit less noble. Then, only after a frustrating struggle, akin to salt sifting through sand, do people vacating the train somehow manage to get off… after people entering the train get on. It takes longer than the “civilized” way, but people do it anyway, because they think the others will cheat and not wait for fellow riders to get off. Defect-defect - tragedy of the commons! Old grandmas will push you into the train if they deem you to be too slow. One time, I half bodysurfed into the train because I lost my footing and was blown in like a limp helium balloon.

My friend down in Guangzhou told me a story about how one time he offered an old lady a seat on the subway. She then rushed to the seat, pushing him aside in the process. No word of thanks or acknowledgment. Distilled it back to the core basics of survival. A totally different set of rules.

I've also had several similar experiences since I got here. It's a good reminder that while principles are important, being too high-minded can spell disappointment. Respecting and adapting to a different culture can include adhering to some of the uglier stuff. I wasn't thrilled about it at first, but now it's second nature.

I’ll admit that sometimes, I even enjoy the challenge. The anticipatory moments after arriving into the station, just after the announcement. Standing in front of the door before it opens while staring into the eyes of my opponents before the main event. Planting my rear foot down and tilting my body forward ever so slightly. And then the rush as the door opens and all of a sudden an excuse to unleash all of my aggression, plowing and crushing through the faceless mob that lies between me and my destination of no particular significance.

It’s perverse. It’s China. And I came to play!

Dialogue

- Fong, ignorance is truly bliss.
- Snerk, I think food brings out my best writing. No Pho in this area code =(
- Free, I'll get back to you on that... once my Chinese improves.
- Char, I think they were gambling games... (I didn't mention it before because I didn't want the beloved establishment to be closed down for "corrupting the diners of China"). The brown dish in my pic was beef, the other one was just prawn heads I cooked for no reason.

Rubble Street Café Intimidates, Surprises

2008-11-30T23:38:00.012+08:00

By Mr. Sparkle

Nov. 30 (Bloomberg) -- The Rubble Street Café exists to verify the old adage: never judge a book by its cover.

Tucked away on a quiet street in Anting Old Town, the Chinese restaurant, coveted title holder of two Michelin stars certainly doesn’t look worthy of the attention it receives. Nestled in the ruins of an adjacent establishment, the stove fire of the Café shines brightly in the night, like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Upon initial inspection, conditions seem grim. Broken patio furniture adorns the interior. Walls are cracked. The recent paint job isn’t fooling anybody either (previous shade was concrete gray). In fact, up until last week the restaurant didn’t even have a door installed in the entrance.

A German diner remarked: “On my first visit to this location, I thought Bush had extended his war on terror to East Asia. Instead of Baghdad, I was thinking bombs over Anting.” Another European patron agreed: “Part of the thrill of dining here is you never know whether this restaurant will be demolished mid-meal. It really puts things into perspective and helps you to savor each dish like it’s your last.”

Particularly avant-garde in its approach, the restaurant has adopted an open kitchen concept, allowing visitors to see the chefs exhibit their culinary skills in their full glory. It also allows customers who can’t order in Chinese to walk into the kitchen and select ingredients for their dishes by hand.

Holding tightly onto the reigns of this culinary juggernaut is the Wong family, who through their indefatigable work ethic built this restaurant up from nothing to the palatial destination it is today. Ever accommodating, they eschew the idea of printed menus and prefer their customers to order from their imagination or memory, as long as they do so in Mandarin. Despite this haphazard attention to protocol, this restaurant rarely disappoints.

Without a question, the Kung Pao Chicken is the restaurant’s signature dish. The fiery breath of the wok is deeply infused into this spicy and fragrant item. Next, the Bell Peppers with Beef provides a satisfying, albeit salty, crunch. A bowl of Firepot Beef then challenges the most aggressive flame-eater and houses a pleasant surprise: rice noodles. Moving on, slender Potato Slices do a good job of soothing the palate and go well with Tsingtao Beer. Finally, the Egg Fried Rice and Chow Mein offer a tranquil haven for the senses after the torrent of flavors. The knowing smiles of the servers seem to reflect the calm confidence they have in their dishes.

Don’t let the warm aura of the Café fool you though. This place is ruthless. The restaurant severely under prices its local competition, offering better fare and more of it per order. Competitors, especially those with modern interiors and normal furniture are feeling the squeeze as word of the Café travels. “When I first saw the place, I thought ‘no way’,” a nearby restaurateur griped. My visits confirmed this; splitting five dishes with several dining companions usually amounts to 20 RMB per head. Adding to the consternation, the restaurant has also adopted the unorthodox business practice of allowing its patrons to get their drinks from the convenience store across the street.

The Café has the loyalties of local celebrities and is bustling by 7pm nightly. In fact, on my second visit I caught sight of the culinary upstart from Anting New Town, JL, buying dinner. “No comments,” he growled, as he speedily vacated the premises with his take-out.

Always pushing the limits of epicurean convention, the restaurant has grand plans. “We are thinking of installing a heated patio for the winter, so our VIPs can sit closer to the ruins,” Mrs. Wong exclaimed.

When the food’s this good, customers don’t mind a bit of broken glass under the table.

Rating: ***

The Bloomberg Questions

Cost? Generous orders amount to 20 RMB per person.
Sound level? Depends on the wind.
Date place? If you’re thinking of breaking it off.
Inside tip? Any dish can be made spicy.
Special feature? The surrounding wreckage of course.
Private room? Potentially.
Will I be back? Yes.

Standing Building, Rubble Street, Anting Old Town, Shanghai, PRC.

What the Stars Mean:
**** Incomparable food, service, ambience.
*** First-class of its kind.
** Good, reliable.
* Fair
None Poor.

(Mr. Sparkle doesn’t actually write for Bloomberg News. Opinions expressed are his own.)

Dialogue

- Free, my favourite is the Kung Pao Chicken!
- Cat, my roommates usually eat different things: one eats dumplings with ketchup every night and the other eats cereal usually. But I did cook a meal for two on Friday:

- Char, this place didn't lose its identity as it went upscale. Tsingtao Beer is still the only option.
- Tim, I need a Posh to open here.
- Fong, the French Laundry has nothing on the Rubble Street Café.

Michelin Recognizes Canadian Eatery

2008-11-25T22:41:00.012+08:00

By Mr. Sparkle

Nov. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Michelin & Cie. awarded its prestigious symbol of distinction to a restaurant in the outskirts of Shanghai in the latest editions of its dining and hotel guides.

In an unprecedented move, the renowned publication awarded half a star on its first and last visit to the Fifth Floor Recluse, a recently established restaurant occupying the kitchen of the exclusive Block 13 penthouse in Anting New Town, Shanghai.

JL runs the show as host, owner, server and chef. Known for his chilly demeanor, he was guarded on the phone when I called to reserve a table. “We don’t do reservations, you wait like everyone else. Who? Bloomberg? Well, let me check… wait are you wearing a wire?”

So it is dining at the Recluse. On any given night, the restaurant is so exclusive that it only admits one customer, JL himself. The fare certainly reflects his distinct tastes. “I don’t do appetizers, they only make the customer hungrier, and I don’t need that,” he explained. On to the main course.

Extremely sophisticated in his approach, JL has framed his dishes around the availability of ingredients in Shanghai’s markets. This includes selecting vegetables that have been tightly packaged, to enhance grocery mobility and also avoid unwittingly smuggling the cockroaches that roam around store aisles. He then pan fries or boils his ingredients using a gas stove, as it is the fastest way.

He creates gastronomic masterpieces using the freshness of his ingredients as a crutch. Common features of his dishes are cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, peas and chilies. Sometimes he will also throw in peanuts to remind others he is not allergic.

The sirloin fedelini del carne was infallible, although the one thing that required skill, the beef, was overcooked. The ‘chicken on fire’ was indeed spicy and thanks to honey, possessed a hint of sweetness. However, it was also watery. As a salute to his European comrades, the potatoes and dumplings oozed with limp enthusiasm. However, the roasted duck with refried noodle was surprisingly scrumptious.

JL’s signature dish, however, appears on his most desperate nights. Grilled pain au fromage avec chips reaches into the inner depths of the soul with its refreshing familiarity and complex textures.

Mrs. Wong, the owner of the aptly named Rubble Street Café in Anting Old Town, a winner of two Michelin stars stated, “Who does this guy think he is? He just came out of nowhere two months ago. Since then, my business has been unaffected. Last week, to maintain things as usual, I even had to install a door in the doorway. Now the servers have absolutely no idea: push or pull? This town’s become a madhouse.”

The enigmatic and precocious restauranteur trained under three of Canada’s greats, Iven, Teena and Bessee. Known for their ruthlessly efficient and equally delicious cuisine, JL’s technique was honed over years of grueling instruction. He remarks, “I just kind of sat there and watched while they did everything. It was like learning through osmosis, except I also played Gameboy at the same time. Sometimes, after particularly intense sessions, I would get calluses on both thumbs.”

Usually chefs keep their culinary secrets guarded tightly, only revealing them upon death or signing multimillion dollar book deals. When asked whether the spartan taste of his meals was influenced by any particular chefs, his face darkened. “Jamie Oliver? He’s a hack,” JL fumed. “I’ll tell you my secret,” he continued, “Don’t buy so many ingredients. By limiting the number of ingredients in your meals, you ensure consistency.” However, he admitted this Machiavellian all-or-nothing approach had its drawbacks. “Sometimes, my customer leaves very hungry. After he threatened to never come back, I imported a box of cereal from downtown. It’s the best Kokokrunch in town.”

And therein lies the secret of his success. When a chef creates such low expectations, restaurant critics can’t help but be impressed when the food turns out to be edible. Even the world’s most seasoned professionals can succumb to a myopic view after eating here.

“Hey man, I gotta survive,” JL asserts as he finishes washing plates for the night.

Indeed.

Michelin, the world's biggest tiremaker, is based in Clermont-Ferrand, France, and has been publishing dining guides for more than a century. Three stars denote ``Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey;'' two stars, ``Excellent cooking, worth a detour;'' one star, ``Very good cooking in its category.''

Rating: *

The Bloomberg Questions

Cost? Nothing over 20 RMB.
Sound level? Pin drop quiet.
Date place? Only if your date likes JL.
Inside tip? Best food is on Mondays when he has the most ingredients.
Special feature? Ask for the Minute Maid.
Private room? No.
Will I be back? No.

Fifth Floor Recluse is on the fifth floor, apartment block 13, Anting New Town, Shanghai, PRC.

What the Stars Mean:
**** Incomparable food, service, ambience.
*** First-class of its kind.
** Good, reliable.
* Fair
None Poor.

Dialogue

- Free, as much as I would love to live among symbols of Fascist oppression, I believe the statues are of the Brothers Grimm, as a tribute to the town of Gottingen.
- BunkleLife, I think at my roommates' old place. It smells too funky in there.
- Nick, at least Silent Hill was in English.
- Tim, now I know why Richmond drivers have that reputation.
- Char, I will ride on the Pikachu once before I leave town.
- Em, that store wasn't the 24 hours one. This one never bothered to post up its hours.

Anting: The Haunting Continues

2008-11-18T00:06:00.010+08:00

Some of you have requested a few more pictures of what the town looks like. I am happy to oblige (although there really isn't anyone to see). First two pictures show my crib by the way (top floor starting right of the small window, until the green sections ends).

Building occupancy is, shall I say... subprime. I'll post something more substantial in a few days.

If a tree falls in Anting New Town, and nobody hears it; did it fall?

Okay I'll stop.

Museum of Contemporary Art

2008-11-10T21:18:00.007+08:00

On Saturday, I dragged my butt out of bed to go to the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art, located in People’s Square Park.

Before that could happen though, I had to get out of town. I got on the bus at 1315, 15 minutes early and managed to snag a seat. For some reason, the bus company decided to send the small 33 seat bus during one of the peak periods of the day. Coupled with Ghost Town’s steadily increasing population, it was a recipe for disaster. The people that came at 1320 were not so lucky and the whole centre aisle was full of people standing. Tensions between the expats and local people flared when one of the Germans from my company insensitively stood up and yelled “Hey Chinese people, get off the bus! I have an appointment!” A Chinese woman who could understand English took offence. At that moment I felt caught in the middle. Sure, all the people standing in the aisle were Chinese people, but I also felt a tinge of racism in that remark. It was a reminder that I was a part of both communities, yet belonging to neither. I think the locals have an impression that expats think they’re better than everyone else, and to an extent that observation is justified. I can only hope I don’t become a self-hating racist!

Finally, at 1350 the standees grudgingly got off and we departed.

MoCA

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) is located in People’s Square Park, which reminds of Central Park in New York City, albeit, a fraction of the size. Although there were a lot of people there, it was very calm, and there were many old men playing chess. And lots of couples making out. I have to say that the locals engage in quite a lot of PDA. On the subway a girl was taking care of her boyfriend’s acne. I wonder if that counts as PDA...

The Museum of Contemporary Art is a futuristic and impractical building, a perfect venue for the artwork it contains. This year’s exhibit was titled MoCA Envisage II: Butterfly Dream. I had my hesitations about spending the afternoon there, but it turned out to be a very dynamic exhibit. One of the major themes was the relationship between old China and new China, the presentation of China’s identity as being neither singular nor stagnant. I’m not really a haute follower of the arts, although I did periodically visit the Art Gallery when I was home (the KRAZY collection on comics was really cool). I was really impressed with the overall exhibit at MoCA. There was a diverse variety of methods and media on display, from paintings to sculpture and digital pieces. Most pieces were created by Chinese artists, although some international artists were also featured. Many works highlighted Shanghai’s sense of newfound sensuality. Several even had Disney accents, can you spot them?

A few pieces I liked in particular include:

This "woman" is fashioned with braids of paper. Apparently the designer has previously worn this as a dress to a fashion show. Is that Prada or Gucci?

These lightbulbs were fashioned out of solid blocks of jade.

This piece is called The Real Toy Story, by Michael Wolf. It is a homage to the factory workers that manufacture some of the world's most beloved icons.

This sculpture is called The Desire of a Mosquito, by Zhuang Kaikai. There's a stereo next to it that just plays a continuous recording of the mosquito's buzzing sound. Really annoying. I'd like to think that it drove the guard sitting close to it crazy.

At the top of the museum, there's a restaurant with a patio, which offers some nice views. It may be a tourist trap, but even artists have to eat.

Dawn will Come

2008-11-03T21:56:00.011+08:00

Woman gets on a full bus and refuses to get off even though it's full and she's the last one on. She's not going to Shanghai "to play" she said. Teenage boy offers her his seat, and he would just sit on somebody's arm rest. Driver won't stand for it and kicks the teenager off, with the woman looking on. Sure taught that kid...

Father and daughter get on the subway to beg for money. The father is blind while the girl's hands are deformed. Victims of a fire. Looks of disgust and pity.

Old lady by the exit of the subway station asks a young guy for his finished pop bottle. She could use it she says. He obliges by throwing it at her.

Mother and daughter beg on the side of the street outside the Omega store, faces dirty. Child can't be older than five. They look like they're starving.

And yet, the signs are everywhere.

"...You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are

...Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here." - Chris Tomlin

Dialogue

- Cat, he's not "my driver" per se, just an illegal taxi driver I befriended. He can speak basic English, but charges a premium for his services.
- Free, those times are long behind me. Haven't had one since!
- Tim, it was fun, but it was mainly the atmosphere of being there. It's still one of those sports best watched on TV.
- Em, my cousin doesn't qualify for GP2 yet; he has to finish on the podium for the F3 season first, no easy feat.
- Euge, life is sure hard... and I'll be working in more ST references in the future.

GP2 Series / Formula 1

2008-10-26T22:19:00.020+08:00

In case you were wondering, I didn't die of melamine (which is also in eggs now). Just felt a bit tired lately. So, after two weeks of not updating, I'm back with a recap of my visit to the Shanghai International Circuit. I'll be updating more regularly from this point forward.

My cousin and my uncle flew in from Hong Kong to attend the race weekend, which took place from Friday to Sunday. As my cousin is racing on a professional level in Germany right now, they viewed it as an important opportunity to develop his career, and also provided me with an inside glimpse into the world of racing.

10/17

On Friday evening, I met up with them at their hotel in Jiading, which is a city about 30 minutes away from Anting by taxi. My uncle treated us to a Japanese dinner at the hotel, which was my first such experience here. Unfortunately, it wasn't very good, but the company was great. I suspect the best Japanese restaurants are in the trendy areas downtown. Although, authentic Japanese food/people aren't generally very popular here, due to historical considerations (the other day a local coworker told me she hated Japan during a meeting). Afterward, my cousin and I walked around Jiading, which is much bigger than Anting. Our jaws dropped when we found a Dairy Queen there, and each of us ordered a vanilla milkshake (even though my cousin was on a diet). I agreed to meet him at his hotel the next day to attend the GP2 Series on Saturday.

10/18 - GP2 Series

On Saturday, we got to the Shanghai International Circuit at around 1030. My cousin's manager scored from crew passes for us due to some connections he had, and brought us to the prep area for the GP2 race.

GP2 is the feeder series for F1, so while the recognition is lacking, the stakes are serious. A relatively young series, GP2 has helped to formalize the process by which drivers enter F1 (although some talented drivers jump straight from F3 to F1). Basically, if you win GP2, you'll get to drive for a F1 team (and land multi-million dollar contracts in the process). Of course, racing just for the money is a losing proposition; it costs millions just to get started, and requires talent to keep going.

To quote Sun Tzu from the Art of War, "every battle is won before it is ever fought." That is especially true of racing. After gaining admission to the race prep area, I saw about twenty teams prepping the cars in their tents. Hearing all of them run drills, fire up engines, discuss strategies and move enormous amounts of equipment was an astounding sight. The logistics of getting the equipment there is a feat in itself, as most teams require two to three cargo containers to transport all their equipment.

The Porsche Carrera Cup races were also taking place during that time, so my cousin and I went to the Porsche lounge to watch it unfold. The Porsche Carrera Cup is organized by Porsche as a supporting race for the F1 series, where Porsche GT3's, all of the same make, compete for prize money. This series is new, as it is organized for "gentleman" racers, or basically rich guys who want to feel like professional racers. The race was unspectacular, but my cousin and I enjoyed the hospitality of the reception tent.

At around 1600, we left the race circuit and went downtown to have some dinner and meet up with my cousin's pals at Bar Rouge, which is a lounge on the top floor of a building on the Bund. There was an outdoor rooftop courtyard, which provided for spectacular views. However, we stood the whole time because some tables were reserved for people planning to spend 15000-20000 RMB for the night.

10/19 - Formula 1

On Sunday, around 1030 we met up and went to the race track again- this time for the main event. By the time we got there, the paddock was bustling with activity, and we saw many Team Ferrari fans. The atmosphere was electric.

Lots of Europeans turned out for the event. Perhaps all of the expats in Shanghai were there. My cousin and I were seated in the first row of section K. You'd think being in first row for the race would be awesome, but the barricade in front of us partially blocked our view. As well, all the other people in the first row decided to stand for some reason, so we ended up standing for most of the race as well. Finally, from our vantage point we could only see mainly one tight hairpin, so our exposure to the cars were limited. My cousin told me the best place to watch the race on this track was actually section A, 7th row and above, because you could almost see the entire track.

The race started and Hamilton took the lead, followed by Raikkonen and Massa. Alonso followed in 5th or 6th, which was pretty impressive considering his Renault car was no match for the McLarens and Ferraris which dominated the race. The order stayed pretty much the same for the rest of the 300 kilometre race.

It was pretty exciting, for the first 5 laps or so. But we were both tired from our night out before, and we both took turns napping to the awesome roar of the F1 engines.

Afterward, we found a taxi after some trouble. Some taxi drivers had the nerve to demand 800 RMB to drive us to the airport. We told them for that price, they could drive us to Beijing. Luckily, I have "a driver" now and called him up. He took us to Pudong International Airport for 260 RMB. While in the check-in line, we saw Flavio Briatore, the Benetton franchise magnate, Managing Director of Team Renault and owner of the Queens Park Rangers Football Club waiting for his first class flight to Hong Kong. What, no Gulfstream V?

My cousin and I grabbed dinner and then parted our own seperate ways. A truly memorable weekend.

Dialogue

- Emily/Terence, still no crazy baos yet. I'm actually having a hard time finding those in Shanghai.
- Nick, yeah... hostel was worse than "the tent" (come into our tent).
- Jess, I asked some of my friends about the fake market: there's another one at the Science & Technology Station on Line 2. They even have counterfeit books!

Xi'an

2008-10-11T21:06:00.005+08:00

Last week was Golden Week, the celebration of China’s establishment as the republic it is today. A nice present that came with it was a five day weekend. My friend from high school days of yore, Will suggested that we go to Xi’an. At first, I was a bit reluctant to travel during the holidays, but seeing how empty the fridge was, I caved in and bought my round trip tickets on ctrip.com for 2000 RMB. We stayed in Xi’an from October 2-5. I’m glad I went.

10/2

On the morning of October 2, I traveled to People’s Square to eat breakfast, before taking the bullet train (Maglev) to Pudong International Airport. The train ride was quite a cool experience. A one way ticket costs 50 yuan, but with a plane ticket it only costs 40 yuan (still a bit steep as subway fare is usually 3 kuai a trip). Between 0900 and 1700, the train transports passengers at a maximum speed of 430 km/hr. It was quite a rush to accelerate up to that speed and watch Shanghai flash before my eyes. The whole trip didn’t take more than 10 minutes. After waiting awhile, I boarded a China Eastern plane.

I touched down in Xi’an about two hours later and met up with Will at the airport. Upon exiting the airport, the first thing I noticed was that the air quality was actually a lot worse than Shanghai. That was surprising, as I read that tourism was Xi’an’s main industry, not manufacturing. We then took the one hour shuttle bus to Downtown Xi’an. We arrived in Downtown Xi’an in the late afternoon.

Background

Xi’an is China’s old historic capital. The city from which the brutal and efficient Qin Shi Huang Di (Emperor of Qin and the First Emperor) dominated the warring states of China to establish a unified state for the first time. As evidence of this, the city still possesses some of its military heritage. The ancient city walls still stand to surround the rectangular city. Four main roads: north, south, east and west form a cross, with the east and west roads being longer. At the centre of it all is the Bell Tower, a monument which remains to remind the city of its heritage. Aside from visiting Yu Yuan, an ancient courtyard area in Shanghai, this was the first time I saw ancient buildings in China, and I was thoroughly awed. However, I was not awed enough to line up for an hour for admission. Xi’an is more representative of a typical Chinese city than Shanghai is. There was no subway in the city, only a bunch of underground tunnels for people to cross the street (I called it the human powered subway). In terms of economic development, it still has some ways to go but the signs that it is catching up were everywhere.

Will and I proceeded to find a hostel, using his hand drawn, not-to-scale map with limited landmarks and questionable accuracy. My impression of Xi’an’s regal nature quickly dissipated. Because it was a national holiday, the city was flooded with tourists, both foreign and domestic. Even worse, they had even less of a concept of personal space than people in Shanghai. I felt like a blocker trying to herd bison as we navigated the streets. The worst thing though, was the kids. In general, I love kids. Not in Xi’an.

I have developed an economic development coefficient to rival The Economist magazine’s metrics. It is called the How Many Kids I See with Slit Pants Coefficient (HMKISSPC). In Xi’an, the coefficient was 0.95. I’ve read that due to costs, Chinese kids don’t suffer diapers and go readily in the street. In Shanghai, I didn’t see or notice this much. In Xi’an, every other street some kid aged 2-and-under would start squatting in front of me. At first I had no idea what they were doing, but I quickly came to my senses.

Hostel

We eventually found our place of residence, the Xi’an Bell Tower Youth Hostel. As the name indicates, it is located opposite to the Bell Tower and is in the centre of town. The entrance was a hole in the wall beside a Nokia store. We walked up the dirty stairs to the reception area. We mentioned we had reserved a two person room for one night (we wanted to try it out first), all the while pretending that we didn’t understand Chinese (Will is fluent). The girl at the counter replied that we had never confirmed with them. It turns out they had copied down my friend’s number wrong by a digit and therefore called someone with an inactive phone. Thus, she had given our room away, leaving us possibly homeless. Welcome to Xi’an!

We contemplated our options. It was already evening and we knew many hotels were booked solid because of the national holiday. The ones that still weren’t full engaged in predatory pricing. But we decided to try our luck and scouted out some establishments in the area. We found two proper hotels that gave us rates of 500-600 kuai per night. Ridiculous. The hostel charged 180 per night. After an hour and a half, we swallowed our pride and went back to the hostel to see if they had anything available. They did have beds after all, but it was in a 10-bunk room. At 40 kuai a night, it sounded like a good deal. We walked upstairs to drop our stuff off. The rooms were seriously sketchy. The lights were encased in these orange lanterns, which gave the whole place a cheap, crackhouse ambience. I thought I would contract diseases from touching the doorknobs. There were already some dudes passed out in the room when we entered to drop off our things (really rough night?). We locked our stuff in lockers and decided to grab dinner.

Will informed me we would go to the Muslim Street for dinner, as there were lots of restaurants and we could try the local food. As that street would indicate, Xi’an has a large Muslim population, so there aren’t as many pork dishes offered in the restaurants (pork seems to be the most consumed meat in Shanghai). There was a thriving tourists’ market set up there, and a sea of people trying to move down the street. Eventually we arrived in front of a restaurant that had a large line up outside. We figured if people were lining up, it must be good. After a 15 minute wait, we were in. It turned out the restaurant served tons of xiao long bao (lamb, beef, chicken and shrimp, but no pork). Will and I each stuffed ourselves with two plates and also tried the lamb, which was served in an oily broth. It was all quite good.

Afterward, we went to see a water fountain show in the south part of the city. The show went off for about half an hour. We got bored and decided to head back to the hostel for a “good” night’s rest. No offence to the veterans, but that night I felt like I was a POW (prisoner of war). People came in and out throughout the night, and five or six mosquitoes were having a field day with us. I managed to get some sleep but Will didn’t get a wink. The next day, we woke up at 0800 and went to see the Terracotta Warriors.

10/3 - Terracotta Army

We took a bus to the transfer depot and there were already what seemed to be a thousand people in line. However, the line didn’t take too long as there were plenty of buses coming, and in an hour we got to the site of the Terracotta Army. We spent a good portion of the day there.

To be honest, without commentary the site would have been a bit boring. Just three pits with lots of stone statues (of people, horses and palaces). Fortunately, we bargained awhile and got a Mandarin speaking guide who gave us some good background history. The Terracotta Warriors from the beginning was constructed for the Qin Emperor’s burial. It is located in Xi’an even though the Emperor was not born there because apparently the feng shui is exceptional in the area. The Emperor instructed the site to be built when he was just a teenager. The site took 720,000 people 38 years to build. The people who were involved in the construction came from three categories. They were poor, criminal, or artisans (in which case they were paid for their efforts). When the site was completed, all of the people involved in its construction were killed to prevent information on the area, which stored all of the Emperor’s earthly treasures, from being leaked and attracting grave robbers. On top of that, a lake of mercury was erected in the area, which poisoned the surrounding environment and left the lands impossible to farm. Over the generations which followed, information on the site disappeared as the select few entrusted with the secret died off. It was not until the 1970s that some farmers discovered some artifacts and sent them for verification that the site was rediscovered. To this day, the portion that has been made public (pits 1,2 and 3) is only a tiny portion of the entire monument, as archeologists are concerned about damaging the other areas without sufficiently advanced excavation technology. Traps and the toxic mercury also discourage them from pursuing further excavation.

In light of this amazing history, the construction of the Terracotta Army was an amazing undertaking. Not only were all of the warriors originally painted (this faded off due to oxidation), all of them sported different faces and were each individually unique.

The old dude who discovered it was there to sign books on its discovery (Tim mentioned this). However, when we asked the guide to show us a picture of the farmer from the books, she couldn’t so that made us suspicious. We left the area in the late afternoon.

We went back to the Muslim street for some food. Will’s mom had visited previously and mentioned there was a restaurant that served really delicious pao muo (broken bread served in oily soup with lamb meat). We found the place she mentioned, but found the dish to be disgusting. It turned out that we went to a copycat of the restaurant with the same name. We bailed on our food and went back to the place of the previous night to eat baos. Fortunately, a two person room freed up that night at the hostel, so we changed rooms. The new room was okay, a little dirty. What was weird was that bathroom had partially frosted glass walls, so that weirded us out. Will and I agreed to turn the other way whenever one of us used the washroom.

10/4

The next day, we went to Shaanxi Province History Museum, which offered free admission for out of town visitors. By the time we got there, there were already tons of people lining up there. Since it was noon, all the staff were eating lunching and nobody was admitting visitors, so we waited in line for an hour. While we were in line, we met a guy from Guangzhou, who spoke Cantonese and was married to someone from Xi’an. We asked about any other interesting sites to visit. He told us that basically there wasn’t much besides the Terracotta Army. We also asked him about any good restaurants for local food. He said the local food was “very hard to eat”. Well, at least we tried.

After waiting an hour, the line still had not budged and there was a daily limit on the number of visitors allowed. We decided to cut our losses and left for the mall.

The malls in Xi’an were quite large. I think one was over 12 stories high. Most of the stores were clothing stores, sporting Western lookalikes (Clio Coddle = Lacoste?). We spent most of our time in the food court and the arcade. We each ate 4-5 things, with each item priced at 6-12 yuan. Afterward, we went back to the hostel for dinner. Seated at a table beside us were two American girls with a Bulgarian dude. The server asked them to pay for their meal when they ordered (customary in China at cheaper restaurants). One of the American girls said that they never did that back home, and said they would only pay after finishing the meal. The server grudgingly accepted. Halfway through the dinner, the Bulgarian guy left and stiffed the two ladies with the bill. He didn’t come back. When the server came back to request payment, the girls refused to pay for his meal and promised to talk to reception (little good that was). Oh Americans!

10/5 - City Wall

The last day, we went to the Muslim street again. I wanted to buy some souvenirs and bargained with the vendors a bit, but didn’t manage to get the discounts I wanted (70% discounts). I think the vendors there are spoiled by all the business and not inclined to do much bargaining. We went to eat Star Ferry Restaurant (a Hong Kong style restaurant). We both had the baked pork chop rice, which I really missed having. HK café type food has been very hard to find in China so far. I even had authentic HK milk tea! Afterward, we went to the Xi’an city wall (admission was 50 kuai). We were planning to go for a bike ride around on the wall, but unfortunately I was running out of time and had to get to the airport soon. The city walls were quite interesting and I wished I spent more time there. It gave us great views of the city. I can only imagine what it was like to be a soldier standing guard on those walls back in the Qin Dynasty.

Will and I parted our separate ways at the wall, as his flight was the next day. On my way back to board the airport bus, I saw a luxury mall that sported Prada, Louis Vuitton, Zegna and a host of other international brands. I suppose a new king has captured the hearts and minds of Xi’an’s people.

If you plan on visiting Xi’an, I would say four days is plenty to experience the city. It was interesting to be in Xi’an, but I suppose once in a lifetime is enough.

Dialogue

- Free, no Wikipedia here- just a labour of love. Dinner with Mr. Chung was excellent. He took me out for Thai food, which was delicious. I'll forward some pictures of his area to the group later. He's definitely living it up here and where he's staying has a lot of history. The roach was flushed, but I have a feeling his family will want revenge.
- Tim, thanks for the heads up on the old dude signing the books. I did end up buying miniatures, but they were cheap.
- Jeff, you should still come over and check it out for yourself, but after this post you have another city you could potentially skip.
- Jess, you should tell me about some areas to check out. Maybe I can grab a few "then and now" pictures for your dad.
- Em, I hear the slipper toss will also work with Cher. Although I believe Cher could weather a nuclear war with no issues...

The Bund

2008-10-01T23:17:00.004+08:00

Graced by the Whampoa River, Shanghai grew into China’s dominant inland port. Opportunity and commerce from the port ultimately invited foreign influence to invade, enrich and transform the city forever. The sailors of fortune: British, French, German and American through their self interest reshaped the city into a cosmopolitan enterprise, and left the country with one of its most storied landmarks: the Bund.

The Bund is the companion of the Whampoa River in Downtown Shanghai. It’s the end point of Nanjing Road East and while a very tourist oriented place, continues to play a relevant role in Shanghai’s economy. It is a long, wide stone walkway that is used by thousands everyday. The city’s “seawall,” if you will.

This is a city of dichotomies. While every city has its share of rich and poor, old and new, the examples here are always dramatic and exaggerated. Staring across the polluted river, there are many grand, new and unique buildings. They are the embodiments of Shanghai’s modern opulence, and symbolize the city’s unceasing need to prove itself to the world. Most of the towers are the regional headquarters of multinational corporations. The strange tower with the bulbs and antenna belongs to a TV station.

However, the most beautiful part of the Bund is not the river nor the modern buildings across it, but the old historic buildings that grace the . Turning around, I saw a long stretch of stone buildings with the beautiful features of old, European architecture. Unlike Hong Kong, Shanghai has preserved its heritage in the these buildings and they continue to serve a purpose. Many embassies operate here. Some buildings have become luxury boutiques (more Cartier stores) while others are night clubs (complete with rooftop gardens).

I spent the day walking along the Bund with ze Germans. There was a massive throng of people there, and vendors were everywhere. For some reason, they all sold the same thing, either motorized mice on strings (why buy those when you can get real mice for free) or this gelatinous toy that would reshape itself when thrown onto the pavement. It’s not a place with lots to do, but I enjoyed just walking along it and taking in the sights and sounds of the place. At one point I offered to help some tourists take pictures. There was shock and awe when I spoke perfect English to them. I get that a lot in Shanghai.

I thought about taking the three hour cruise along the Whampoa River for 70 RMB, but there wasn’t enough time to do it that day.

I believe the Bund is Shanghai’s most important landmark. Of all the cities in China (barring Hong Kong), Shanghai is the most international. It’s hard to imagine that this would have happened without the concentrated foreign activity that took place here.

No longer the area of gangsters and drug traffickers (to my knowledge), the Bund, a previous centre of vice is now a proud representative of China’s history. Even more importantly, it exists to remind China that, for better or worse, foreign influence has always, and will continue to, shape China’s identity.

Diversions

- I'm flying to Xian tomorrow to fight some Terracotta Warriors- will be back Sunday.
- Spotted a huge cockroach in my room last night. Managed to lure it out with a piece of bread tonight. It almost got away again but my tossed slipper found its mark. The joys of living in Asia.

Nanjing Road – First Encounter

2008-09-26T00:15:00.012+08:00

I had a chance to visit Nanjing Road last weekend, but haven’t had time to collect my thoughts until today. I’m sure I’ll be back again, but for now I’ll record my initial impressions.

To use a simple analogy, Nanjing Road is the Robson Street of Shanghai. It’s a place where opulence meets history, and is perhaps the most iconic embodiment of China’s internal struggle for national identity.

Nanjing Road is a long street, passing through some of Shanghai’s most famed landmarks. Jing An Temple, a Buddhist institution that was at one point converted to a bomb shelter, can be found in close proximity to Nanjing Road West, which then stretches to People’s Square and ultimately meets with the Bund.

It was actually quite by accident that I first stumbled into the area, which is the epicenter of Shanghai nightlife. I had no intention of visiting that area so soon, and was initially oblivious to its existence. The reason I went was because I wanted to buy some Chinese language books to study. However, bookstores don’t seem to be in great abundance here, much less bookstores selling books that provide English instruction for learning Chinese. Fortunately, the Lonely Planet guide my sister bought me has been very useful and I learned that the Foreign Languages Bookstore is located on the intersection of Central Fujian Road and Fuzhou Road, a few blocks away from Nanjing Road East.

I got out at the People’s Square station, as I had become familiar with it and emerged from Exit 6. For a moment, I felt like I stepped into New York City. Post modern sculptures were on display and behind me was People’s Square Park, a small green refuge area surrounded by concrete towers. Many expats and tourists were there, walking leisurely. As it was 1730 and the bookstore closed at 1900, I was in a bit of a rush, but I still took the time to inspect my surroundings. The first thing I noticed was the shiny entrance to the Radisson Hotel, which neighboured the Samsung building. Madame Tussaud’s was close by, and I got probably the best chance I’ll ever have to meet Yao Ming. Next door was an ultra high end mall, sporting international brands like Omega, Rolex, Cartier, Brooks Brothers and even Vertu, retailer of the $10,000 mobile phone is slated to open a store there.

I walked along the street and came across a giant Nike store. Crass commercialism bombarded my senses. The same stores sprang up again and again, as if companies lived in fear of being forgotten on Nanjing Road. There was also a cosmetics promotional booth set up in the middle of the street, and they got two ladies to play classical instruments, which was very popular with the guys. However, I don’t think they were playing as the music came from the speakers didn't match their actions, and it must have been very awkward for the women trying out cosmetics to have a huge mass of men watching them. I don’t know if that marketing strategy was madness or sheer genius. In China, I’m never sure.

One strange thing about Shanghai is that the street signs are not at the corner of the street. They are usually a little further in, or sometimes do not even exist, so for awhile I was quite disoriented. Eventually I realized that Nanjing Road East continued on a street beyond a fenced off construction area. While I was waiting at the intersection to cross, a bus hit the gas and blew a huge dense cloud of black smoke in front of me. I immediately jumped back but I realized I was no match for diffusion. All the Westerners were shocked. The locals crossed the road as usual.

Nanjing Road, the French Concession and the Bund are very beautiful areas of the city, due to the rich European architecture that survived the ousting of foreign influence. Ever pragmatic, many heritage buildings remain in use, though their status is protected. Commercial lighting from street lamps and advertisements bounce off the buildings, creating an almost surreal effect.

All romantic notions were spoiled by the various vendors of Nanjing Road. Some offered cheap plastic toys while others offered massages by “very beautiful girls.” A simple “no thanks” did not suffice, and sometimes I had to tell people off. Because I took my guidebook out from time to time, I was an easy mark. At one point a girl came up to me and introduced herself, and asked if she could walk with me. Naturally, I was suspicious and half expected two accomplices to jump me in a dark alley. She spoke some broken English to me and asked me why I didn’t speak Mandarin. I unleashed upon her the most intense case of Western apathy, the leftovers of unused teenage angst, but she persisted and followed me for another three blocks before realizing how boring I was really trying to be.

At 1855, I found the Foreign Language Bookstore, ignored the guards and managed to buy a copy of “Intermediate Mandarin for Business” before the store closed. Afterward, I ate a decent meal for 25 kuai. On my way back to the subway station, I saw a third Cartier store, retailing a watch that listed for 278,000 RMB.

Dialogue

- Nick, I was thinking about that but the other day they finally posted a sign telling us their "real hours," for now at least...
- Fong, I think the next chapter could potentially lead our group to disband ;)
- Jeff, yeah I'm glad too. And I am thinking about asking the shop keeper about what happened to 24 hours.
- Em, unfortunately no one in ANT seems to be Christian, but my roommate may go to SCF with me this week. Glad you're enjoying my misadventures.
- Snerk, I talked to my manager and he said that because of how new ANT is, the buildings here are built to a much higher standard. Being on the fifth floor, my ceilings are also quite high. However, I heard the rent for my apartment costs 5000 RMB per month, which is quite expensive this far out of downtown, in my opinion.

Apartment & Church

2008-09-21T22:07:00.011+08:00

I’ve finally moved out of the hotel and into my apartment. So how did I spend Friday night? Dragging luggage up five stories while making three trips back and forth between the hotel to the apartment. I think I made the girl at the front desk uneasy, since I don’t think she knew my company was paying for my room and that I would officially check out on Saturday. I made three trips because I didn’t want to leave any of my belongings unattended while I hauled my things upstairs. Five stories doesn’t seem to be very much, but in ANT that’s usually the top floor of the apartment, and apartments five stories and under are not mandated by building codes to have an elevator. With two suitcases, my suit and a full backpack, it seemed more like 20 stories. I was so tired and thirsty after moving in and I wanted a drink, so I walked to the corner store. Well, it was closed at 1930. The 24 hour store just keeps closing earlier and earlier.

Dreamhouse

My roommate, a German coworker named Alex, was away in Beijing for the weekend. He’ll be back to his Mutterland by the end of next month. He was nice enough to leave me a clean set of sheets and the wifi login. The connection profile name cracked me up; it read “Dreamhouse.” The front door to the place is an industrial steel door with a dual stage lock. I don’t imagine anyone will be able to break in unless it’s an inside job or we forget to lock it. Also, to enter the lobby of the building you need a key card. Right after entering, the TV room is on the left side, and the dining area is on the right side adjacent to the kitchen area, both of which wrap around the balcony.

A long hallway divides the two sides, and the bedrooms are at the end of the hallway. On the way down, there’s a guest room on the left, a storage room on the right, as well as my roommate’s bathroom (which houses the washing machine). My room is on the left hand side and has its own bathroom.

Being my first apartment, I think it’s pretty cool. It’s quite spacious and more space than two people need. I suppose this is a benefit of living in Anting Ghost Town. There is a “shock” sensor at the front door of each apartment which activates the hallway light. When I reach my apartment, I usually stamp my foot hard and it turns on the light, so I can see my keys. All the rooms are furnished so I don’t have to worry about furniture. My room is also quite large and I have a queen size bed. The air conditioning blows cold and my bedroom has its own machine. There’s plenty of storage space, so I’ve already unpacked most things. I also did my first load of laundry already. We have a side-loading combo washer/dryer produced by Siemens, as are most of the fixtures in this apartment. I couldn’t read the machine so I took a picture and my parents deciphered it for me. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Now, some strange things about the apartment. There are these two sets of lights in the hallway. They are actually LED squares that flash neon pink and blue, which is very strange and turns the hallway into a “rave.” My bathroom has a phone jack, once again. The microwave is on the floor because we don’t have room for it on the counter. The fridge is quite small and for some reason, we don’t have a can opener (I used the corner of a kitchen knife to hack open a can of salmon). But these are all fairly minor issues.

I bought some groceries at Carrefour to fill the fridge up. I noticed that the milk I bought last week isn’t available for sale anymore. I guess I survived melamine.

This is China

So even though church started at 1600, I was still late this past Sunday. It just goes to show that the time church starts isn’t necessarily to blame. Here’s what happened.

I got onto the ANT direct bus to Downtown at around 1320, but unfortunately, all the seats were already taken up by locals. I had no idea where all of these people came from. Apparently it’s a sit-down-only bus. A lady was already standing in the aisle and there were some toddlers sitting in their own seats. Well, two more people came onto the bus after me, creating a situation where four people were standing in the aisle. A mother put her kid onto her lap, freeing up a space right beside the first lady, so she got a seat. Then, another mother picked up her toddler at a seat behind me, so a man who got on after me got his seat. The last lady to get on the bus refused to budge and just stood there, so we were both seat-less. They even got one of the ANT guards (I call them the Gestapo) to check everyone’s bus cards. I didn’t even know I needed a card, as they had never checked before (supposedly all new residents get cards delivered to them when they arrive in ANT). So I just flashed my metro card and somehow got away with it. The last lady didn’t have a card either, but the guard didn’t do anything about it. At this point, the driver threw a hissy fit and got off the bus. It was clear he wasn’t going to move with both of us standing there. I didn’t want to hold everyone up so I got off the bus, thinking the last lady would do the same. But all she did was sit on the steps until the driver got tired of waiting and let her do so. So I was the only one left behind.

Afterward, I was really mad for some reason. Those of you who know me well know that I don’t get mad easily. But it felt like my brain was going to explode. I don’t think I was entitled to be angry. After all, I got to the bus too late. I think I was just unhappy with myself and the chaotic, random manner in which things unfolded. I think generally I’ve been trying to treat people here with the same respect I’d give strangers in the West, even though it’s unlikely many people here would afford me the same courtesy. At that point, I really wanted to kick the last lady off and take her seat on the steps. So that was the culmination of another struggle. Most of all, I had been looking forward to church all week, and missing it would have been a big disappointment. Moral of the story, first come first serve doesn’t work in China. I should have remembered the ethos I developed last week for life in Shanghai, which is “You never know.”

Thankfully, Hilda provided me with some catharsis after the event. I realized that I wouldn’t have enjoyed arriving at church early if it meant that I succumbed to my selfishness and got the lady kicked off.

I got onto the 1530 bus in the hopes of getting to church in time for the sermon (which is at the end of service, after the announcements, unlike RCAC). I got to Zhongshan Park at 1615 and booked it on Train 2 to People’s Square. Then I madly dashed and transferred onto Train 1 to get to Hengshan Road. I got to church at 1645, halfway through service. Traveling in the subway took 10 minutes less compared to last week, which took 40 minutes. The ushers welcomed me, although they were bewildered to see some random Chinese guy jump into the church during “How Great is Our God.”

Shanghai Community Fellowship Church

The church I’m attending in Shanghai is what is considered to be Shanghai’s “mega-church” (http://scfenglish.com). It’s not a state-run church, so people who attend the English services on Sunday at 1400 and 1600 need to be bearers of foreign passports (Hong Kong and Taiwan passports are ok as well). The Chinese services that take place during the other times permit locals to attend.

The church is located on Hengshan Road, which is in an expatriate area with lots of western restaurants (TGI Fridays, Papa John's, etc.) and bars. It’s a nice peaceful area. The church is very big and in fact is featured on maps in the subway station (labeled as “Community Church”). I think the government likes the fact many expats worship there, so they don’t spread themselves out too much in Shanghai.

The church has sound doctrine and very inviting people. It is multi-denominational. A lot of people worship there. Over 60 nationalities are represented in the congregation. They have 62 cell groups throughout Shanghai, and I may join one once I’m settled in (although they will never replace CMN). They also have many different ministries, including volunteering. The worship is very nice, not too traditional and they play the saxophone, guitars and other instruments during. They sang two or three songs I know. I think communion is taken every service. Last week there was a baby dedication service. At least eight babies were dedicated to Him, all of different nationalities.

Both weeks I attended the 1600-1730 service. The 1400 service is identical. I attend the 1600 service because of the transportation schedule.

One thing I enjoyed at SCF was letting my guard down for a period of time. I felt at peace with a kind group of people that could be trusted. When I walk around on the streets outside I am very guarded and careful, to the point of being suspicious, especially in Downtown.

I would say that the English congregation of the church in total numbers over 1200. It took about 10-15 minutes for me to get out of the building after service last week, due to the fact I sat in the fifth row and the large number of people that were vacating. There are some signs of SCF being a mega-church- there is quite a lot of “selling” that goes on in terms of promoting ministries. But in a church this big, it’s easy to become a nameless face if you aren't pushed to join some sort of ministry. A good tradition they have is that they ask all the first time visitors to stand up and ushers pass them welcome cards to sign. They also give “exit interviews” on the spot to people who’ve been at the church six months or longer and are now leaving. I think it helps to cultivate a culture in which “no one is left behind.” I will make SCF my permanent place of worship while I’m here in Shanghai.

This week they focused on men’s ministry, and I heard quite a few dynamic and encouraging testimonies. One person was actually a CEO who talked about his struggles to live as an obedient Christian. It was very humbling.

Afterward, I went to the Raffles City food court in People’s Square for dinner, as I did last week. I’ve wanted to try some local restaurants, and some of the more famed gastronomic factories on the Bund, but I haven’t mustered up the resolve yet to eat at a restaurant alone. The concept remains foreign to me. I probably will next weekend, if I don’t go on an excursion to Yellow Mountain with ze Germans.

I ordered off a Chinese menu, but didn’t know what to drink. So I asked the lady to get me whatever she thought was good “shen me dou ke yi.” She got me a plum drink (not juice, drink), which tastes like prune juice (which I don’t like) gone bad.

After all, this is China and you never know.

Dialogue

- Em, yes I suppose Chinese food here is just "food." But then I'd have to specify which kind: Shanghainese, Hunan, Cantonese, Szechuan, etc.
- Free, kuai, yuan and RMB are all synonyms, sorry I didn't clarify. At Oscars, I was thinking... if I just angle up from 35 to 75 degrees, who would I hit?

Anting Ghost Town

2008-09-18T00:05:00.014+08:00

It must be strange for some people to find that, although I am living in Shanghai, it takes me 35-45 minutes by direct bus to get downtown. The reason is because, obviously I don't live in Downtown Shanghai. Rather, I am living in a suburb called Anting New Town (ANT).

For anyone who has studied a bit of history, the Cold War will bring to mind concepts of five year plans and centrally planned economies. And while China hasn't shown itself to be particularly communist during my stay thus far, this town is certainly the manifestation of an alternative economic model.

In most countries, cities develop and condominiums are built as an increasing population creates a proportional demand for such construction and facilities. In Anting New Town, the reverse is true. Phase I of the town has already been built, and awaits residents to make it their home. Bob Rennie would probably lose his mind if he had to sell this.

The government has envisioned Anting New Town to be the future Detroit of China. Not so much the violent crimes part, but rather the aspect about Detroit being the automotive centre of America (although that's not going very well either). In fact, Anting New Town is also known as the Automobile City. Anting New Town is a 4.98 square-kilometer project located approximately 30 kilometers west of the City of Shanghai, and is also part of the Shanghai International Automobile City development. With the completion of Phase II (I'm living in Phase I), the town will eventually support 50,000 residents. On the corporate side, the town is doing well, being close to the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai Volkswagen (which has the largest market share in China), Ford China, and other auto companies that have decided to base their operations here (no doubt in part to cultivate guanxi with the government). However, ANT has achieved residential occupancy levels of perhaps 2%.

My initial impressions of the town was that it was very new and clean, but for some reason deserted, like in those zombie movies where everyone has locked themselves inside or has run way because zombies are everywhere. Except there were no zombies. The guards stationed at the road intersections bear an eerie resemblance to Pyongyang's deserted road system and indeed, very few cars ever drive here.

A subway line that connects to Downtown Shanghai is to be completed by 2011. In fact, everything in town claims to be "coming soon," including a shopping mall, a super market, and a whole bunch of other amenities.

To be fair, the town does have a hotel (which I'm staying at and doubles as a golf club), a bakery (overpriced, but is the morning meeting place for expats), a pub (evening meeting place for expats), a cornerstore (24 hours but closes at 2200) and supposedly a Chinese restaurant (which I have yet to find). The government also commissioned a free direct bus to Downtown Shanghai that leaves ANT everyday at 0900, 1000 and 1330 and picks people up from Zhongshan Park for the return trip at 1715, 1830, 1930 and 2100. A taxi ride back costs anywhere from 120-160 kuai. There's also a bus that goes to Anting Old Town until 1900, and a cab ride back is just 10 kuai.

The town is very modern and has a state of the art design, thanks to the efforts of AS&P, or Albert Speer & Partners. Yes, it is the son of Albert Speer, the Nazi architect who was convicted during the Nuremberg trials, who designed my town. In fact, the city is supposed to have German themes. Another similar project is Thames Town, which is also 30 km away from Shanghai City in Songjiang, and is supposed to emulate an English settlement.

I'm cautious to say that in fact, I like ANT. Even as I hear the crickets chirp at night, I enjoy the tranquility this town provides, because in Shanghai, peace and quiet usually comes attached with a hefty price tag. Little details, like miniature rivers that grace the community, pathways for the blind and motion sensors that control traffic lights and room lights, make this place a special place to live. For now, I don't mind being far from downtown, because I actually have the chance to live a normal life here.

It'll be interesting to see the fate of this development in the near future. Will it pay off and become a pre-eminent example for planned communities, or will it live on as one of China's failed ghost towns? Only time will tell.

Dialogue

- Free, it was actually quite liberating to use the washroom at Oscar's, for some bizarre reason. And no, not many local friends yet, due to the language barrier and gender wariness. I may go to the Jazz Festival this weekend with some locals.
- Nick & Ed, I didn't ask for my friends' explicit permission to post their pictures, so I wanted to respect their privacy. But the Great Firewall does give me headaches from time to time.
- Char, I've seen all of those things (spitting, picking, squatting, etc.) although they're not extremely widespread. In terms of Engrish, I notice many things are "forbidden." It makes it that much more tempting to try.
- Em, my boss for now is this young guy, and you know what young men are like. No Pho yet, getting desperate.
- Marian, I hope to be recognizable upon my return. But you're right, in the future I'll try not to censor my own face (unless I become horribly scarred).

Initial Impressions - Downtown

2008-09-14T20:48:00.011+08:00

Bombastic, glitzy and busy are among the words that come to mind when describing Downtown Shanghai. A mixture of the most classic contradictions, the city is world class in every way, and doesn’t fail to impress.

I’ve been downtown twice so far. The first time was during the week, to attend a meeting with a design agency. The second time was on Saturday, with several new friends from Anting New Town.

First Time

My first visit to Shanghai was disorienting. Traveling from the office to the agency at 1500, we hit rush hour traffic. Despite all the cutting and weaving our cabbie attempted, the normally 40 minute trip took around 1.5 hours. The freeway cut through many overpasses and 70-story condominiums to bring us into the city center. Our meeting was in the old part of town, in an unorthodox office building, which was an old converted house. The meeting was cordial and ended relatively quickly, with the typical Chinese niceties, although we dealt with an expat, which was nice.

Afterward, my manager brought the team over to Oscar’s, a sports bar. During happy hour at Oscar’s, which lasts until 2000, it’s buy one get one free. Of course, people didn’t factor in the free ones and ordered the normal amount. You can imagine what happened afterward (yeah it’s a hard life). Eventually, it came time to empty the toxin out of my system. My manager told me to go “enjoy myself” in the washroom. I didn’t really know what he meant until I got there:

Pretty classy, isn’t it? I went twice.

The conversation was great. Being diverse group (British, Austrian, Australian and Canadian), we ended up engaging in political discourse. We progressed to talking about the USA’s numerous problems, to the dismay of the American who turned out was sitting behind us. My impression is that it’s fairly unfortunate to be an American in Shanghai, which seems to be rife with an undercurrent of domestic and international anti-American sentiment.

We then went to Zapata’s for “real” food. Honestly by that point I was stuffed with beer, but I still had a fried chimichanga stuffed with chicken and cheese. As Mexican food, one would think it’d be cheap. Try 90 kuai (by comparison street food is 5-10 kuai), and I ordered relatively conservatively. The reason is that Zapata’s is a favored expat hangout. There’s a thatch roof and a bar in a hut, encased in an old fashioned fence, which cries exotic. As well, there are many tables outside and a large courtyard for people to mingle. The expat/local makeup there was about 50/50. My food was decent, but a bit on the greasy side. The whole scene rang hollow to me, but probably a more fair statement is that it didn’t fit my normative idea of what Shanghai should be. In fact, Shanghai for much of its history has been characterized by its adaptation of foreign trends.

We then proceeded to another pub to see an ex-coworker off. I think that was honestly the first time I’ve ever had a beer I didn’t enjoy. The cab ride home cost 160 kuai (Anting is far from downtown), which I luckily split with a coworker. I’d classify the whole evening with one word: excessive.

Second Time

The second outing to downtown yesterday was much more enjoyable. I went downtown with three German coworkers who have since become fast friends. Anting New Town has a free shuttle bus that goes directly downtown, so we hopped on at 1330 and got to the Zhongshan Park stop around 1415. I’m glad ze Germans called me up, as I was debating whether or not to head out due to the typhoon warning. Fortunately, I went anyway and it wasn’t bad at all (we did have to duck under a bridge for awhile though).

I did not see any nature at Zhongshan Park; it was just a corner adjacent to a road intersection. We walked through a mall to get to the subway station. The subway in Shanghai is a like a tree that has grown out of control, but is modeled on Hong Kong’s MTR, complete with use of the “octopus card.” There are some tracks that are used by multiple lines, so attention has to be paid to which line stops into the station. The subway system is still undergoing massive expansion; last year there 4 lines, this year there are 8. Although it looks convoluted, nearly every line passes through People’s Square, which is the centre point of the entire network. Our first stop was to the tailor, as my friends had ordered some suits last week.

About a 15 minute ride later, we arrived at the Lujiabang station at the Huangpu District and got out. There was some street food there, so we all had some lunch. I picked the xiao long bao (first ones of my stay here) and these wuo tip filled with vegetables. Once again a bit greasy, but still excellent for 10 kuai. My friends had noodles and wraps.

Across the street was a tailors’ market, filled with many tailor shops. We went upstairs to a shop that is favored by people from my firm. Apparently, experienced employees often bring new employees there to get suits made, so the dividends from previous bargaining negotiations carry over. However, I still had to bargain as they gave me a more expensive rate than my colleagues. Nice try! I ordered a gray suit, an extra pair of pants, and two shirts for 790 RMB (first quote was 930 RMB). Although I brought a suit over, it’s quite nice and I don’t relish the thought of it getting worn out on a daily basis. It’s also a bit hot to wear for now. They had this tiny changing booth in the shop that was taken up by someone else, so we just all stripped down in the store to get measured and try on things. So much for Asian modesty!

Afterward, we split up into two groups. One group went to the Science & Technology Museum area and I followed a friend to Liujiazai.

We went to a shopping centre there, which was first rate by any Western standard. The most symbolic of all American inventions, the mall has been readily adopted in Shanghai. Stores like Calvin Klein, Zara, Nike and others are all there, featuring international prices (a Ben Sherman, “Cast No Shadow” tee was 360 kuai). Kurt Cobain promoted sneakers:

China’s burgeoning middle class is growing, and although international prices are still a bit expensive for the local populace, all the shops we visited were packed with browsing, buying Chinese.

We capped off the day with a meal at Ajisen Ramen, a popular franchise in HK (there is also one at Parker Place in Richmond, although it’s not as good). The prices ranged from 25-35 kuai for a bowl of noodles. At 1930, we took the bus home.

Alright, I’m tired after attending church. That’ll probably be my topic after I go for the second time next week.

Dialogue

- Cat, you got a haircut? I want to see!
- Vespertine, the pollution isn’t too noticeable, but I do have to breathe a bit harder here. And lunch is provided free of charge by the company (although we need to present a lunch voucher we get at the office).
- Hilda, assimilation is inevitable- hence the title of the blog. Guess you’ll need to learn how to squat!
- Jason, you need to watch The Office. Lol, I’d like to be Dwight.
- Andrew, your pictures will have to do until mine are published.
- Connie, the rough conversion rate is 6 RMB:1 CAD (Thanks for catching that, Snerk). The time difference is indeed 15 hours, which sucks.

Work

2008-09-13T02:40:00.007+08:00

Since I’ve finished my first week of work, and some people (starting with Debbie) have asked about it, I think I’ll elaborate on my experiences thus far.

Situation

I’m currently working in the Corporate Communications department (or CoCo) for a multinational industrial firm. The Firm set up its operations in China a few years ago, but only recently (within the last two years) established its Asia Pacific corporate headquarters in Anting, Shanghai, or the “Automobile City.” Due to attrition, I’m actually the only person in my department at the moment. So you could say I am the department. This means I’m being exposed to high level, strategic issues, but it’s also a double edged sword as I alone am held fully accountable for any communications issues. Right now I’m working closely with the regional HR team to design new communication strategies for organizational development and recruitment. I think the company is in the final stages of hiring my new manager, so my role will probably change once she/he comes onboard.

Our offices are very modern, furnished very nicely and the building is just two years old. However, I no longer have a private office like I did at my old firm, which I don’t mind because I’d rather work more closely with a team than be cooped up in an office (at this point in my career). For anyone who watches “The Office,” the desk setup is quite reminiscent of the Scranton Branch, although I have yet to meet my office’s Dwight. Security is very tight, as our industry is highly competitive and our R&D capabilities are our primary competitive advantage.

I work with a very international team, including: an Austrian, a Brit, another Canadian, a Frenchie, a German and two local Chinese employees. I think I’m the youngest one there, especially since the German military requirement means that most Germans are around 24-26 by the time they finish their undergrad. From what I’ve seen, I would say that the ratio of Locals/Germans/Other International is about 40/40/20. It’s quite cool because every day in the office I’m listening to three languages being used. A few of the Chinese executive assistants here speak German, which caught me off guard initially. Maybe they’re GBCs? There are around 400 people in the headquarters building. At the company’s nearest plants about 45 minutes away in an adjacent district, there are 4000 employees.

Corporate Culture

The company is expanding very rapidly in Asia, and has made quite a few major acquisitions in recent years. It still feels like the firm is trying to get a firm grasp of its new, unified identity. However, the firm stays true to its German roots; the way it chooses to structure the organization and the way it does things remains very conservative, regimented and disciplined. The orders come from the top, in Germany and so we often liaise with them, as they have the final say on many of our initiatives. There are pros and cons to that.

A Typical Day

I wake up between 0630 and 0700, check my mail, do some reading, eat breakfast and then I’m out the door. For now, I also get a European breakfast every day, compliments of the F1 Holiday Hotel. It consists of scrambled eggs with corn, almond toast, two pieces of ham and a small cup of watermelon. It’s quite good. And Phil, the drink for dinner wasn’t whisky, but rather “hong cha” (“red tea”).

The shuttle bus then arrives at 0845 to pick us up (us being the German contingent and me) to head to the office, which is a seven minute drive away. The bus is nice because I’ve been able to meet some German friends that work in other departments, just by the virtue of us being in the same area. The bus is never late, so that means I can't be late to the stop either. Otherwise, I'll have to call for a taxi, as they rarely venture into Anting New Town of their own volition.

The headquarters building is in an interesting place, as it’s basically this big building in the middle of acres of unused farmland. Guards greet us at the door and we have to show our security cards to pass. It’s actually quite reminiscent of “The Simpsons” and Homer’s nuclear plant. Buses from all over Shanghai arrive at the same time, so there’s a massive influx of people at 0855. Lets just say the Germans are really organized.

My office is at the third and top floor of the building. I check my email and if there’s anything from the Vice President, that is priority one. The VP I work for seems very nice (and Austrian). All of my coworkers are pretty nice too, though some are friendlier than others. My workstation is right by the door and people enter and exit freely, so there’s a bit more human traffic than I previously experienced at my old job.

The company serves lunch in the canteen between 12-1 everyday. Apparently it'll be forever the same five Chinese dishes that are served. So far my favourite has been the jiao zi, or dumpling. I don't mind it at all but I think some of my Western coworkers find it to be a bit too repetitive or foreign to them. However, if it means that I don't have to eat pickled pig's feet with a generous side of sauerkraut, I'm thrilled to remain with the present status quo.

Work ends at 1730 everyday. However, if people need to work overtime there are also shuttle buses that transport workers at 1910 and 2010. After that, people will probably have to call a taxi if they want to go home. Once again, the end of the day is a collective affair; the building resembles a milk jug in the process of pouring out its contents.

Why Male Models?

I got to work on some pretty interesting things since arriving, and two in particular included negotiating with a design company in Downtown Shanghai and helping coordinate a photo shoot, in which we brought in a professional photographer to shoot some photos that would deliver a more “regional, relevant and diverse" feel to our print media. We managed to assemble quite an international group, but in the end, I had to be a “model” and be in a few of the shots, as people had to attend meetings and the process took longer than expected (it always does). One nice thing here (depending on how you look at it) is that people aren't as hung up on political correctness; the teammate I worked with for this project actually requested for only "handsome" people to participate in the photo shoot (which doesn't explain why I was there). In Canada people would definitely have thrown a fit (well the people who weren't asked).

The local photographer tried to pop my collar for some of the shots. Although I respect his skills, his concept of business fashion was very foreign to me.

So…

The goal for now is just to establish my credibility. One of the company’s goals is “zero defects,” so being careful about my work is key. I'll have to "concentrate." I’m being exposed to German culture as much as Chinese culture right now. A challenge I'm encountering is that a German accent is slowly invading my speech. Who knows what my English will sound like in ten months? However, all in all, I would say so far, so good. Tchuss!

And Happy Birthday Hilda (on the 12th)!

Observations on Nothing

2008-09-10T00:00:00.000+08:00

This is all random:

Since I haven’t found a place to do laundry yet, I’m starting to have thoughts like: “the less I wear this shirt, the later I’ll need to wash it!”

The bathtub is quite large… I find myself turning it on even when I don’t need to bathe because by the time it’s filled, who knows?

The stall in my bathroom has two issues with it- for one, the "Joey phone."

I just noticed my hotel room is called “The Two Brothers.” My question is, when does he get here and why are there two bathrobes?

I saw quite a few Germans in the morning on the shuttle bus to the Company. However, at night, they all disappeared which leads me to believe there’s a German underground railroad that transports them to Downtown Shanghai.

Today I splurged and bought some emergency food in case the hotel restaurant closed for any reason. I bought four cup noodles and a milk tea, but I still haven’t found a grocery store yet. I included the plastic bag because I actually had to buy it. The bundle cost me 22 yuan.

Tonight I ate in the hotel again. Apparently there is another place just at the outskirts of town I could eat at, but I didn’t feel like groping around in the dark to find it. Only two people served me tonight, which is like a 300% improvement in labour productivity for the hotel. Tonight was baked chicken rice, which cost 35 kuai. I thought about buying a beer to go with dinner, but then realized it cost more than my entire meal and decided to pass on it. The meal was served with very romantic lighting; I could barely see my food as it was illuminated by a sole spotlight.

It was also my first day of work today; tomorrow I'll be heading Downtown for a meet and greet with a marketing company our company has contracted. I'll talk about work later, but so far so good.

Dialogue

- Cat & Free, I think the lighting in the room is much too dark for them to take my kidneys without damaging the merchandise. I am blood type O though so there could be some credence to your theory.
- Nick, I've gotten past the jet lag thanks to a good night's rest and a busy work day.
- Phil, sorry I won’t be able to read/comment on your blog anymore. It's not because I hate you or what you stand for. The Great Firewall of China has blocked Wordpress.
- Char, the reason we were talking about the women in Suzhou is because I wanted to appeal to the driver’s regionalist sentiments in striking up a conversation. I asked him what was Suzhou known for, and he said... nu ren!

Flight and Hotel

2008-09-09T05:55:00.000+08:00

I have arrived safely and spent a night at the hotel. Not too much has happened yet, but here's a basic recap.

First, the airport send off. A big thank you to everyone who came out. It means a lot to me. For the friend who bought me a tin foil type card with a controversial envelope, you'll be pleased to know that security check did catch me with it! It wasn't the envelope that they cared about, but rather that I went through the metal detector with a piece of tin foil in my back pocket (I hadn't opened it at that point). Pretty funny.

The flight. China Eastern Airlines is tres ghetto and met all of my wildest expectations. Lets just say flying with Air Canada is preferable to China Eastern. Yes, the plane was old and didn't have an AC adapter or personal inflight entertainment (in true China fashion they had these rickety TVs that would pop out of the ceiling and allow everyone to share). I was initially seated under one of the TVs, but it sounded like it would fall out when it was coming down. My row also didn't have a desk tray for some reason, so I decided to change seats, which I would come to regret later- the row behind me became the unofficial baby calming section. Parents and grandparents from all over the plane would make the pilgrimmage to that row to quel their little emperors' cries. The meals were typical airline fare, but for snacks they served tuna-mixed-with-ham sandwiches, which were strange but tasty.

I didn't mind the fact that my flight was all of these things, but the stewardesses were rather unfriendly and I think that was the worst part of the trip. I think I have generally been spoiled when it comes to flights and never really had a bad experience with the inflight service before. Maybe it was because the plane was under-capacity or it was rough weekend for them. Oh well, welcome to China!

I arrived at Pudong International Airport and went through customs without a hitch. In the arrivals reception area, one of the company's drivers, Wu was waiting for me with a sign in hand. He didn't speak a word of English, but I managed to summon the remnants of all the Mandarin I remembered from school to communicate with him. He drove one of the company's Volkswagens and was very nice. We talked about family and women from Suzhou (which is where he's from).

One interesting thing I observed is that he spoke in a very hushed, quiet, polite tone when he was chatting with me. But as soon as one of his local coworkers called him, he was loud and brash. I think he didn't really know what to do with me because I look Chinese (I mean I am Chinese), but don't speak Chinese as he understands it.

The drive to the hotel took about an hour and a half. Traffic wasn't bad... I think Anting is just far away from the airport. I was entertained by all the men who pulled off to the side of a 120km/hr freeway to take a leak with reckless abandon. There are a lot of Volkswagens and Buicks (hatchbacks) on the roads in Shanghai. Almost all of them are 4-door person sedans or the white "triad" vans, tailored for the Chinese market.

I'm staying at the F1 Holiday Hotel, which is perhaps the coolest name ever for a hotel! The name is derived from Anting's proximity to the Shanghai International Circuit, which will be hosting F1 in October (saved for another post).

The hotel (and the area) I'm staying in is very new. The room I'm staying in is large and comfortable. Here are some pics (click to expand):

What the pictures don't show is the bathroom. Although my room is labeled as business, the bathroom cries honeymoon suite. I think it's the cheesy lighting and big square bath tub that achieves this. I'm not complaining though... I'll be soaking in it often, as this room will be my home for the next two weeks.

The hotel is almost brand new... and relatively uninhabited. In fact, I think I am the only person staying at my hotel right now. Last night, I ate dinner in the hotel. I think six people were serving me because I was the only person there. I had chili chicken rice and a Coke for 38 kuai. It was pretty good.

Alright, now I have to get ready for my first day at the job that brought me here in the first place. The shuttle bus gets here at 0845.

Well, this is it...

2008-09-07T16:35:00.001+08:00

So it begins. From the creator of jlghana.blogspot.com comes another journal on the routine, eccentricities, observations and reflections of some dude living abroad. This time in Shanghai.

Right now I don't really have too many expectations, other than that it would be prudent to live by the motto DTA (or Don't Trust Anybody) while I'm away in China. I'm hoping that this preconception will be shattered. People who've shared experiences with me so far have generally been polarized in their opinions. Some view China as the triumphant, resurgent global superpower. Others have described it as a heartless den of thieves. Either way, it should be an interesting experience.

I've spent the last few weeks packing and mulling over what it means to fit my life into two suitcases. It's been quite humbling to see the distinction between what one wants, and what one really needs. It was great to take the day off and enjoy T&E's wedding (congratulations you two). This past week, I truly lived my life to the fullest and enjoyed some great evenings with friends and family. Right now, it hasn't really clicked in that I'll be living without these people this coming year. I expect it to hit me two weeks in, as I eat xiao long bao alone in my apartment and wonder, whether the meat in the bao is truly pork.

I'll be flying out later today at 12:25pm. The fact China Eastern Airlines does not offer online check-in already foreshadows the inconveniences I'll face next year. A friend who lived in Beijing for a year before has told me that waiting in line to get a bank account set up in China generally takes around three hours. It's going to take a certain degree of effort to remember that I'm not in Vancouver anymore, especially since wasting time is one of my greatest dislikes...

This journal is what it is. It is merely a stream of consciousness for my experience. I cannot guarantee entertainment or some sort of secret wisdom. But I promise to be genuine in my observations and prose.

Take a journey with me, as I tumble into the rabbit hole that will be my next few months in Anting, Shanghai.