Many of you will wonder what the everyday routine in the volatile and energetic city of Shanghai might look like, and I am going to use this entry to shed some light on the daily cycle in this Far Eastern metropolis.
The sun comes up rather early, and its rays will scorch your retinas somewhere around 6 AM already. You're staggering out of bed, frantically trying to close the blinds, and suddenly realize that seemingly the entire city is already awake; trucks are roaring down the main streets, taxi drivers haggling loudly with clients, and a general noisy business has taken hold of your surroundings. Given the energetic flow around you, you decide to not close the blinds after all and start your day instead. You make yourself some breakfast, which, depending on your taste, can be either entirely Western, or a typical Chinese soup. After you're done eating, you shower and get dressed, and then go out into one of the city parks for a jog or a walk, because, although the city is already vibrant with life, the parks are usually a trifle more calm in the early morning hours, and offer some peace and tranquility in the stressed-out realms of the modern metropolis. Following your walk or jog can be a variety of activities depending entirely on your profession; either you get going to your office, or start working on your projects, or do whatever it is you do to make ends meet. Should you have a free day of course, the morning walk/jog (which I would by the way recommend doing to anyone, it's a good way to stay in shape and start your day positively) will be followed by watching DVDs or movies online, ordering cheap take-out food, and in the evening adjourning to one of the many grill spots in town, where you can finish the day with some extremely tasty street meat, bai jiu, beer, and friendly conversations. The grill spot evenings are naturally not limited to free days, but those evenings do tend to extend themselves until very early the next morning, and having to work that very morning means missing out on the late-night nonsensical fun, simply because you cannot possibly go to work after an all-night drinking and eating binge.
Anyhow. As you may notice it is hard to describe the typical day in Shanghai, which is inherent to what makes the city so great - it's volatility. I cannot possibly describe a typical Shanghai day, because every day in Shanghai is entirely different from the previous one. Now of course there's routine to be found in terms of work or school, where you have your schedules and time-frames, but in terms of leisure and after-work or -school activities, there is no actual consistency; you may have your hobbies and rituals that you take part in on a daily basis, but Shanghai manages to scramble those things up, to get you in spots you haven't been in before that coerce you to improvise, and will make even daily routine seems like an adventure in itself. This is what makes living there so great, no doubt, but it also makes this post lacking in actual description of day-by-day activities, which somewhat defies title and topic, but also shows the degree of alternation which you're subjected to when living in a city like Shanghai, that is an epitome to volatility and the fast-lane kind of life.
Mark
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
A Night Out In Shanghai
A topic that will be of interest to a lot of you out there, and also a topic that offers a lot of interesting aspects to get into, seeing as the nightlife in Shanghai is as multifaceted as the city itself.
Let me start by saying that the nightlife there is unlike anything you'll ever experience, for a variety of reasons, beginning with the price of alcoholic beverages and ending with the awesomeness of the people you can meet in Chinese clubs. There is literally no other place on earth where partying is in itself a voyage into another world like it is in Shanghai; seeing the city by day and then comparing it to what you see at night comes close to trying to compare fruits to vegetables. It's incredible how the vibrant day-time energy of this metropolis is just fused into those Friday and Saturday night extravaganzas, how exhilarated the people are when partying, and how the togetherness is really brought back to the city folk in those long, drink-fueled weekends.
But let us begin with a broad overview of the nightlife in Shanghai is like. Imagine driving about thirty kilometers in a cab for only about eight Euro, already in a cranked up mood, and then getting out near a huge skyscraper whose windows are banging against their frames because of the heavy bass from the building that seems to be emitting the music you can already hear on the other end of the street. You then walk to the entry of the club, where you're greeted by bouncers; and normally that's it, seeing as there are no degrading strip searches, and, unless you look like you're thirteen, you won't have to show your I.D. either. You proceed to enter an elevator, go up a number of stories, and are then looking at a black square filled with laser and stroboscope lightning, which after a second of adjusting your eyes turns out to be the entrance, through which you go after having paid about ten Euros for an all-night open bar. Upon entering the venue, you will quickly be invited to sit down at a table by someone, or be invited to a drink, dance, or a cigarette. The people are extremely open-minded and looking to make new friends for the night, which is why you could easily go out alone and still leave the club drunk, happy, and with a bunch of newly-met people.
And there's more; there are barely any fist-fights or your typical annoying, angry asshole. They exist of course, and there's always a risk of getting in an altercation, but it's so much less common than in European clubs. It's just a generally more cheerful scene, with a sense of togetherness lingering in the exhilarated atmosphere, encompassing each and every individual in the disco, unifying the party-goers in dance and happiness. It has happened to me on numerous occasions that I stumbled out of some downtown venue, realized I didn't have any cash to get home, and still got to share a taxi with complete strangers that were kind enough to take me along even though I was entirely out of cash. And there have also been a couple of times that I was so drunk I had to resort to sleeping on the sidewalk, and was not robbed or anything. Try doing that in Berlin, or New York. It's possible, but much less likely to leave you harm-free and non-mugged. Generally speaking, going out is a lot less of a health hazard in China than it seems to be to me in Europe and America. and the clubs themselves are a lot bigger and more futuristic when compared to their Western counterparts, especially when taking the price class of these venues into account. You can go to a huge-ass disco filled with the newest lighting technology and audio equipment, and pay only about ten Euro for entry and drinks. Try doing that in Europe or America.
I am not trying to belittle or demean the Euro-American party scene here though, I have myself been active for almost a year as an event reporter for a German party organization and therefore seen that partying can also be of the utmost exhilaration in the Western world, but there are still those minor details that make the nightlife in Shanghai that extra little bit better; starting at the bouncers, that are just not your typical, bald, mean-looking guys, but nice people that you of course wouldn't want to mess with, but that at least don't have this unfriendly approach to guests as their European counterparts, and ending at the sheer endless amount of invitations to drinks, seats, and smokes, which just do not exist in Europe. For that to happen, you have to know the underground localities which are only accessible to hardcore heads whilst in Shanghai that feeling is still prevalent even in mainstream venues, and that is just awesome if you ask me. The people still go out to actually have fun, and not just to prove to everyone else how cool they think they are or just how much they can drink. As if that's of interest to anyone. We should be going to parties to meet kindred spirits and like-minded souls, so that we may all benefit from this pastime to some extent. Selah.
Mark.
Let me start by saying that the nightlife there is unlike anything you'll ever experience, for a variety of reasons, beginning with the price of alcoholic beverages and ending with the awesomeness of the people you can meet in Chinese clubs. There is literally no other place on earth where partying is in itself a voyage into another world like it is in Shanghai; seeing the city by day and then comparing it to what you see at night comes close to trying to compare fruits to vegetables. It's incredible how the vibrant day-time energy of this metropolis is just fused into those Friday and Saturday night extravaganzas, how exhilarated the people are when partying, and how the togetherness is really brought back to the city folk in those long, drink-fueled weekends.
But let us begin with a broad overview of the nightlife in Shanghai is like. Imagine driving about thirty kilometers in a cab for only about eight Euro, already in a cranked up mood, and then getting out near a huge skyscraper whose windows are banging against their frames because of the heavy bass from the building that seems to be emitting the music you can already hear on the other end of the street. You then walk to the entry of the club, where you're greeted by bouncers; and normally that's it, seeing as there are no degrading strip searches, and, unless you look like you're thirteen, you won't have to show your I.D. either. You proceed to enter an elevator, go up a number of stories, and are then looking at a black square filled with laser and stroboscope lightning, which after a second of adjusting your eyes turns out to be the entrance, through which you go after having paid about ten Euros for an all-night open bar. Upon entering the venue, you will quickly be invited to sit down at a table by someone, or be invited to a drink, dance, or a cigarette. The people are extremely open-minded and looking to make new friends for the night, which is why you could easily go out alone and still leave the club drunk, happy, and with a bunch of newly-met people.
And there's more; there are barely any fist-fights or your typical annoying, angry asshole. They exist of course, and there's always a risk of getting in an altercation, but it's so much less common than in European clubs. It's just a generally more cheerful scene, with a sense of togetherness lingering in the exhilarated atmosphere, encompassing each and every individual in the disco, unifying the party-goers in dance and happiness. It has happened to me on numerous occasions that I stumbled out of some downtown venue, realized I didn't have any cash to get home, and still got to share a taxi with complete strangers that were kind enough to take me along even though I was entirely out of cash. And there have also been a couple of times that I was so drunk I had to resort to sleeping on the sidewalk, and was not robbed or anything. Try doing that in Berlin, or New York. It's possible, but much less likely to leave you harm-free and non-mugged. Generally speaking, going out is a lot less of a health hazard in China than it seems to be to me in Europe and America. and the clubs themselves are a lot bigger and more futuristic when compared to their Western counterparts, especially when taking the price class of these venues into account. You can go to a huge-ass disco filled with the newest lighting technology and audio equipment, and pay only about ten Euro for entry and drinks. Try doing that in Europe or America.
I am not trying to belittle or demean the Euro-American party scene here though, I have myself been active for almost a year as an event reporter for a German party organization and therefore seen that partying can also be of the utmost exhilaration in the Western world, but there are still those minor details that make the nightlife in Shanghai that extra little bit better; starting at the bouncers, that are just not your typical, bald, mean-looking guys, but nice people that you of course wouldn't want to mess with, but that at least don't have this unfriendly approach to guests as their European counterparts, and ending at the sheer endless amount of invitations to drinks, seats, and smokes, which just do not exist in Europe. For that to happen, you have to know the underground localities which are only accessible to hardcore heads whilst in Shanghai that feeling is still prevalent even in mainstream venues, and that is just awesome if you ask me. The people still go out to actually have fun, and not just to prove to everyone else how cool they think they are or just how much they can drink. As if that's of interest to anyone. We should be going to parties to meet kindred spirits and like-minded souls, so that we may all benefit from this pastime to some extent. Selah.
Mark.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
The Chinese rural-urban conundrum
I have hinted at the differences inherent to the clash of rural and urban mentalities in China in the previous posts a bit already, and therefore decided to take an entire entry to get to the bottom of it, because it is quite fascinating to see just how much the life and mindset of the people differ when traveling from the city center over the outskirts all the way to the countryside.
Let's go step by step then, starting in the very center of urbanity, the core of the city. What we see here is akin to what can be seen in Europe or America, except for the velocity in which it takes place; people are rushing from subway stations through Starbucks to their offices, the traffic is barely moving but honking heavily, everyone is just sort of minding their own business and trying to get from A to B with as little conversation as possible, the people look stressed, angry, and annoyed, and there is close to no communal feeling, it's essentially like any modern-day metropolis you could imagine. But then, in the midst of all this hectic and commotion, there are beautiful gardens and green areas in which a whiff of the traditional Chinese calm is still in the air, and besides the speakers that are installed all over and either mimic nature's noises or play bad music, these places are one of the final bastions of tranquility in the ever-increasing stress that China's approach to the Western way of life is bringing on.
The people living in the city center however have for the most part completely lost sight of the relaxation that life can bring; they're usually stressed out, with a behavior bordering on the arrogant, and have this highly individualized, egomaniac Western approach to all things in life. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for individual fulfillment and freedom, but that should not come at the cost of a communal feeling, that should not come at the cost of decency, it shouldn't come at the cost of generosity and togetherness.
The next step takes us to the outskirts and the countryside, which I am grouping together for convenience. The air is still vibrant with life and the hustling of those trying to get by on day to day basis, but it has a smell of community in it that largely differs from anything you can see in the Big City life. The people are more prone to helping each other out, and I have seen countless examples of shop owners going out of their way to help their neighbors or even complete strangers whose car had broken down in their vicinity. I have been to farms in the middle of the night and got invited to sit down, eat, get drunk, and smoke cigarettes with the farmers living there. I just set up a tent in the middle of nowhere with a friend of mine, and instead of being woken by an angry face complaining about us setting up camp on their field - which we unknowingly did - like it would have happened in Europe, we were greeted by friendly and curious Chinese farmers. And of course the countless times that my electric scooter broke down and complete strangers helped me push it to a store where they would fix it for a small amount of money whilst asking me about my origins and how it happened that I came to China; the atmosphere was always extremely friendly and vibrating with joyous life, and the people there just were not concerned with everyday hectic all too much. Of course they're also busy and worried about making their daily income, but they don't go about it with this insane stress that city folk develop when tackling their daily tasks.
The conundrum here is the reason behind this shift in mentality. I believe that it can be at least partially traced back to the growing Western influence on Chinese metropolises; the economy in China is booming and it is therefore opening itself more and more to the West, which in itself is a good thing, except for the sad fact that our selfish, capitalist culture is being exported to China in the process. The people's mentality in the urban center is slowly drifting towards the excessive, egomaniac individualization that the Western civilization is suffering from. Which is mostly the reason behind this at first rather puzzling difference in way of life between the urban and rural population.
I do not want to say that the trade between China and the West is all negative or anything, but it definitely brings on an ugly shift in mentality in the affected urban centers.
Mark
Let's go step by step then, starting in the very center of urbanity, the core of the city. What we see here is akin to what can be seen in Europe or America, except for the velocity in which it takes place; people are rushing from subway stations through Starbucks to their offices, the traffic is barely moving but honking heavily, everyone is just sort of minding their own business and trying to get from A to B with as little conversation as possible, the people look stressed, angry, and annoyed, and there is close to no communal feeling, it's essentially like any modern-day metropolis you could imagine. But then, in the midst of all this hectic and commotion, there are beautiful gardens and green areas in which a whiff of the traditional Chinese calm is still in the air, and besides the speakers that are installed all over and either mimic nature's noises or play bad music, these places are one of the final bastions of tranquility in the ever-increasing stress that China's approach to the Western way of life is bringing on.
The people living in the city center however have for the most part completely lost sight of the relaxation that life can bring; they're usually stressed out, with a behavior bordering on the arrogant, and have this highly individualized, egomaniac Western approach to all things in life. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for individual fulfillment and freedom, but that should not come at the cost of a communal feeling, that should not come at the cost of decency, it shouldn't come at the cost of generosity and togetherness.
The next step takes us to the outskirts and the countryside, which I am grouping together for convenience. The air is still vibrant with life and the hustling of those trying to get by on day to day basis, but it has a smell of community in it that largely differs from anything you can see in the Big City life. The people are more prone to helping each other out, and I have seen countless examples of shop owners going out of their way to help their neighbors or even complete strangers whose car had broken down in their vicinity. I have been to farms in the middle of the night and got invited to sit down, eat, get drunk, and smoke cigarettes with the farmers living there. I just set up a tent in the middle of nowhere with a friend of mine, and instead of being woken by an angry face complaining about us setting up camp on their field - which we unknowingly did - like it would have happened in Europe, we were greeted by friendly and curious Chinese farmers. And of course the countless times that my electric scooter broke down and complete strangers helped me push it to a store where they would fix it for a small amount of money whilst asking me about my origins and how it happened that I came to China; the atmosphere was always extremely friendly and vibrating with joyous life, and the people there just were not concerned with everyday hectic all too much. Of course they're also busy and worried about making their daily income, but they don't go about it with this insane stress that city folk develop when tackling their daily tasks.
The conundrum here is the reason behind this shift in mentality. I believe that it can be at least partially traced back to the growing Western influence on Chinese metropolises; the economy in China is booming and it is therefore opening itself more and more to the West, which in itself is a good thing, except for the sad fact that our selfish, capitalist culture is being exported to China in the process. The people's mentality in the urban center is slowly drifting towards the excessive, egomaniac individualization that the Western civilization is suffering from. Which is mostly the reason behind this at first rather puzzling difference in way of life between the urban and rural population.
I do not want to say that the trade between China and the West is all negative or anything, but it definitely brings on an ugly shift in mentality in the affected urban centers.
Mark
Monday, January 5, 2015
"Do they actually eat dogs?" (Clearing up the cliches)
"Oh my gosh, you lived in China?? Are the people all really so little?? How many dogs have you eaten?? Isn't it a pain in the ass to be bigger than everyone else there?? Does 'ching, chang, chong' mean anything real?? Have you met Jackie Chan???"
This is the kind of torture I am usually submitted to when I hint at my time in Shanghai, and whilst some of the questions above are inventions of mine, most unfortunately are not. There are a lot of cliches surrounding the far East, and today I want to take a minute to clear some up and confirm some others.
Firstly, Chinese people are not midgets. That is something a lot of people, especially Germans, need to get drilled through their skull with a jack-hammer! It is true that the Chinese average height is below its European or American counterpart, but if you're between 165 and 175, you won't feel like stuck in Gulliver's travels when walking around China, and although there are some regions where you'll feel a bit too large, there are others where you will be among the smallest, meaning that the famous idea of finding your American pal in a crowd of small Chinese people barely reaching your chest is not based in reality, sorry.
Secondly, Chinese people are no vicious animal torturing sadists only looking to kill and eat your beloved pet. Yes, there are some atrocious things happening to animals in China, but it's not like we're treating our future beef steaks and chicken wings with a whole lot of love either. And the fact that so many people deem the Chinese as heartless for eating dogs just shows how culturally unopened and stubborn the West really is: just because we're used to having dogs as pets, doesn't make it so all around the world. Don't you think a Hindu person would consider us cruel beasts for mistreating cows the way we do? It's all a fully cultural thing; some cultures eat cows, others pigs, others both, and others dogs. And that the West cannot accept that, and that people like PETA are actually fighting against it is just a sick sign of the moral control we feel we should have over the world. But the thing that bugs me the most about it is the notion that everywhere in China you see and are immediately offered dog meat, because that is simply not true. In rural areas, yes, you will see some dog meat, but in urban centers like Shanghai it is getting increasingly rare, and you'd really have to search if you want try it. I actually did try it once, unpurposefully; I asked for fei chang hao de rou at a steet food stand and the guy proceeded to give me an intense, somewhat chicken flavored flesh that turned out to be dog when I inquired. But that was a good six years ago, and things have changed a bit, so you'd really have to ask if you want to find some gou rou. Dog meat isn't eaten everywhere, and the Chinese are no vicious killers for eating it from time to time. Selah.
Thirdly, and this is once again especially for the Germans, one Chinese character does not equal one sentence, for Christ's sake. I don't know who started this rumor, but this is an actual thing in Germany; a lot of people I have met were a hundred percent sure that this is the way it is, which it is quite obviously not! One character usually stands for one word. Not one letter, not one sentence, but a single word! I know that that's probably not something to get all upset about and that it doesn't really qualify as a cliche per se, but it's been somewhat of a nuisance for me for a few years, and I wanted to clear it up once and for all.
So, now on to some preconceived notions about China that I can at least partially confirm.
First, there is the wide-spread belief that the Chinese smack when they eat and slurp when they drink, which is completely true, and although it also slightly receding in the urban center of Shanghai it is definitely something to wrap your mind around when contemplating traveling to China. The traditional Chinese mindset actually understands smacking your lips whilst eating as a sign of the food being tasty, and it would actually be considered rude to eat quietly.
I can further confirm the belief that the Chinese traffic is, or at the very least seems, very chaotic. The Darwinist rule of the stronger prospering can, at least in the more suburban areas, be applied to the traffic there; if you have the bigger car, you have the right of way. That is admittedly a somewhat hyperbolic description, but you get the picture. Which does not mean that driving is by any means very dangerous in Shanghai, seeing as there are so insanely many cars that traffic usually stays at a very safe speed, and on the highways things are a bit more ordered. But still, the cliche about traffic being a nightmare is true.
Finally, the generosity and kindness of the Chinese is also not entirely exaggerated; there are wonderful people in Shanghai that will give you shelter, food, and all help they can offer should you need it. When traveling around with a tent a friend of mine and I met so many friendly characters and never encountered any problems whatsoever, even when sleeping somewhere outside in rural areas, which would not be as common in Europe I daresay. Of course that spirit is once again lessened in manifestation in the urban center, and there are of course downright rude and mean people in Shanghai too, but nevertheless there is an omnipresent feeling of being welcome.
I hope I have presented you with some interesting facts here, and that I have given you some insight into the mindset and value prevalent in Chinese society, and that I could maybe even clear some cliches up you might have had yourselves. And if not, I hope it was at least an interesting read.
Mark
This is the kind of torture I am usually submitted to when I hint at my time in Shanghai, and whilst some of the questions above are inventions of mine, most unfortunately are not. There are a lot of cliches surrounding the far East, and today I want to take a minute to clear some up and confirm some others.
Firstly, Chinese people are not midgets. That is something a lot of people, especially Germans, need to get drilled through their skull with a jack-hammer! It is true that the Chinese average height is below its European or American counterpart, but if you're between 165 and 175, you won't feel like stuck in Gulliver's travels when walking around China, and although there are some regions where you'll feel a bit too large, there are others where you will be among the smallest, meaning that the famous idea of finding your American pal in a crowd of small Chinese people barely reaching your chest is not based in reality, sorry.
Secondly, Chinese people are no vicious animal torturing sadists only looking to kill and eat your beloved pet. Yes, there are some atrocious things happening to animals in China, but it's not like we're treating our future beef steaks and chicken wings with a whole lot of love either. And the fact that so many people deem the Chinese as heartless for eating dogs just shows how culturally unopened and stubborn the West really is: just because we're used to having dogs as pets, doesn't make it so all around the world. Don't you think a Hindu person would consider us cruel beasts for mistreating cows the way we do? It's all a fully cultural thing; some cultures eat cows, others pigs, others both, and others dogs. And that the West cannot accept that, and that people like PETA are actually fighting against it is just a sick sign of the moral control we feel we should have over the world. But the thing that bugs me the most about it is the notion that everywhere in China you see and are immediately offered dog meat, because that is simply not true. In rural areas, yes, you will see some dog meat, but in urban centers like Shanghai it is getting increasingly rare, and you'd really have to search if you want try it. I actually did try it once, unpurposefully; I asked for fei chang hao de rou at a steet food stand and the guy proceeded to give me an intense, somewhat chicken flavored flesh that turned out to be dog when I inquired. But that was a good six years ago, and things have changed a bit, so you'd really have to ask if you want to find some gou rou. Dog meat isn't eaten everywhere, and the Chinese are no vicious killers for eating it from time to time. Selah.
Thirdly, and this is once again especially for the Germans, one Chinese character does not equal one sentence, for Christ's sake. I don't know who started this rumor, but this is an actual thing in Germany; a lot of people I have met were a hundred percent sure that this is the way it is, which it is quite obviously not! One character usually stands for one word. Not one letter, not one sentence, but a single word! I know that that's probably not something to get all upset about and that it doesn't really qualify as a cliche per se, but it's been somewhat of a nuisance for me for a few years, and I wanted to clear it up once and for all.
So, now on to some preconceived notions about China that I can at least partially confirm.
First, there is the wide-spread belief that the Chinese smack when they eat and slurp when they drink, which is completely true, and although it also slightly receding in the urban center of Shanghai it is definitely something to wrap your mind around when contemplating traveling to China. The traditional Chinese mindset actually understands smacking your lips whilst eating as a sign of the food being tasty, and it would actually be considered rude to eat quietly.
I can further confirm the belief that the Chinese traffic is, or at the very least seems, very chaotic. The Darwinist rule of the stronger prospering can, at least in the more suburban areas, be applied to the traffic there; if you have the bigger car, you have the right of way. That is admittedly a somewhat hyperbolic description, but you get the picture. Which does not mean that driving is by any means very dangerous in Shanghai, seeing as there are so insanely many cars that traffic usually stays at a very safe speed, and on the highways things are a bit more ordered. But still, the cliche about traffic being a nightmare is true.
Finally, the generosity and kindness of the Chinese is also not entirely exaggerated; there are wonderful people in Shanghai that will give you shelter, food, and all help they can offer should you need it. When traveling around with a tent a friend of mine and I met so many friendly characters and never encountered any problems whatsoever, even when sleeping somewhere outside in rural areas, which would not be as common in Europe I daresay. Of course that spirit is once again lessened in manifestation in the urban center, and there are of course downright rude and mean people in Shanghai too, but nevertheless there is an omnipresent feeling of being welcome.
I hope I have presented you with some interesting facts here, and that I have given you some insight into the mindset and value prevalent in Chinese society, and that I could maybe even clear some cliches up you might have had yourselves. And if not, I hope it was at least an interesting read.
Mark
Sunday, January 4, 2015
So, what's Shanghai like?
This is of course the biggest question on the mind of those readers that have not personally traveled to Shanghai yet, and it may also be of interest to hear about a different perspective for those that have already experienced the city themselves.
Shanghai is truly the most multifaceted place I have had the pleasure to see in my lifetime; old meets new, change meets stagnation, east meets west, poor meets rich, excess meets abstinence, and chaos meets order. Shanghai is a truly bipolar place, a place of constant alteration coupled with a fast-lane way of life that is unique in essence and manifestation. The feeling you get when walking through the maze of streets in the hazy morning hours after a long night of bai jiu and street food looking for a taxi to finally get home and rest cannot be touched by anything you could possibly imagine. Smoking a cigarette whilst driving a few dozen kilometers for less than ten euros in a modern metropolis is something only Shanghai can really offer I think.
But that's of course not remotely everything the city has to offer; there are beautiful public gardens, breath-taking skyscrapers, an amazing countryside, and the most wonderful, weird, and interesting people you can meet! It is a growing hub of international relations and at the same time a monument to its past. And I know that this all sounds like taken straight from a tourism brochure of some kind, but the vibrating atmosphere in this gargantuan city cannot be described without resorting to some purple prose.
But the fact of the matter is that if you only go to the sight-seeing spots and follow those typical tours, you won't get to know the actual Shanghai. You will see the aspects described above of course, but you will not be able to fully grasp the awesomeness of the city. To do that, you have to immerse yourself much more, and don't you dare thinking you need to speak Chinese to do so; if you know a few words and are open enough, you will be able to convey what you want to say using your hands and feet. The people will always try to understand you, and you will be able to communicate! It is of course generally recommended to have someone with you that speaks the language, but if you don't try a little yourself and always stick to your translator, you won't experience much. There is also a growing disparity in mindset when looking at rural and urban population that cannot be ignored: whilst on the outskirts of the city, the lifestyle seems very chaotic to outsiders and the people are open, generous, and happy, the lifestyle in the city center is converging to that of the west, which means a much more ordered, individualized mindset that sadly does not include the values usually exhibit in Chinese culture.
So, bearing in mind that there are beautiful and amazing things to see and do in the city itself, it still need be said that to really grasp the fabric of what Shanghai and its people is and are made of you need to go where the tourist tour ends, you need to go where the shiny tourist attractions are nowhere to be seen, and just experience the way of life there, try and communicate with the people, enjoy the essence of what Chinese values are. Selah.
Mark.
Shanghai is truly the most multifaceted place I have had the pleasure to see in my lifetime; old meets new, change meets stagnation, east meets west, poor meets rich, excess meets abstinence, and chaos meets order. Shanghai is a truly bipolar place, a place of constant alteration coupled with a fast-lane way of life that is unique in essence and manifestation. The feeling you get when walking through the maze of streets in the hazy morning hours after a long night of bai jiu and street food looking for a taxi to finally get home and rest cannot be touched by anything you could possibly imagine. Smoking a cigarette whilst driving a few dozen kilometers for less than ten euros in a modern metropolis is something only Shanghai can really offer I think.
But that's of course not remotely everything the city has to offer; there are beautiful public gardens, breath-taking skyscrapers, an amazing countryside, and the most wonderful, weird, and interesting people you can meet! It is a growing hub of international relations and at the same time a monument to its past. And I know that this all sounds like taken straight from a tourism brochure of some kind, but the vibrating atmosphere in this gargantuan city cannot be described without resorting to some purple prose.
But the fact of the matter is that if you only go to the sight-seeing spots and follow those typical tours, you won't get to know the actual Shanghai. You will see the aspects described above of course, but you will not be able to fully grasp the awesomeness of the city. To do that, you have to immerse yourself much more, and don't you dare thinking you need to speak Chinese to do so; if you know a few words and are open enough, you will be able to convey what you want to say using your hands and feet. The people will always try to understand you, and you will be able to communicate! It is of course generally recommended to have someone with you that speaks the language, but if you don't try a little yourself and always stick to your translator, you won't experience much. There is also a growing disparity in mindset when looking at rural and urban population that cannot be ignored: whilst on the outskirts of the city, the lifestyle seems very chaotic to outsiders and the people are open, generous, and happy, the lifestyle in the city center is converging to that of the west, which means a much more ordered, individualized mindset that sadly does not include the values usually exhibit in Chinese culture.
So, bearing in mind that there are beautiful and amazing things to see and do in the city itself, it still need be said that to really grasp the fabric of what Shanghai and its people is and are made of you need to go where the tourist tour ends, you need to go where the shiny tourist attractions are nowhere to be seen, and just experience the way of life there, try and communicate with the people, enjoy the essence of what Chinese values are. Selah.
Mark.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Who am I and what do I know of Shanghai?
Well. I am a 20-year old German guy, but I haven't lived in Germany for about 10 years due to my father's work for a French company called 'Saint-Gobain'.
He's been with that firm for about two decades, and has therefore climbed the corporate ladder a bit, and so it came that he was sent to France to manage an R&D complex in Chambéry. But destiny, karma, or whatever you want to call it, had other plans, and the complex was taken over by a rivaling enterprise, and seeing as my dad is a loyal person, he chose to not work for the new owner and rather take me and my mom to Shanghai, where we proceeded to live for six and a half years.
I was only about 12 years old when we moved, and we stayed in China for my entire puberty and teenage life, and due to my adventurous, extrovert being I experienced quite a lot of things most expats don't really get to see, which is why I think I have some interesting stories that are quite out of the ordinary to offer you. I'm not trying to brag here, mind you. I want to share what I saw, and want to make you understand the mind-boggling awesomeness of what you can encounter when traveling China.
There are stories that will sound so weird and unbelievable that you will have a hard time wrapping your mind around them! I naturally promise you that all stories you will find on here are a 100% real, and happened the way I portray them. If you want to travel to Asia, or are simply interested in the way of life there, this blog is for you! I will not only share stories but also provide insight as to handling delicate situations in China, behaving appropriately, and not getting ripped off. Every little bit of knowledge about China resting in my skull will be passed onto those of you deciding to follow this page, and trust me, that's a whole lot!
I am also going to make a few videos, upload pictures, and of course regularly provide you with stories, tips, and tricks on all things Shanghai and China!
I look forward to interacting with all of you, and hope for an interested readership!
Greetings,
Mark
He's been with that firm for about two decades, and has therefore climbed the corporate ladder a bit, and so it came that he was sent to France to manage an R&D complex in Chambéry. But destiny, karma, or whatever you want to call it, had other plans, and the complex was taken over by a rivaling enterprise, and seeing as my dad is a loyal person, he chose to not work for the new owner and rather take me and my mom to Shanghai, where we proceeded to live for six and a half years.
I was only about 12 years old when we moved, and we stayed in China for my entire puberty and teenage life, and due to my adventurous, extrovert being I experienced quite a lot of things most expats don't really get to see, which is why I think I have some interesting stories that are quite out of the ordinary to offer you. I'm not trying to brag here, mind you. I want to share what I saw, and want to make you understand the mind-boggling awesomeness of what you can encounter when traveling China.
There are stories that will sound so weird and unbelievable that you will have a hard time wrapping your mind around them! I naturally promise you that all stories you will find on here are a 100% real, and happened the way I portray them. If you want to travel to Asia, or are simply interested in the way of life there, this blog is for you! I will not only share stories but also provide insight as to handling delicate situations in China, behaving appropriately, and not getting ripped off. Every little bit of knowledge about China resting in my skull will be passed onto those of you deciding to follow this page, and trust me, that's a whole lot!
I am also going to make a few videos, upload pictures, and of course regularly provide you with stories, tips, and tricks on all things Shanghai and China!
I look forward to interacting with all of you, and hope for an interested readership!
Greetings,
Mark
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)