The Pet Dragon - a children's book

I accidently stumbled across this gorgeous book called The Pet Dragon - A Story about Adventure, Friendship, and Chinese Characters by Christoph Niemann. It features gorgeous illustrations with the aim of giving children aged 4-8 an introduction to (simplified) Chinese characters. What a great gift it would make!

Buy now from Amazon

Getting Rich First: Life in a Changing China

I'm reading this great book by Duncan Hewitt at the moment. It's called "Getting Rich First: Life in a Changing China". I'm reading the UK softcover version but I imagine the US version is pretty much the same, bar a different cover and ISBN.



I've only just started reading it but I think it is one of the most fascinating books I've read recently, or maybe because the topic is so close to my heart that's why I find it so fascinating?

There are only 3 reviews on Amazon and they all give it 5 stars. You can read the first 6 pages on Amazon but I'll post some more tidbits here:

Introduction

"Sometimes I sit in the café of the Shanghai IKEA - the largest in Asia, or at least it was until they opened an even bigger one in Beijing - and gaze out at the cars, taxis and trucks speeding past on the three levels of elevated highway, and the overhead light railway snaking between them, before disappearing past the 80,000 seat sports stadium into the shadow of the ranks of tower blocks behind. And I can't hep wondering, how did this all happen so fast? Can this city of four thousand high-rises and two million cars really be the same slow-paced town of tree-lined streets, dawdling cyclists and low, European-style houses which I first visited as a student just two decades ago, when the hotel across the highway from IKEA was not just another nondescript concrete block, overlooked on all sides by newer, shinier buildings, but the newly built pride of the city, a palace which seemed to have been transported to this semi-rural suburb as if from another world?...

...For an outsider, there's a certain privilege in observing a process which is undoubtedly history in the making. But it can be exhausting too. In 2002-3, I decided I wanted to take a break from working as a journalist in China, and spend some more time in Europe. I soon discovered that the pace of the nation's opening to the outside world meant that having a break from China was no longer so easy. The flight to London was filled with Shanghainese teenagers setting off for summer courses in England; on the streets of English tourist towns, it was suddenly common to hear Mandarin being spoken, and to find young mainlanders working in menial jobs. An English football team, Everton, was now sponsored by a Chinese electronics company. In a bathroom shop in the south of England, the manager explained somewhat apologetically that almost all his products were now made in China. In a family-run umbrella business in Belgium, meanwhile, the owner talked sadly of how the company was about to close its hundred-year-old workshop and start selling the far cheaper products being imported from China. There were Chinese tour groups on the streets of Brussels, and Chinese vendors selling trinkets on the streets in Geneva. And after a long cable-car journey up a Swiss mountain, the staff in the mist-shrouded restaurant at the top turned out to e from Changchun in China's north-east, and Guangdong in the south..."

In the 'The 'me' generation' chapter (which I quickly skipped to) it talks about kids and teenagers growing up in a New China, which, frankly, isn't too different to kids growing up in the West.

"...They may spend more time with their grandparents when they're very young, but once they're older, children are increasingly likely to be living on their own with their parents, at least in the cities, where China's tradition of the extended family unit residing together is rapidly breaking down. And with parents likely to be working longer hours than in the days of the planned economy, children are often left to their own devices. As an official at the Child Protection Department of the Shanghai Education Commission once told me: 'During the process of modernising, people's way of life, the pace of life, and the way they communicate their feelings are all changing. And the exchange of ideas between parents and children, for all kinds of reasons, is not as great as it used to be.' It was important to organise more out-of-school leisure activities, he said, 'to fill in some gaps in terms of loneliness or lack of interpersonal contact with have been created by rapid modernisation. By 2006, Chinese state television started showing public service announcements calling on parents to spend more time with their children...

...There's no doubt that many of the younger generation do spend a lot of time online. It's hardly surprising, given that the education system often encourages them to do so. In Shanghai, for example, by the early years of this decade every nine-year-old was, in theory, being taught to use the Internet. And it's not only the well-off youth in the big cities: in almost every medium-sized town in China there are Internet cafés packed with young people until late at night. For some the net provides a chance to communicate and make new friends. But others have become hooked on online games (perhaps it's no coincidence that the world's largest online gaming company, Shanda, is Chinese). In recent years youth organisations and hospitals in several Chinese cities have opened treatment centres for teenagers addicted to the Internet. And youth experts worry that excessive introversion among the young generation is contributing to a growth in delinquency, even violence. These are still less common in China than in many western societies..."

Then it goes on to talk about pop culture and media influences, particularly from Japan.

If it sounds interesting to you, go check it out!

Shanghai: The Endless City

Excerpt from Shanghai Daily

Urban experts' 'endless' approval for Shanghai

By Yao Minji 2008-6-5

MANY expats, upon arrival for the first time in Shanghai, are stunned by this ever-changing metropolis. A common compliment is that "Shanghai looks no different to New York except for the Chinese characters on the skyscrapers."

But does that mean Shanghai is becoming a faceless city like many other big cities? German urban planning expert Wolfgang Nowak gives a definite "no" with the support of a newly released 512-page hard-cover book titled "The Endless City."

"The Endless City" compiles thinking, dialogues and discussions from the project on six major international cities - New York, Shanghai, London, Mexico City, Johannesburg and Berlin. It was edited by London Design Museum curator Deyan Sudjic and LSE urban planning professor Ricky Burdett.

"...the problems illustrated in the book are universal ones that the general public also care about, such as the city's security, the environmental problems, and the future of cities," Nowak tells Shanghai Daily. "So I hope ordinary residents also read the book, think about the problems and become active in their cities."

Nowak is particularly interested in the development of cities because he believes everyone will reside in cities by the end of the century.

The editors picked the six cities mentioned because "they are of particular relevance for a better understanding of urban practice."

In addition, editors Sudjic and Burdett believe Shanghai to be one of the cities that will go through some of the greatest changes in the 21st century. Lagos, Kinshasa, Mumbai, Deli, Dhaka and Jakarta also fall into this category.

"It is projected that by 2030, more than 4 out of every 5 urban dwellers will be in the developing world, so this will have huge implications for the global economy," the editors write.

"At the same time, mature cities such as London, New York, Berlin and Mexico City need to ensure that their future growth reconciles their layered history of planning mistakes and prioritizes sustainable transport and inclusive, contained growth."

Nowak gives examples of Shanghai, a city which "still surprises" him even after four visits.

"When we walk in Shanghai, we see a city of the future, with great public security, large streets, increasing public transportation, people from all over the world and a culture supported by 5,000 years of Chinese history," he says.

Nowak believes other cities could learn from Shanghai's rapid development, public security and planning of the Pudong airport.

On the other hand, he suggests Shanghai could take lessons about the green lifestyle from many older cities such as Berlin, where environmental protection has become part of everyday life.

"Moreover, Shanghai is a city that has still kept its character while developing surprisingly rapidly.Many new cities have become the same under the large trend of globalization. And even some old cities are facing the same problem.

"In Berlin, we are still struggling to reconstruct our history and culture, because lots were destroyed after World War II."

For Nowak, Chinese cities like Shanghai and Beijing have done well in combining modern development with the essence of the city, instead of simply making the old look new.

Not having been to New York City, I have always thought of Shanghai as an Asian NYC. So I may be wrong, but I know that there are many other people out there who think the same thing. There is the buzz, the liveliness, the HUGE population and density, the huge gap between the rich and the poor, the multiculturalism and more. You can't describe it. You just have to LIVE (t)here to EXPERIENCE it.

My sister lived in Shanghai only 3 years ago and I can already see so many changes since I visited her then. Even in the one year that I've been here there have been huge changes - notably the completion of THREE new subway lines, and the new terminal at Pudong airport. I do wonder though, with so many rapid changes going on... if I ever come back to Shanghai in the future will it be unrecognizable? Will all the little things that make it 'cool' be obliterated in the strive to become more futuristic, more Western, more affluent? I guess only time will tell (although I guess I already answered my own question).

Part of why I love living in Shanghai is the crazy feeling that somehow you're in a time warp. You're kind of living in the past and in the future at the same time. I'm sure there will be a time when those old men pulling the tricycles loaded up with 50 billion kilograms of styrofoam boxes, cane chairs, recyclable cardboard packaging, plastic water bottles or whatnot will be gone and then I can reminisce to my kids, "When I was your age and living in Shanghai..."

If anyone is interested in skyscraper cities there is a great forum here.



And you can buy "The Endless City" book here

'PS I love you' the film

Related post

link

I'd been waiting for ages for this to come out on DVD and finally got it last week. I mean why watch it at the cinema when you can own a copy for just over a $1! Of course it's not as good as the book (in fact, it's nothing like the book!) but in its own right I thought it was a pretty decent film. I didn't like how Dan and Chiara were portrayed though. They seemed so stupid and Chiara was barely even needed, she didn't add anything to the film. Taking Holly's father out of the picture was a weird move too.

The DVD extras of the deleted scenes were really interesting. One of the most poignant scenes in the book is the travel agency scene (won't give too much away) and I was looking forward to seeing that in the film but it wasn't in it, however, if you see the extras you can see that they did film it but it was cut out. It's not done that well though and a bit disturbing which was probably why they took it out.

As everyone says Gerard Butler was totally right for the role of "Gerry" and totally hot in the movie, and Hilary wasn't too bad either.

I would rate it 6.5-7 / 10.

My Favourite Wife - Tony Parsons

Review here

MY FAVOURITE WIFE
By Tony Parsons
Publishers: Harper Collins, 384 pages
ISBN: 978-0007247653

Once again, a title and a book cover fooled me. This one had me going, “Ah, a guy writing humorous chick lit. This is going to be a romp in the polygamy park with multiple wives and multiple mothers-in-law.”

But My Favourite Wife is as far from a hilarious romp as it gets. It’s about very serious subject matter in a serious city, and the writing style is dead serious and dead literary.

Which is not to say it isn’t a good read. It’s a great read. Tony Parsons has a way of writing that makes you see Shanghai in all its glory and cruelty – but it just wasn’t what I was expecting.

In order to enjoy this book, you have to cast all your expectations based on the book cover out of the window.

My Favourite Wife is an observer type of book. You know, the Paul Theroux kind of road book that tells you about a city and its way of life in beautiful sentences with plenty of metaphors and angst, as seen through the eyes of the observer.

In this case, the city is Shanghai and the extremely involved observer is a stoic British expatriate lawyer named Bill.

Fresh from London where he can’t clock enough billable hours to sustain a new family, he has moved to Shanghai where he is told a whole new world of opportunities will open up.

He will be made partner in a couple of years and, meanwhile, he will be put up in the most luxurious of apartments, given a chauffeur and all the perks of an expat’s hardship life in a Third World country.

When the book opens, Bill, his wife Becca, and their daughter Holly arrive in contemporary Shanghai with its gleaming buildings and teeming populace.

They are immediately exposed to the beauty and harshness of it all, and like all Westerners, form their own opinions and judgments about things.

Bill observes his neighbours, a group of young women being kept as mistresses by rich married men – some local, some foreigners – in Paradise Mansions, and immediately sums them up as “whores”.

His wife has another opinion. “How can a woman steal another woman’s husband like that?” she ventures pointedly, many times.

Of course, you know that Bill and Becca’s lives will be turned upside down ... and indeed they are. Holly has a sudden asthma attack, and Becca has a “I really can’t take the foreignness of this country at all” type of moment, and demands to go back to London.

Bill’s supposed to stay in Shanghai, earning money, until such time he can go home. But Bill gets lonely and strikes up much more than a friendship with the beautiful JinJin Li. Naturally, Bill is sucked into JinJin’s world and he begins to see the other side of the coin. Such stories rarely have a good outcome....

I’m reading this from an Asian point of view, so Bill and Becca and their various European and Australian expat friends come off as shocked at Asian culture: our lack of egalitarianism, the practical way we view life (to survive, the Chinese women must do everything they can), our seeming lack of emotions (we have emotions, we just don’t feel the need to display them all the time).

I found myself piqued at the way they view us and not shocked at all by the descriptions of life in China.

Yes, we know there are babies still being thrown into trashcans, the farmers have their land ripped away from them, and there are women selling their bodies to earn a living – we Asians have come to accept all of it as part of our lives.

This is a very interesting book because it’s a Westerner’s point of view of contemporary Asian life, and there should be more books written about us, from any view.

My Favourite Wife

Urbanatomy

From the maker's of That's Shanghai comes Urbanatomy: Shanghai 2008 a guide book about everything to do with Shanghai. It is only newly published and great for a first-timer to Shanghai or an expat who's been here longer.

China's largest, fastest and most spectacular city is opened up as never before by this lavishly illustrated 600-page book. Combining the advantages of a helpful guidebook and trusted reference work, it presents a comprehensive portrait of Shanghai's physical, social, cultural, technological and economic existence precisely, accessibly and graphically. Taking maximum advantage of local and international expertise, it strikes the optimum balance between intimate familiarity and objective perspective. The world's most dramatic Shanghai photography and artistic images complement a mix of descriptive and analytical articles to detail the attractions, character and contours of a city in flux.

Paris-New York-Shanghai

Shanghai has a lot of free English colour magazines that let expats know what is going on around town. I LOVE these magazines! I can't believe they are free. They are printed on good quality paper and the writing is excellent. There are reviews on everything under the sun from books to movies, theatre shows, restaurants, places to take the kids, extra-curricular activities - arts & crafts, sports, new store openings, massage parlours and spas, hotels, and more.

My favourites are City Weekly, That's Shanghai and Talk. Hint is good too but too thin. Not only do they talk about events going on in Shanghai but there is also funny news about the rest of the world, gadget reviews, stories on people who work/live here, great travel (airfare and hotel) deals to nearby cities or international destinations. There is so much to read (and look at) they keep me occupied for ages. You can get them at most foreign-orientated restaurants (eg Blue Frog, Wagas, Element Fresh, Tony Roma's and more) although not every restaurant has every mag and some come out weekly and others come out monthly. You can also buy Talk in City Shop supermarkets and That's Shanghai in the bookstore in Carrefour Gubei (for around 18 RMB each). But why would you want to buy them when you can get them for free?!



In the December issue of Talk magazine there is a page of book reviews. The review for Paris-New York-Shanghai by Hans Eijkelboom really caught my eye. I love pictorial books like this! It kinda reminds me of Colors magazine which I used to subscribe to for many years. This is what the reviewer had to say:

Though Hans Eijkelboom is, in theory, a photographer; in practice, he is more an anthropologist with a camera. Paris-New York-Shanghai presents ad project where, every day, he photographed one type of person or scene (sleeping train passengers, outdoor markets, etc). By documenting the same concepts inthe same concepts in three cities, the Dutchman presents a unique interpretation of global city life. The format both unites the cities and highlights the subtle and not-so-subtle nuances between the past, present, and (possibly) future global capitals.

I can't wait to check it out!

P.S. I love you (Cecilia Ahern) and hot guys

A few days ago I finished reading Cecilia Ahern's novel "PS, I love you". (Cecilia is Ireland's prime minister's daughter btw and only 22!) I picked it up that day I went to Carrefour with my dad and went through it pretty quickly. I heard the movie was coming out in December and wanted to finish it before it came out. It was pretty easy to finish given I was sick and had nothing much else to do!

Cecelia Ahern's debut novel, PS, I Love You, follows the engaging, witty, and occasionally sappy reawakening of Holly, a young Irish widow who must put her life back together after she loses her husband Gerry to a brain tumor. Ahern has discovered a clever and original twist to the Moving On After Death concept made famous by novelists and screenwriters alike--Gerry has left Holly a series of letters designed to help her face the year ahead and carry on with her life. As the novel takes readers through the seasons (and through Gerry's monthly directives), we watch as Holly finds a new job, takes a holiday to Spain with her girlfriends, and sorts through her beloved husband's belongings. Accompanying Holly throughout the healing process is a cast of friends and family members who add as much to the novel's success as Holly's own tale of survival. In fact, it is these supporting character's mini-dramas that make PS, I Love You more than just another superficial tearjerker with the obligatory episode at a karaoke bar.

I really enjoyed it and had not read a novel since the "The Da Vinci Code" years ago. (actually I also read a spoof called "The Da Vinci Cod" but maybe that's not worth mentioning).

I went onto YouTube and looked at the trailer for the upcoming film and was quite disappointed.

1. The book is set in Dublin and somewhere in the storyline they go to Spain for a holiday. The movie is set in Manhattan, New York city and they go to Ireland for a holiday.

2. I could not imagine Hilary Swank playing the lead role of "Holly". I would've liked to see Jennifer Garner or maybe one of the many cute blonde actresses (I can't remember if the book mentioned if she was a blonde or brunette).

3. From the trailer I get a feeling the film leaves out the characters of Holly's siblings, which are one of the things that make the book interesting.

4. Her spouse leaves her letters, in the movie it's tape recordings!

etc etc. But the very spunky Gerard Butler plays "Gerry", the male lead and he is hot! So that's all I have to say about that.



(of course I prefer him without the beard. Ugh. I hate mustaches and beards).

For some reason I have been noticing a lot of hot guys recently. (Yes yes my husband knows, we just joke about it). On Friday when I went to Carrefour and then went back to my apartment, and got out of the taxi, a guy was standing there waiting for my taxi. I had never seen him before but he was totally hot! I was racking my brains trying to figure out which celebrity he really looked like. Then I figured out he looked like Ryan Reynolds from that sitcom "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place".




Thirdly, from The Amazing Race Asia season 2, Marc from the team Marc and Rovilson. He does not look fully Asian, he looks half or maybe that's 'cause he's Filipino (I think? I don't want to read anything about the show in case I find out too much) and I think he is totally and utterly hot! (speaking of which, the host of that show is pretty hot too!)




PS I love you trailer

The rain, the fabric market and Times Square

Part I : Fabric market

Well as if the cold weather wasn't bad enough it started raining this morning! Ah, if there is one thing I despise as much as cold temperatures it's the rain. It's funny because ever since I was fairly young I can remember telling people I hate the rain and they always say to me "I love the rain, I love the smell of the rain." Maybe I'm weird but give me blue skies and sunshine any day!

Back home we are having droughts and water shortages because it doesn't rain enough and everyone welcomes the rain (fair enough). I don't think it rains here that much either (the grass is not that green, or maybe it's just the pollution covering the greenness ;) ) so anyway I've been told that the rain washes away the pollution (if only for a short while) so I guess that's a good thing.

I was feeling particularly gloomy to go with this gloomy weather and finally decided to make my trek out to the fabric market. I have been to both of them and not once have I ever gotten anything made for myself! I was missing out... wasn't I? Anyway I actually wanted to get some cushion covers made for our couch since I've only ever seen hideous patterns in the shops. Well that was easier said than done!

Since they specialize in making clothes they pretty much only sold dress fabrics but in the end I did find a store that sold cotton fabric with various prints, designed for the export market so they weren't too hideous, tacky and Chinesey ;) like the ones I saw in the stores that sold fabric for making bed sheets and quilt covers.

I had been planning to get a nice winter coat made but I was still umming and erring about the colour. I don't look that great in black unless it's black pants or a black top (but not both at the same time), but a black overcoat just makes me look totally blah. I already own a nice dark grey one but that's at home. I have a red wool/cashmere one which I brought from home, and a camel one which I bought in Shanghai last time I came (and I brought it back 'home'!) and my other non wool/cashmere coats/jackets are blue and dark khaki green/brownish colour.

The colour I wanted was white/cream/beige which I think really suited me. But the practical side of my brain kept saying "Noooo, are you crazy?! It's going to get sooooo dirty! esp if it rains, when there are crowds, when the underside of your sleeve rubs against a table or something, etc."

So although I had collected various pictures on the internet I didn't print them out and bring them today because I wasn't expecting to have any coats made today because I still wasn't 100% sure of which colour to get.

So, as I am roaming the three floors of this building (the Dongmen Lu one, not the Lujiabang Lu one) I came across various coats that had almost exactly what I was looking for. I wanted white/beige cashmere with a black trim. I just got this idea into my head and that's what I wanted and to my utter shock and amazement there were samples there with that colour scheme! I saw at least 3 shops with coats in this colour scheme. I felt the fabric and was tempted to try them on but nah.. I was getting sidetracked. Back to cushion covers...

... But wait! What is that? Is that what I think it is? OMG it is the most perfect thing ever. I have to stop at this stall to try this coat on. OMG. The cashmere is so soft and so thick and mega warm (and has an interesting texture to it) and it has a lovely black satin trim on the lapel/collar and black satin covered buttons, just gorgeous. I ummed and ahhed for ages and managed to knock almost 200RMB off the price (don't know if that is good or not) and told her the changes I wanted - double breasted instead of single, buttons all the way up to the top, concealed pockets also with the black satin trim, the vent at the centre back, shoulder pads,... I think that's it. I am very particular. So I pick it up in 10 days time, fingers crossed it (and the cushion covers) turn out!

PS - if you are a fashionista the fabric market is a dream come true. Floors and hundreds of stalls of fabrics in oodles of colours all under the one roof (with escalators and toilets! ha!) Samples at every store of potential creations. Bring your own pictures or view their samples or their books with colour photos. All tailor made to fit YOU and all at a bargain price! Due to the rain and the fact that this market is lesser known and that it was a weekday it was actually pretty quiet (just the way I like it and why I think I got a good price) but I still saw a few foreigners walking around, and walking out with big bags of clothes!

* Shiliupu (ex Dongjiadu Lu market)
Dongmen Lu near Zhonghua Lu

* South Bund Spinning Market
399 Lujiabang Lu


Part II: Times Square

I've been past there a few times but have only been inside twice. Both times I seem to have some kind of bad luck there. The first time I went (about two months ago) I wanted to go to Slice Deli to pick up some pies. While I was there I thought I may as well have lunch there. So I ordered my smoked salmon bagel thing and found a table and got some magazines to read while I waited. I waited, and waited, and waited.. almost 30 mins later (no exaggeration) I was totally starving (think it was almost 3pm) and asked them where my order was. Would you believe they 'forgot' about it and had not even started to make it? I was fuming on the inside be remained calm. They tried to placate me with some home made sweet potato chips. Hmm... Not only that, you are not allowed to smoke inside that cafe and these stupid locals were puffing up like no tomorrow and they let them do this for a while before finally telling them they couldn't or had to go outside.

I had heard of this great bookstore, Chaterhouse which apparently sold a large number of English books. So I went downstairs and checked it out. Large selection? Yeah if you like fiction! Hmm... The only thing I wanted to look at was a Lonely Planet (or other brand) travel guidebook on Japan. They actually had a great selection of English travel books but NONE on Japan. There was one on every single country on the planet but none on the one country I was interested in. I asked the very unhelpful saleslady why and she just said "It's a very popular country." Hmm...

So then I went to Cityshop. After all my time in Shanghai it was the first time I had been to this foreign-goods orientated supermarket. Although this store was quite small I was pleasantly surprised by the range of goods. It even sold Australian muesli bars and biscuits!! Woohoo! I bought some lovely bagels from there and made something out of them and my husband complimented me on them and that's a rarity given how rarely I cook! The reason I am mentioning the bagels is soon to come.

Then I went back to Slice to pick up the pies. They charged a whopping 5RMB more just to have a hot one instead of a frozen one. Why would I go all the way to this deli (pay 55 RMB for lunch which is about the same price as I'd pay for something similar in Australia) and then bring home a frozen pie?? Ridiculous! So of course I had to get the heated ones (esp. given we have no oven at home). They were delicious but too small and expensive I think (typical expat pricing).

Today:

First I went to Zara to see if a bag I saw in the Superbrand Mall store was there as I was still keen on it. I looked over the two storeys and it wasn't there. The only thing I wanted to see and it wasn't there. Actually that's not entirely true. I think the stock must get sold out heaps quicker in the Times Square store as the SBM store had other stuff that I guess was sold out at TS too.

I went to Slice Deli again (glutton for punishment I guess) and ordered something different. I wish I hadn't though. The bread was rock hard and it was cold. Not just the bread, but the fillings as well. Everything was cold. And hard. So hard I could not for the life of me cut it. So I asked them to heat it up for me. So it was better, but still impossible to cut. I actually had visions of something out of a movie - of the bread flying off my plate, across the room, and landing on someone else's table (or worse - their head). Then I realised why, the knife was a butter knife (blunt as anything). I only got through the top layer and then gave up and ate it with my hands.

Then I went to Cityshop to get these fantastic bagels again and they had sold out! I couldn't believe it. The one thing I wanted in that whole supermarket was sold out. They had every other type of bread there, just not the one I wanted - ARGH! OK so I pushed the cute little trolley around and picked up random stuff that caught my eye. Then I went to queue up. There were only two people in front of me (each buying only a small number of goods) so I didn't think it would take long. While the guy in front of me was being served, this man out of nowhere carrying some onions just pushed in front of me and dumped his onions on the conveyor belt.

Ok, ok, ok... another day, another time he may have gotten away with it (especially since he only had one item and I had about 7 or 8) but given my mood, given this crappy weather, given that I constantly have polite Japanese people on my mind.. he was not going to get away with it! I said to him in my very basic Mandarin, "There's a queue you know? Do you think you don't have to queue?" I actually thought he would argue with me but he didn't say anything. He just kinda sighed and huffed and moved back a bit, but didn't give me enough room to actually get my trolley next to the conveyor belt. Hmmm... To my amazement the guy in front of me actually smiled at me and applauded me and said, "What you did was right." I couldn't believe it. Only in China, right?! Ha!

P.S. I can't believe I was wearing 5 layers of clothes today. (it was 14 degrees).

P.P.S. I also went to the Pu'an Road Children's market today to get some socks. Since I didn't bring over that many from home and never wore them during summer, my wardrobe seems to be suffering a major sock shortage. Plus I'll soon need to wear two pairs. This place is the best I've come across for buying socks. There is a store near the entrance. You go down the stairs go in, and turn to the right and it's one of the first stores there that only sells ladies and kids socks. Socks of every description and colour. As much as I like the cutesy ones they are all too short. I just got plain black (how boring). Ankle length, knee-high length, and also some black tights. 7 items for 60 RMB. Now my tootsies are prepared for winter!

Pu'an Lu Children's Market
10 Pu'an Lu near Jinling Lu (and near Times Square on Huaihai Lu)
普安路10号 近金陵路

P.P.P.S Today I came across the friendliest taxi driver ever. I dunno how long it took to get to the fabric market (but it cost me 30 RMB to give you an idea) but we talked the WHOLE way there. Crazy! Me and a taxi driver! He basically asked me all about my family (as every local seems to love to do) - where they come from, blah blah blah. And I asked him where the fabric market stallholders get the clothes made. Cos I was thinking wouldnt it be a lot cheaper for us if we could just go to the factory ourselves and get the stuff made there? He told me that most of the fabric and the factories are located in Suzhou or in the outskirts of Shanghai in the Songjiang area (interesting!) We also got talking about Australia, and wool, and he said he had heard of some tourists who went to Australia (from China) to buy some 'Australian wool' clothes, came home and looked at the tag and it said "Made in China" and felt very very jipped. I told him it may still have been Australian wool but the labour would've been done in China. Baaa!

A Changing Shanghai

When I first arrived in Shanghai I found myself sitting on a train with my mother. A man walked up and down through the carriages selling maps. We bought one and someone sitting near us commented, "Why buy a map? Shanghai is changing every day. Tomorrow the roads will be different."

Of course to a newcomer this comment seemed a bit absurd but what he said was entirely the truth. Shanghai is changing every day at an extremely rapid rate.

Another day I was out with my mother and we were browsing the big Xinhua bookstore in Grand Gateway. I hovered around the English section (very small) and browsed through the books which were not wrapped in plastic. I came across a book called "A Changing Shanghai" and made a note to myself I would buy it later. Well yesterday I finally bought it. It is a fascinating book filled with photos of Shanghai taken 10, 20, 30 years ago and photos of the same places as they look today. I an endlessly fascinated with photos such as these. I already own several books like this about Sydney.

I feel so many emotions (shocked, saddened, confused, excited, happy, strange, humbled, perplexed, amazed) when I look at such photos comparing the same place with photos taken decade/s apart.

I feel sad because I'm a very nostalgic and sentimental person and I always like to have things the way they were and don't really like change. But on the other hand I realise change can be for the better and the Chinese are a tad obsessed with 'progress' and building more and more. One final thing I wanted to say was - in most cases the photos were only taken 10 or 20 years apart whereas in many parts of Sydney you need about 50 years to see some real change. I know that the suburb I grew up on has barely changed at all and most of the houses on my street are still the same (albeit renovated). There have been a few changes over the last 20 or so years, but the really drastic ones happened about 50 years apart.

Here are some pictures from the book:

Hongqiao Road station 1983



Hongqiao Road station 2004



Pudong exit of the Yan'an tunnel 1990



Pudong exit of the Yan'an tunnel 2004



Xujiahui 1990



Xujiahui 2004 (virtually unrecognisable!)





If you are interested in buying it you can get it from any bookstore in Shanghai that sells English language books. The prologue is in both English and Chinese. The cover is silver and there is also a second edition with a bright green cover.