Shanghai China Snippets Observations about living in Shanghai and China in general

It’s [tag]Friday[/tag] so this picture may be appropriate. The photo was sent to me by a friend and I have no idea whether it’s recent, old etc. I don’t feel like taking a taxi to [tag]Hengshan Lu[/tag], [tag]Shanghai[/tag] to check this. It is funny though.

Update: Marc writes that the sign was first put up in the spring of 2005 and he hasn’t seen it lately. It seems I am not really up-to-date….. Let’s just leave it at the fact that recycled news has a little value too, ok, very little

For those of the uninitiated, [tag]Zapatas[/tag] is a bar/disco where male expats pick up/try to pick up [tag]Chinese girls[/tag].

It makes you wonder though how the conversation would go if some of the girls are daft enough to ask one of the “friendly” [tag]guards[/tag] for advice.

Hi, I am not sure whether I am a [tag]prostitute[/tag], can you help me?

………. (feel free to comment and fill in the blanks)

My warranty of my dell laptop is running out and Dell China reminded me of this already a couple of times. Now I do know that they know that I am a foreigner. For those simpletons living in China they actually have an English interface.

The emails they send out have, how convenient, an English subject telling me I should renew. The text in the body of the message is somewhat harder to read as it is in Chinese.

OK, I thought, I can kind of guess what needs to be done, so I went to their website, the English part, and filled in all my details including credit card number etc in order to buy my warranty.

2 days later I receive an email.

Dear Van,

Pls kindly offer me the CVC code of your credit card. CVC CODE of your credit card is the last three digits in credit card holder signature panel which is on the back of your credit card.

Now my surname is not really “Van” it’s “van Xxxxxx” but I am used to that. In [tag]Thailand[/tag] I had the same experience and as the hotel where I stayed had lots of Dutch customers, they probably think the whole population has the same surname.

The rest of the message is rather troublesome. “Kindly offer your CVC code”…. I am sure the rep means well but to me this is a rather big security issue. The cvc code is the last straw needed to really start shopping on my behalf. Shouldn’t they have asked me when I filled in my credit card details in a secured environment?

They replied to me that there are other ways to pay.

You can take your passport to the company windows of the Construction Bank of [tag]China[/tag]

If you see a guy waiving his passport in front of a window of the [tag]Construction Bank[/tag], yeah, it will be me.

Hello, I am an English teacher, How are you?

It’s 15:00 and I just finished my hamburger in [tag]Rendez Vous[/tag]. It’s freaking hot and we’re waiting for a taxi on [tag]Nanjing Xi Lu[/tag]/[tag]Tongren Lu[/tag].

I am fine, thank you, while keeping my eyes focuses on available taxis.

Where are you from?

Slovakia (I intended to say Mars but I decided to behave a bit more and just name a different country)

Ahhh, so nice, It’s part of the European Union, right?

Yes, it is.

Oh, how interesting.

He holds a red umbrella to shield him from the sun and maybe use it to poke it in my eyes later.

Do they use Euro’s?

Today yes, yesterday No. (I am sure by now he must have figured out I am not in a talking mood.)

Taxi’s are still passing by, loaded with the lucky ones enjoying the airco.

Do you know, I collect Euro’s?

(Really I think by myself, what a coincidence.}

Do you have any?

No, and do you mind, I am trying to get a taxi.

Steel is still in short supply in [tag]Shanghai[/tag]. Manhole covers disappear, phone booths, traffic lights and now steel bean art.

Did the metal scrap dealer think one steel bean less doesn’t make much of difference for the real art lover? Did someone just not appreaciate the art?

There are 2 beans left for at least today.

Source: The local gazette
(note: this link has a short lifespan as after a couple of days it will be hidden behind a paid wall.)

It was dark outside when we entered and almost darker when we were inside the Shuffle bar, a new place in [tag]Shanghai[/tag].

Luckily the waiter had a flashlight which was useful for ordering.

We went there to hear The Georgia Sam [tag]Blues[/tag] Band (plus pretending to be still young and into the scene, at least me) and we did hear. (The being young and into the scene part is a past station I am afraid)

On arrival it was playing at such a volume my friend pulled out some paper and throtted it in his ears. The second set, they tweaked the speakers a bit which was very favorable to their playing.

Actually a great blues band and worthy of more listeners than there were. Every night the shuffle bar has live music and most of the performances are free. I like the place. As mentioned it’s pitch dark, spacious and a corona costs you 30 Rmb.

Shuffles Music Bar
137 Xingfu Lu
Tel: +86–21-6283-2769
Open daily
Live Music: Every day, see the website for bands and whether there is an entrance fee

In the [tag]Face bar[/tag]

Tall, stocky man, early forties.

He chats up a young, in her twenties, French girl.

“I work for [tag]KPMG[/tag]”, very short pause, “Do you know them”.

“No, I haven’t heard of them”, slight giggle.

“They are the biggest accountancy company in the world”

In Rendez Vouz

Young Expat [tag]Chinese[/tag] and a young Slavian girl

“Have you told your parents about us?”, she asks

“No, but I told my dad”

“So, not your mum.”

After which I dig into the best burger you can get in [tag]Shanghai[/tag].