Results tagged “observations”

Photos from powerprints, beatdrifter, and David Feng.

We’ve known since arriving in Shanghai that there are two types of waiguoren out there: the ones with the chauffeur-driven cars, portly bellies and a company villa in a hermetically-sealed Jinqiao gated community; and the rest of us. Not that Shanghaiist is bitter or anything, in fact, we quite like the directionless romantic bent of our life at present. Which is why we’re suspicious of labels, such as this one, dug up by John at...

They say the Germans invented the art of bureaucracy but the Chinese perfected it. This may be true if a recently compiled list on Tianya forum is anything to go by — it contains over 3,000 permits/licences/fees a Chinese citizen may be subjected to through the course of his/her life. China Digital Times translates just a handful of them, and as they correctly pointed out, some sound reasonable while others just make you go huh:...

People who have made the news this week

Netizen "fyliumin" has sent in the following vid to Youku.com with the following comment:

Thou shalt not collude on pricing, the regulatory god said unto the Moses of industries in most countries, including China. But the instant noodle cabal either did not hear it or turned a deaf ear. In late July, noodle makers joined forces in raising prices by about 20 percent, and as much as 40 percent for some products.After less than three weeks of regulatory pressure, media assailing and public discontent, the industry backed down, apologized and initiated an across-the-board price cut. Is this a triumph of consumer rights and regulatory protection? Yes ... hmm maybe.

Continue reading "Thou shalt not collude on pricing, says China Daily columnist but fails to hit out at state-owned airlines"

Even a hundred TV-shows cannot hide that something is seriously wrong in the way quality control is done in this country. And yes, there is now a fair amount of China-bashing going on, but that is very well deserved China-bashing. But the question what Mattel, and other companies, have been doing to stop this scandalous export of faulty products is a question that is all too easy ignored. Of course it is awful that millions of American children might be in danger when they bite on their toys, but has anybody already looked after the thousands of Chinese workers who have been painting those toys? They must have been exposed to much higher dangerous levels of lead than any of the children involved... It is shocking to see that Mattel get almost the role of a victim, instead of that of at least a fellow conspirator.

Hhhhhm, Shanghaiist thinks new biz mag "Shanghai Economist" looks scarily similar to another publication on the market – White Rabbits for anyone who guesses which! We'll give you several clues: on the first few pages, it offers a neat little summary of recent news, drawing a line between world politics and economic statistics. Getting warm? Another clue, nearly as hot as this Shanghai day: the writers are anonymous. Still not close? Ok, the real clincher: the title of the other publication is actually contained within this magazine's very own name. Yes! You got it! Candy all round! Shanghai Economist is an “exact” replica of the Economist, from the contents, to the style, to the headers and footers (although not the actual front page – shame on them). Fortunately this monthly magazine is free, unlike the hefty amount levied for its counterpart (wouldn't it be great if they operated by the same ethos in Nanjing Lu's fake market?). But then again, in life you get what you pay for, right?

I turned to several government departments, including the local police station and the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau Yangpu District branch, but no one would solve the problem. I know the residence problem will affect my daughter's whole life, so I still asked authorities for help, but I was shocked by the result. They suggested I send her to an orphanage.

Image from Shanghai Scrap.

We were taking an afternoon stroll down Xiangyang Lu today in our pajamas when we had our first ever encounter with Shanghai's high-tech parking meters. The meters aren't exactly new; according to the Shanghai Municipality website the first were installed in 2005. There were 141 meters at the beginning of the year installed across 22 road sections, but that number is now up to 555.

Shanghaiist has had a string of bad luck in recent months when it comes to locks. Say, for example, the lock on our door which swung closed behind us one Saturday night at 3am and left us stranded outside our apartment with only a towel to cover our modesty (long story).

On our way back from the gym today, we noticed a new big screen (really big screen) TV for advertisements at the Huangpi Nan Lu Metro stop. And yes, we stood there like an idiot and videotaped it with our phone for five minutes. Most of the ads are for the 2010 World Expo, and boy do they make Shanghai seem like a great place to live. Which, of course, it is.

Shanghaiist thinks there aren’t enough cars in Shanghai. The air, quite frankly, is incredibly clean. There’s nary a spot of traffic. And really, couldn’t taxi drivers be more conscientious by honking their horns just a LITTLE more often? Shanghai needs more cars. Definitely. And what better place to encourage additional consumption than the Shanghai Auto Show!

A round-up of BBS posts on the Shanghai metro:
• People's Square concrete drying... and drying... Poster SanNiu British Teacakes noticed yesterday that the yellow metal floor protectors place in front of the glass safety doors on the People's Square Line 1 platform have been moved around as the floor is repaired following the safety door installation process.
• Line 7 to perform "double crossing" of Suzhou CreekThe Metro Line 7 will perform a over-and-under double crossing of the Suzhou Creek south of the Zhenping Rd station. Line 7, a north-south line stretching from the outer Putuo District down to the World Expo site in Pudong, will cross the Suzhou Creek southbound through through a tunnel and northbound over a bridge. This is an unprecedented arrangement for the Shanghai metro system. On its journey, Line 7 will also intersect with Line 2 at Jing'an Temple and with Line 1 at Changshu Rd.
• Rumors say Line 4 to be delayed to 2008Rumors say that the structural engineering of ring line 4 will be complete by mid-2007, and that the installation of equipment and testing will take another full year to complete.

February 19th, 2007: Two-headed baby born in Guangzhou.

We love WiFi — Shanghaiists are sociable folk, and this Shanghaiist in particular has fallen into an easy Sunday routine of catching up on news and email with a cappu and sandwich at local cafés. We like having a “third space” — a local hangout where we can meet up with friends, have the occasional coffee, and wile away the hours. We’ve already mentioned a few recent faves, and celebrate the expansion of free internet across our city as evidence of an emerging café culture beyond the ubiquitous Starbucks.

Why pay for something that you can harness the spirit of PT Barnum to get? Digital Media Group (DMG), the company that runs the LCD screens you see on Shanghai's subway platforms and subway cars—as well as those in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Tianjin and Nanjing—and which aims to use US $30 million in private investment to propel it towards a US $150 million IPO on the NASDAQ next year, is asking you to submit digital photos for use as content on their advertising network channels. Send submissions as 1024x768 pixel JPGs to photo@dmgtv.com for consideration. The call for photos, seen on subway LCDs today, makes no mention of profit sharing or retained copyrights. Maybe Shanghai's many talented photographers will be willing to submit, or maybe not.

Shanghaiist was browsing around on SHExpat Forums yesterday, and came across a thread discussing the loss of one of Shanghai's renowned cheap eating establishments — Turk's.

Because the boss tells them to.

New street signs are being put up throughout the city. They are supposed to be easier to read. But one local official likes not what he sees -- the letters 'R' and 'D'. He thinks "Lu" should replace "Rd" -- this is China, after all. OK, fine ... but why not bring this up before thousands of new signs were printed?

What’s that old Chinese proverb? “If you’re going to change something, just do it bit by bit -- never all at once.”

There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to face the facts — that not every (alpha) dog has his day; that haters gon hate; that open bar doesn’t always mean what you think it means. And that all ABCs just looove Guandii. Well, not this ABC. Sure, one could chalk it up to difference in opinion, or taste in hip-hop, or a simple case of sour grapes (not picking up enough ladies, for instance). But let’s not consider all that. Let’s just nip it right in the bud: In order for the hip-hop “scene” in Shanghai to truly thrive, and blossom into the NBT (Next Big Thing) it so richly deserves to be, ABCs — and everyone else, for that matter — need to stop jocking Guandii so hard.

In yet another example of television wreaking havoc, HAVOC we say, on all of society, the China Daily reports that a boy of 13 has confessed to savagely murdering his cousin, aunt and grandmother in rural Hebei Province. (Why do these things always seem to happen in the countryside?)

There is a new evil in Shanghai. We’re not sure when it arrived, but it’s a scourge. Inflamer of tempers. Destroyer of office equilibrium. Enemy of message taking.

Tips, tips tips -- it’s a word that’s practically flying out of people’s mouths these days. Waitresses at Manifesto ask for it. Receipts from Zentral suggest it. The Westin Brunch includes it without even asking! What gives?

Shanghaiist has a new favorite bar in town, and it’s great. It’s stylish yet unpretentious, has great cocktails, and a killer view. It’s ... Glamour Bar?!? Who knew! Adjoining old Shanghai chestnut M on the Bund, Glamour was once a nice place to chill while waiting for a table, but was easily outshone by the flashy upstarts elsewhere on the Bund.

WARNING: Shallow post alert.

Shanghaiist was looking for a diversion this morning. Something that would hold us back from angrily posting about the fact that AUSTRALIA WAS ABSOLUTELY ROBBED in that World Cup match last night.