Notes on Shanghai
by Bonita Louise on 13/10/09 at 7:30 am
The things I learned after 5 weeks in Shanghai.
- Mandarin is very difficult. It has four tones and the phonetics are very different. Only 5 percent of Chinese speak English. Even if you say a road name for example, in mandarin the chance that you will be understood is minimal.
- Size. Compared to London everything is massive – the cars, the roads, the shops… everything except the people.
- The metro is amazing. Never late and very frequent. In rush hour people don’t hold back – getting on involves plenty of pushing old ladies out the way, shoving people into the sides, holding open the doors in heroic leaps to squeeze on and much screaming and flailing. All in all, very efficient and never boring unlike the good old British refusal to stand within a meter of each other.
- The October national holiday is like Christmas. A week long holiday when hundreds and thousands of moon cakes are consumed, lanterns, flags and lights decorate the streets and everyone parties to the sound of fireworks and processional gun shots.
- There’s a huge expat community. There are certain bars that are obviously made for expats (such as Bar Rouge on the Bund and Barbarossa near People’s Square) full of people who have travelled far and wide, for some reason deciding to settle in Shanghai or are just here until life takes them on to another adventure. Friendly and full of insights on China and with contacts round the world - they’re a great bunch.
- Everything is under construction. Even the Bund and the Jingan temple at the moment; the Chinese are amazingly fast workers though. One day you’re stumbling over old bricks the next you have to dodge round the new skyscraper. Bamboo is used for most of the scaffolding, which is a worrying thought.
- The Chinese love IKEA. Apparently they even stay the night. IKEA for the Chinese is more like an amusement arcade with lots of sofas, beds and kitchen designs to lounge around on, dance in, chat in and read the newspaper on. The cafe is without fail overflowing between 5-8 pm and then to top it off they’ll balance their new book case on the back of a bike to take it home.
- It is very safe. There’s no way I’d ever feel this safe in London and when I was in Tanzania as a westerner I wouldn’t even go out at night unless I was in a group. I think it may be to do with the fact that China still has the death penalty and its justice system is very harsh so people live in fear of the law. Or maybe because I’m a westerner but I’ve left my bag gaping open on the tube and I’ve never had anything stolen.
- They love long eyelashes. I have very long eyelashes and everywhere I go people look and comment asking if they’re fake. Teenagers and young women like to poke them. I’m not sure if I’ve warmed to this yet or not.
- Europe. Many of the Chinese are under the impression that Europe, London and France in particular, are very romantic. Full of mist and men in top hats with a Queen. The men are very polite and (regardless of this Chinese’s fluency) they all argue that their English isn’t good enough to live there yet.
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