Maglev video

On the way to Hong Kong, I hopped on the Maglev to go to Pudong airport.

Li Long

Part of the old Jewish Ghetto in Shanghai, typical Shikumen (Stone door) style. A blend of East and West.

Swimming Fool

The sign says "No Swimming," and the water isn't all that clean.

Nanjing Rd

Nanjing Road in all its glory.

Zhujiajiao Sunset

I headed from Zhouzhuang to Zhujiajiao by bus and walked over a bridge to catch the sun setting over the older part of town.

Xintiandi

I wrote about Xintiandi, and here is a simple introduction to understand the adaptive reuse format which was used for the project. The area is in the old French concession and before the time of construction, it was a ratty residential area in row house format. Parts of some of the buildings were saved while others had to go. This was the eventual result, but here is some more info about it.

Xintiandi Masterminds

Along with some of the other stops with the ULI group, we got a chance to meet Ben Wood and Delphine Yip, the brains behind the wildly successful Xintiandi development in Shanghai. They were both inspiring and have a great story about the project from the seedling of an idea to what it is now.

Urban Planning Museum

I got to join the Urban Land Institute's Young Leaders Group from Tokyo when they came to Shanghai for a study tour. One of the highlights was going to the Urban Planning Museum, where they have this massive mock up of the city.

Mid Autumn Festival 中秋节

Mid Autumn Festival is celebrated as a holiday of harvest according to the lunar calendar. Moon cakes are eaten and it's a national holiday. I went to a festival at Jiangwan Park to see the traditional music and dance.

Shanghai Art Fair

The Shanghai Art Fair was an anticipated event, boasting both Eastern and Western artists, but like most things here in China, it had to be censored as well. Take the piece on the right as an example. One of the layered images was a woman licking another woman's breast. What did the thought police do? They taped a piece of paper over it. When I mentioned this humorously to a senior diplomat, he rolled his eyes, shook his head and said, "That's so Chinese." Of course, he is Chinese as well, with a healthy sense of humor.

Brunch

I haven't had brunch for about 5 months, mainly because it's not a common occurrence in Tianjin and most places in Shanghai are a little too spendy for me (RMB250+ = USD35+) until I found Cafe' Montmartre. This was the spread, for a grand total of RMB138 = USD20 per person! I almost formed tears of joy when I saw it.

Ahhh, capitalism

When you're standing in Shanghai Pudong, looking over at the Bund and a big boat comes by pulling a megatron screen whose advertisements glare off the water, you kind of have to scratch your head and wonder, "Gee, I thought this was a communist country." I am greeted by more advertisements here in Shanghai than any American city I have been to.

Popsy

I still haven't figured out this one...Popsy is the "love" drink. I can't imagine why.

Bargaining

One thing I both love and hate about China is the opportunity to bargain for just about anything. I went to the wholesale market where crowds form to see the show. My assumption is that they want to see how low the purchaser can get the seller to go and they will swoop in behind for the same price.

Hot Pot

Natasha, Kalika, Jose and I went to have hot pot one day and ordered shrimp. The shrimp came out alive and kept trying to jump out of the bowl.

Spousal coin flip

I got to play a game on the Su Causeway called "Which one is the wife?" Here's the catch...the person on the right is carrying a white LV bag, but judging from the shoulder breadth, I wouldn't want to screw with the person on the left. So who wins? The pink shirt is the wife, although many men in China are perfectly happy wearing pink as well.

Prayers and incense

In front of the temples are large smoking pits, where people can light incense and pray. The lady of the left in the pink is mid-prayer. The process is: pray one direction then switch, eventually covering north, south, east and west. The whole area smells strongly of incense, which still did not deter the mosquitoes, neither did the OFF that I bathed in.

Jingci Temple

Across the street from Thunder Peak Pagoda is this Zen temple, which was build in 954. Inside is this really big Buddha.

Thunder Peak Pagoda

I am going to be the tour guide for a little while, so please keep your arms and feet inside. Thunder Peak Pagoda overlooks West Lake and was originally built in 975, collapsed in the 20's and has been, obviously, rebuilt.

West Lake

West Lake, located in Hangzhou has been a famous vacation spot for centuries, to include emperors and Marco Polo! The natural charm and rich history of the area have been cultivated since the 8th century. I caught this photo just before sundown, absolutely beautiful.

Welcome to Hangzhou

So I took a trip to Hangzhou earlier this week, and what city would be complete without a Hooters? From my understanding, the competitive advantage of Hooters does not necessarily mix with some of the "assets" of Asians, so I wonder what the draw is...

Scaffolding

This is disassembled Chinese scaffolding...need I say more?

Kettle Corn?

These guys were hanging out in front of the Bank of China this afternoon, popping rice, corn and some sort of chip thing. I don't know how it all works, but he turns the crank over the fire and the pop corn comes out fantastic!

Soup Dumpling

One of life's little pleasures...the soup dumpling (汤包). Somehow, the folks who make these manage to fill the dumplings with soup and pork and then steam them. I used to say that edamame was the perfect hangover food, but I am starting to change my mind. Get this, these are all made in the restaurant and the price? RMB4, which is just over fifty cents in USD, for one steam basket of them!

Stinky Tofu

I dread going to Carrefour (French version of Wal-Mart), not necessarily because it's a French company or the fact that there are hoards of people who constantly shove you out of the way and have no clue how to queue up...it's the exit! It's right next to a stinky tofu place. Imagine sauerkraut to the 10th power. I nearly have to hold back vomit every time I leave. I appears to be popular, though.

Old Film Coffee

While I was walking along Duolun Rd, the gentle rain turned into a torrential down pour so I had to find a place to duck into for a while. The place I found was an old house which had been turned into a restaurant/cafe called "Old Film Coffee." I was so happy to find it as their lunch was great and had Blue Mountain Coffee, which I have no idea what makes it special. The atmosphere there was what you would expect from a privately held coffee shop amongst art galleries. I strolled around and each photo was Katherine Hepburn or Maryln Monroe and this photo was taken from the second floor. Just a really cool place.

Duolun Road

I decided to walk around the other day, even though it was raining off and on. I went back to a place where I had been a few days before, called Duolun (多轮) Rd. It is a group of shops and galleries with a great collection of original pieces. There is an art museum there as well, but their latest exhibition ended on the 24th of August, so I just missed it.

Shanghai skyline at night

This is a scene I have been wanting to share for a while, and thanks to the new camera, I finally can. I am lucky enough to look out my window everyday to see this. The farthest structures are Jin Mao Tower, the World Financial Center and the TV Tower.

Camera

So I finally broke down and bought a camera. I have been interested in an SLR for about the past five years and decided to make the leap...from a camera phone no doubt! After a considerable amount of research, I decided on a Nikon D40. It is highly recommended by experts (whomever they are) for a first-time SLR. I went to the wholesale market both yesterday and today to check out what they had and settled on a price I was happy with (about a third of the standard retail price). Now, I will finally be able to take the photos I have been wanting to! It's the smallest SLR on the market and packs a powerful punch. Now, I just have to learn how to use it.

It's a snake!

I came out of the local wholesale market yesterday and found some white guy taking pictures of this cage, so I stopped to see what was in it. This was no pet store. In fact, the sign behind the cage says "Snake guts, RMB1 per." That's right, on top of the table was cooked snake and you can even pick your own! Out of sheer curiosity, I plan to return and try it, but I have to talk myself into it a little more.

Biohazard

Gee, nothing like a row of used syringes and biohazard material just chilling next to a hospital. I walked to Carrefour the other day and took some shots of the site and people were quizzically staring at me taking pictures, perhaps wondering what I found interesting enough to snap photos of. This means, to me, that it is a usual site to see. Imagine what happens when it rains...where does the water go? What is in the water? Scary.

No glove, no love

Coming from the relatively Puritanical US, I was amazed to see condom vending machines on the side of the street.

Pudong

It's really hard to imagine that about a decade ago, Shanghai Pudong was filled with warehouses and some farms, especially when you walk out of the metro station in Lujiazui (the financial district) to see these two towering buildings. The one on the left is the famed Shanghai World Financial Center and next to it is Jin Mao Tower. Shanghai World Financial boasts the highest observation deck in the world and overlooks the historic Bund here in Shanghai. I look forward to making it up there in the near future.

Back to barracks

The SISU guest house （迎兵馆） is located on The Shanghai International Studies University, and caters to the expatriates teaching and studying at the university, but the rooms look more like the Air Force barracks I used to live in. I expected suite rooms with a kitchenette in each room, but I was welcomed by the photo depicted. To give you an idea of the cost, the room charge is about RMB2160 per month for a two-person room. The support staff (at least the person I talked to) makes about RMB1000 per month. I may just end up looking for an apartment while I am here.

Leaving Tianjin

The new train station in Tianjin is quite nice, and I hopped on a Z train from Tianjin to Shanghai on Monday. I had a 软卧, which is a soft sleeper, four to a room but there were only two of us. Two of my friends, Mark and Mark, saw me off at the station at 8pm and the train arrived in Shanghai at about 7am on Tuesday. The train was cheaper than a flight and not bad at all.

Non-reporting reporting

My friend Scott Gurian, who is the news director for KGOU in Oklahoma City, called me last week and recorded the conversation, which is part of a larger story on China. The story, which will air on 11 Aug 2008 at 11am and excerpts are here. As a caveat for the Chinese government...I was not reporting, it was merely a recorded conversation.

Media clarity

You may not know it, but some reporters push one side of a story and I am going to set one story straight. A couple of weeks ago, I watched a BBC broadcast about people who were being forced out of their homes to make room for flower beds. Although this is true, they totally missed the fact that those flower beds are merely temporary fill until a building is built. See the photo? This is Nanjing Rd in Tianjin, really the major corridor for businesses. The bottom left of the photo shows a large park area. This is actually two sites which will be developed in the next few years. The Chinese government isn't just forcing people out of their homes, there is a greater purpose. Additionally, the property rights law which was ratified last October requires compensation for relocation in event of Chinese-styled Eminent Domain reclamation. The downside of that plan is there is not established market for property as a family will often live in a home for generations.

Breaking zoo rules

Here I am, feeding the animals like a rebel! As you can see, the grass truly is greener on the other side of the fence for these guys, so I brought a little of the other side to them. One was eating a plastic bag, to which I informed one of the zoo keepers. I was amazed at how few people were there, though.

Rush hour

I have been trying to snap a good video of rush hour here, but don't seem to find the right opportunity, so here's a photo from the bike lane. It's packed from this point all the way up to 巴黎台桥 (Balitai Bridge) which is not the immediate bridge depicted, but the far bridge. Everyone seems to be in such a rush, and inexperienced at rules of efficiency that a complete traffic jam ensues because everybody wants to be first. This is one result of the rapidly increasing incomes throughout China (I see VERY few old cars). There are millions of new drivers in China every year, so picture millions of 30-40 year-olds who drive like 16 year-olds (or worse) hitting the streets. Welcome to a new breed of rush hour.

Birthday cake

Although this posting is about three weeks overdue, Michael and Sophie (my host family) were kind enough to get a birthday cake for me. There were two candles for each decade and one for the year, so I turned 21 for the sixth year in a row! A tradition for the Chinese is for the celebrant to cut through the cake and leave the knife, to which someone else will take over.

Walking on water

It turns out that, among other things, I can walk on water...at least fall on my butt on water! My friend, Daniel and I went by 天津天塌 (the TV Tower Park in Tianjin) and saw these balls you can walk in, though it was substantially harder than I thought at first. We drew a crowd of about 30 people who were interested in watching crazy Americans make fools of themselves, and we were more than happy to provide the entertainment. There is a limit of 15 minutes in the ball because it is air-tight, but when we both got out, we felt a bit nauseous and light-headed due to the high levels of carbon dioxide. I think we lasted about 10 minutes before we finally gave up.

Concessions

Admittedly, my camera takes crap photos, but the prices here for a camera are about 150-200% of what US prices are, so I will wait for a better camera. I took a concession tour of Tianjin, which was a tour through the French, Italian, Austro-Hungarian, Japanese, German and British concessions. The photo depicted is obviously not one of the concessions. We ended at the Hongkong Club, which is (according to the guide) the largest traditional Chinese stage in China. He spoke for about 15 minutes on the intricacies of the decorations which you can't make out, but I thought it was cool. Interestingly enough, Tianjin had the most concessions in China.

Cool globes!

It's hard to blog when you're out doing, so I'm catching up before the office goes to play badminton (a weekly thing). Anyways, I have no idea what these things are called, but it was really cool to see this guy paint them. It normally takes him 2-3 days to finish one, and he carefully paints through a little hole in the base of the ball. He has quite a collection of themes and colours and he was also located in the Gulou (Old City) area.

What a Zoo!

Attached to the Water Park is the Tianjin Zoo and a small amusement park with a Ferris Wheel and bungee jumping. One of the cars fell off the Ferris Wheel some months ago, killing the occupants and an expat had a malfunction with the bungee cord, which ended his life, so visitors were reserved to the smaller rides. When I saw the kids area, I looked around and not a soul was in sight. The only movement was caused by the wind blowing rubbish around and I immediately recalled a scene in Stephen King's "It." I was just waiting to stumble across the clown who was drinking blood out of cocoons. If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, you will have no clue what I'm talking about.

Water Park

Not far from where I am staying is the "Water Park," which boasts a full-day's activities. The park itself can take almost a full day to walk around and in the center is a large tower, which I climbed up and took a few shots. It's a pretty cool lake and there are often activities around holidays here.

Exemplary construction

I was standing outside a building one day and thought this was a pretty cool wall...until I checked out the other side. Just think, an outdoor stage prop!

One billion

Can you imagine one billion? It was constructed from broken pieces of pottery/plates, over one billion in total. This building, called "China House," is made from China made in China, in China!

Refreshing swim

There's nothing like a swim to refresh you on a hot summer day, unless the swim is in a highly-polluted river which runs through the middle of a city of ten million people. The Hai River has been the dumping ground for raw sewage and industry use for decades and I truly believe the people swimming are completely insane. When asked, the focus for swimming is for good health. I suppose the good health comes from the barrage of bacteria for normal flora.

Encapsulating China in a photo

In the foreground is a sculpture of Chinese strife against the Japanese, behind that, a crumbling building, and behind that, high-end residential buildings being erected. The site I was standing was the northern boundary of the former Japanese concession. I am consistently amused at how non-sequitur things are here. This will eventually be a massive mixed-use development.

Gulou

Although much of Tianjin's "Old City" has been destroyed from various reasons, a shiny new Gulou has been erected to appease tourists, both domestic and foreign. This lively area hosts all sorts of activities and lots of opportunities to haggle prices with local shop owners.

Tianjin Eco-city

This is the site of the future Tianjin Eco-city, a 30 square km development near Dongjiang Port. The lake water is polluted, the land is salinated, and the nearby river contains contaminants from chemical and paper plants upstream. Just imagine, in 10 years, this will be the destination for eco-tourists across the world. It's actually an interesting development and you can check it out here.