11.17.09
Posted in Economy, Law and Order, Politics, Shanghai, USA at 14:59 by SHTig
You don’t actuallyneed to read this. The issue is that the mayor of Baltimore used gift cards not intended for her to make purchases for herself, family and cronies.
Think about it. The sitting mayor of Baltimore is on trial for petty theft.
Meanwhile, while American city mayors are bogging their cities down by committing criminal activities, Shanghai is emerging as world economic center. Well, I suppose Shanghai did have its Chen Liangyu.
Here’s hoping Dixon meets the same fate.
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10.10.09
Posted in Shanghai, Traffic and Infrastructure at 09:46 by SHTig
As reported in Shanghai Daily, taxi rates are going up this month. Flagfall will be 12 yuan/3km, and each additional km will be 2.40. The additional km charge is a big jump up from 2.10 (prior to May 2006, it was 2.00 yuan/km).
Doubt this will change demand much for taxis in the city.
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08.10.09
Posted in Manners, Shanghai, Technology at 22:11 by SHTig
No not from me. I was just there to buy a step down transformer, in hopes that the Bose Companion 5 computer speakers that I just brought back from the States (110v) will work in Shanghai. While waiting for the staff girl to box the transformer, some Chinese guy was throwing a fit at the counter. He was in a total fury – he yelled 15 times at the salesgirl 随便我吗？ (I’m assuming that before I took note of the situation, whatever it was about, the salesgirl had said 随便你.) The irate guy’s girlfriend stood stoic at his side, as did a male Best Buy employee (he was looking on, not intervening or saying anything). The fury man turned around, and upon seeing me, said “damn”, followed by – for good measure of course – “bitch”. The salesgirl disappeared into the back room; 90 seconds later the fury man kicked the counter hard (in his flimsy sandals, ha ha), yelling 人呢 . To my interest, but not surprise, no other Best Buy employee intervened to quell the situation. The salesgirl reemerged with my transformer, and out the door I went.
SHTig’s takeaways — Shanghai is a real pressure cooker, everyone is angry here. And thus, I don’t accept any argument from Chinese friends that the way to handle tough situations is through gentle and retreating words. Chinese people in this city can get harsh in a hurry.
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06.12.09
Posted in Food, McDonald's in China, Shanghai at 13:10 by SHTig
Free coffee every morning from 8 to 8:30am in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and a few other cities. McDonald’s is smartly taking on Starbucks, by offering a full line of coffee varieties at 50% of Starsux prices.
Apparently the free coffee is not boosting McDonald’s breakfast menu sales, but that’s probably OK by maidanglao. Getting the word out is worthwhile. They’ve been supporting the free coffee campaign with TV ads that note the new coffee product line.
I live in downtown Shanghai, and it’s a common to see pedestrians tenderly gripping a cup of Starbucks, green queen logo facing outwards. You never see someone nursing a McD coffee like this. Will be interesting to see if McD’s can break thru the shallow snob barrier.
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05.31.09
Posted in Manners, Shanghai at 13:17 by SHTig
Below is a blackberry message I sent to a friend following a trip on Friday 29 May to Carrefour in Zhongshan Park. The context is we are noticing that Shanghai is becoming more crude and insensitive than even a couple years ago. Editing slightly and posting. “xy” is my girlfriend:
Just the typical shit. I was looking at blenders and the sales kid stood there blocking them, totally oblivious that I was straining to see and purchase the model he was blocking (I had to walk away and come back later to buy it). Was looking at scales w xy and people kept stepping in front of us outta no where to try the scales (not even considering purchasing, just playing around), crowding us out from selecting one to purchase until they left. Women hitting xy w their bags to nudge her out of the way. Girl shoving my cart out of her way even while I was moving with it. Running into an acquaintance who cut in front of us in check out line (no one was behind us, so that was ok), but then jumped back to another line because her friend had already reached the register, and then acquaintance offers for us to cut up to the front of that long line with our stuffed cart. Of course we didn’t go, and it was embarassing that this acquaintance thought she was being kind to us by being so inconsiderate to others. A stray cart came flying down an escalator ramp and nearly hit me. No one said sorry or yelled “hey watch out”. A taxi driver stopped for me and others jumped in. I said in driver window “hey”, he just totally ignored and drove away. Coming into our apt complex plenty of people milling around at entrance, no one helped us w door that requires keying in a passcode from outside or elevator button, just gawked or ignored as our bags were breaking (there were 10 people doing essentially nothing on either side of the security door). That’s just in the last 2 hours.
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04.19.09
Posted in Law and Order, Shanghai at 20:15 by SHTig
This MSNBC story on child abductions in China prompted me to write up a recent experience. Earlier this month, my girlfriend and I celebrated my birthday over Japanese teppanyaki on Nanyang Lu （南阳路) in Shanghai, right behind the Plaza 66 shopping mall and Ritz-Carlton hotel.
We had managed to ignore the old man peering in through the window, beckoning alternately to sell flowers to us, have a glass of our plum wine, or just for a cash handout. But as we headed for the exit at 11pm, the stirring activity outside caught my peripheral vision. I put my girlfriend on notice ~ if they accost us, I’m not backing down.
About 10 steps out onto a road, a boy who looked about 2 and a half (but turned out to be 5) came up begging for money. Shooed him away a few times wasn’t working. Then I froze and looked around. Where the heck is his adult handler? There is no adult. That’s it!
Next thing we both knew, the little boy was hoisted up in my arms. We’ll either find out where the adult is or we’ll walk him to the police station. Either my Mandarin or my muscles are about to get a workout.
Read the rest of this entry »
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02.11.09
Posted in Economy, Money/Banks, Rumors, Shanghai at 20:20 by SHTig
Trying being white and walking into a Bank of China on Shanghai’s Nanjing Road or other commercial center. “Hello, money change, 换钱” is a greeting you’ll get. Usually it’s a passive effort by one of the 2 or 3 dudes in black plether jackets congregated near the doorway.
The last few days, though, I’ve noticed them getting aggressive. On February 5th, I was identified by them well before I got to the bank’s door, and one guy walked along with me giving the standard greeting but with much more urgency in his voice. Dismissing him, but before inside the bank, another guy gave me the same pitch, and actually walked one step with me inside the bank. Once safely inside the bank, I looked out and saw yet another guy pacing around like a caged tiger and clutching a huge stack of crisp RMB notes.
Are they trying to dump their RMB? Do they know something? Is RMB depreciation on the way?
After I completed my bank business – which did not involve “changing money” – I stepped outside and asked one of the guys why they were trying so hard to actively change money. Did they expect the RMB to depreciate? The Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Economy, Industry, Media/Internet, Shanghai, Technology at 19:00 by SHTig
This story on the TMC new website notes that Motorola’s latest round of layoffs will included “hundreds” of Chinese this time. I got a message today from one Shanghai based Motorola employee who received notice of her termination today.
Motorola has been struggling in China for years. The Harvard business school even has a case for its MBA students about the company’s missteps in the China market (mercifully changing the name of Motorola, but that doesn’t do any good for the company’s workers who are out of jobs as of today).
Notwithstanding this, for now, the scene on the street in downtown Shanghai does not reveal obvious signs of economic strain.
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02.08.09
Posted in Food, McDonald's in China, Money/Banks, Shanghai at 14:59 by SHTig
McDonald’s price cut for 4 of its set meals made international news last week in the New York Times and elsewhere. Layoffs are underway, and not just in Dongguan and Shenzhen. Intel is closing its Shanghai plant, laying of 2,000 workers.
Less than a year ago, one of the economic concerns to me in Shanghai was rapid appreciation of the RMB and inflation. Now it seems unlikely that the RMB will gain anything – if it doesn’t actually give up some gains its made since 2005 – and deflation may be on its way? The Coffee Bean chain in Shanghai is peddling its mugs with a promotion of getting a free “cuppa” with the purchase, and the bilingual encouragement of “Don’t let the economy get you down! 不要让经济风暴打垮你”, and bars like the Mexican Adobo offering a daily Economic Recession Happy Hour, with beers for 5 yuan and hard liquor for 7.
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08.06.08
Posted in Laowai, Media/Internet, Shanghai, Travel/Tourism at 14:19 by Nator
I’m a big fan of David Cross, mostly from his work in Mr. Show, and was surprised to find several videos of his travels through China for VBS.tv. The series is called “The Vice Guide to Travel – China”, and Cross is joined by Gavin McInnes. I found three episodes: China, Day in Shanghai, and All American Pies. All are worth checking out. In one episode they watch part of Super Bowl XL between the Steelers and Seahawks, which would mean the trip was filmed in early 2006.
It’s always interesting to see well-known personalities reacting to things the rest of us notice here in China. (I remember seeing a short video of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone on a similar trip a few years back but can’t find any clips online.)
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