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In recent days, a surprising series of miniskirt boy photos are now passing around many local Shanghai forums.
Indeed, if you saw a guy wearing female cloth walking on the street in the Western countries, you may think it is nothing special. But in Shanghai, even an international city, lady’s outfits by a guy will make people eye-popping. Some may commented guy as having a mental disabled. Read More…
What is ’shanzhai?’ Literally it means ‘mountain village’ or ‘mountain stronghold’ by bandits that were outside of government control, and now it has been making headlines everywhere in China and was assigned a new explanation to knock-off products. A ’shanzhai’ version products refers to products outside of government regulations that are widely spreaded in the numerous fake and knockoff electronics or commodities made in China today. It can also refer to stuffs that are improvised or home-made and are generally rough in both design and function (English equivalent may be ‘ghetto’). Originally the term of ’shanzhai’ is from knock-off mobile phone in Shenzhen, a southern city nearby Hongkong. Read More…
Shanghai is divided by the Huangpu River into two big areas, Puxi, west side of the river, Pudong - east side of the river.
The original Shanghai is only in the west side of the river and the east side was only developed after 1980s. Pudong was regarded as poor and rural area. It is hard to imagine that 20 years ago, Pudong was a completely wild countryside by seeing so many skyscrapers in Lujiazui today.
The interesting thing is you can tell a person is a original Shanghainese or non-original Shanghainese (Ying Pan) by asking him/her a simple question: Read More…
I found an interesting article in the local newspaper about the rules a WDR (mean non-Shanghainese) must know to get themselves accepted by Shanghainese.
1. Madarian is widely used in Shanghai. So don’t worry if you cannot speak Shanghai dialect. But if you want to be accepted by Shanghainese, learning Shanghai dialect is helpful.
2. It is helpful to know some Shanghai traditions. For example, if you want to marry a Shanghai girl, buying a apartment is a must do before proposing. Read More…
Due to its unique location and history, Shanghai used to be the most developed city in China. While Shanghainese were proud of their origin, they also had the sense of superiority over people who are not original Shanghainese.
Shanghainese used to look down on non-Shanghainese not only because they thought they had better life quality, but also they considered themselves as more civilised Chinese because Shanghai was the first city to get in touch with the western world.
This kind of thinking influenced the language used by Shanghainese. Wai Di Ren (means non-Shanghainese) was used always in a negative way. For example, if there was something wrong, Shanghainese definitely claimed it must have been done by Wai Di Ren. Read More…
When I was walking with Linda in a small street near Jiangxi Road, Linda suddenly became speechless:”why why this lady went out with pyjamas and the pyjamas is so worn out”.
Forgive her, it is Linda’s first time in Shanghai. When I first came to Shanghai, I was amazed by the pyjamas culture which is also unusual in other parts of China. I wondered and discussed with some friends both original Shanghainese and non-original Shanghainese to find why?
If you pay a bit more attention, you will find the Shanghainese who wear pyjamas in the streets are always after 40s and the pyjamas they usually wear in the street are very boring two pieces (top and pant) with sleeves. Usually young generations don’t wear them in the streets. Read More…
Today I walked in a Bestbuy store in Super Brand Mall in Pudong. When I was browsing in the mobile phone section, a Bestbuy girl came and asked me if I need any help. When I was talking to her, I took a glimpse at her name badge. Her English name was Apple. Then I went to the Cashier and found her name was Strawberry.
I went to a Starbucks afterwards and found the guy behind the counter called Nothing Zhang. I met the lady from a company called Remember Zhou. How interesting those English names! Read More…
My friend’s son came back from a visit program in China and I asked how he feels about his stay in China?
Everything was great except the food. The Chinese food I had in China was so different from what I had in England. Some foods were really bizzare. I don’t understand why Chinese give bizzare foods to the guests. And one thing I really don’t feel comfortable was when I told them I don’t it, they always pushed me to accept. If I still insisted not to eat it, they laughed and made me think if they made fun of me.
OK, I think this boy has some cultural questions here. Read More…
A 16 years old son of a friend of mine came to China on an exchange program last summer from US. Before he came, my friend prepared some small souvenirs like key rings for him as presents to give out in China. His son complained to him after returning home: compared with the present the Chinese family gave to him, a silk embroidery, his present was too shabby.
I think the shabby feeling is just the boy’s own personal feeling. I don’t think the Chinese family would mind it.
To be honest, I think most Chinese are quite open-minded on this issue, especially a present from a foreigner. Read More…
This Thursday, May 28, 2009 Shanghai Suzhou Creek Dragon Boat International Tournament will be held between Changhualu Bridge and Jiangninglu Bridge. It includes the race, traditional dance show and boat exhibition and traditional food festival. So why not to join and have some fun on the holiday.
Time: 13:00 28th May 2009
How to get there:
Metro Line 3/4, Get off at Zhong Tan Lu Station, take the Exit 3/5. Walk along the Zhong Tan Lu for a few minutes you will see Su Zhou Creek. Or just simply follow the crowds!