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

Occasionaly I get some spam sms. As I can’t read them the deletion process is quick and simple. There are however people who read them, believe them, reply to them and in the end loose money.

Authorities didn’t disclose the nature of the scams, but most involve a deceptive message that results in a bank transfer.

For instance, some people are told they’ve won a prize and need to send money to cover taxes and other fees.

Other victims are warned that someone applied for an ATM card using their name and they need to forward a “security enhancement fee” to prevent possible losses.

Police in Shanghai have stepped up efforts to get rid of these scams by shutting down already 800 numbers. A nationwide campaign has been launched as well.

So, once again, for all those out there.. If it is too good to be true, don’t believe it.

Source: Shanghai Daily – Deadline for …

There is a lot of building activity up here in Shanghai and I have the privilige of experiencing it up close. In previous posts I showed pictures of nearby construction sites.

See the posts Shanghai Construction & Always Building in Shanghai

It’s time for an update. It still isn’t finished as at times they seemed to slow down a bit. Not a big surprise as they the surplus of space results in many emtpy buildings.

One of the official numbers mentioned is of 6 million square meters of unsold space this year. As numbers in China are the same as lotto results elsewhere else I dare to say the numbers are on the conservative side.

Prices seem to go down and the big staring game seems to have started.

Buyers are waiting for prices to fall further, while sellers are unwilling to make additional cuts for fear of fueling the downward spiral.

Source: China Broadcast

The price of metal is still rising.

Apparently a unique incentive for metal scrap dealers in Shanghai to help functional, good working metal become scrap by stealing phone booths, traffic lights, manhole covers and wiring.

Watch where you walk and have your mobile phone at hand.

Picture: Galen Frysinger
Source: Reuters

I read about the photo exposition of Hu Yang before in many media but it wasn’t until today that I thought of writing about it.

I guess the fact that his pages have been spammed into the Delicious Social Bookmarks actually pays of.

The photo’s are worth it though as they give you the chance to peek into the lifes of ordinary Shanghainese.

If you have time, the exhibition runs until October 30. I will definitely go myself.

Shanghai Living – ShanghART H-Space Gallery
Bldg. 18, 50 Moganshan Lu (莫干山路50号).
Entry: Free. Hours: 10 am-7 pm.
Tel: 6359-3923

Just finished reading the story of Gou Li, a working girl at a Lanzhou Hair salon.

It reminded me of the abundance of red/pink hair salons here in Shanghai. The numbers seem to increase, as I see former real estate agencies vacate their small office and being replaced by a fictional hair dressers outfit.

The small rooms consists mostly of 2 or 3 hairdresser chairs, a big mirror, a couch with 3 to 4 half sleepy girls staring bored at a TV and at the back of the room a door to somewhere else.

Source: Zonaeuropa – The Death of a Hair Salon Girl

Shanghai has apparently published an illustrated guide, called “Recognizing Phonies” to help the citizens and visitors to distinguish real beggars from frauds. Although I have no idea whether it’s available in English it will be a sad read indeed.

“Amid the great army of city vagrants, there is a cadre of professional beggars who prey on the sympathies of citizens.” “There isn’t a trick they won’t try.” according to the manual

“We don’t want to discourage people from helping beggars,” said an official with the Civil Affairs Bureau, … “We just want to make sure they don’t get tricked and end up helping a cheat.”

It reminds me of when I was walking on Nanjing Xi Lu with a cousin of my girlfriend. The boy is 10 and saw me giving a kuai to an old woman sitting on the sidewalk. “Those people are bad, don’t give them anything”, was his reaction.

This sums pretty much up the average view of the Chinese towards beggars and from early on they have been told this “wisdom”.

I am sure there will be gangs, frauds etc but a big part of them just don’t have anything, let alone any chance to work. Some kuais for them means food, some kuais for me means not even a cup of coffee.

source: Shanghai Publishes Guide to Spot Beggars