Is this the Real China?

             Start ‘em young.  The picture above probably horrifies some of you, but its sort of the sad reality of cigarette smoking here in China.  Fortunately the cigarette was not lit, but for most kids it probably wouldn’t make much of a difference because everyone in China is subjected to second hand smoke everywhere and at all times.  For example, our Thursday afternoon Econ class with Ju Heng, which is pretty rough to sit through just to give you a heads up, coincides with our Chinese roommates’ English class.  So we often see each other during class breaks and inevitably, Jackie, one of the Chinese roommates, is perched out “Smokin’ in the Boys Room.”

           The aforementioned example might seem China-like but the next thing makes me question if I’m actually in China.  The International Financial Center Mall (IFC Mall) is one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen.  Every luxury brand you can imagine has gone to great lengths to design these elaborate stores. Below you can see the custom line-up Ferragamo made for China.  And with Cartier watches going for well over 100,000 Yuan (thanks to a 30% tax on pretty much any legitimate good), you’d think the place would be empty.  Well think again, the place is always packed with people who are more than happy to pay those prices.  China’s 1% is a very wealthy market.  In the same token it is funny to see the conflict between “going green” and marketing.  Below is a video of an escalator that only speeds up when it detects someone has stepped onto it in order to save energy.  I hate to be a cynic but it almost seems like why bother slowing down the escalator, when every second the exterior Louis Vuitton light display consumes 10X as much as energy as those escalators!  China is very new money, like yesterday new, and it intends to flaunt it in every way possible.

^Energy efficient escalators at the IFC Mall.

           Also, considering buying a cup of coffee or a snack while you’re at the IFC mall?  Head downstairs to city’super and take advantage of their samples.  I think I had a shot of espresso from the Nespresso display, three cups of tea, two strawberries, peanut butter, almond butter, and the list goes on.  Not only that, you could leave that store with a buzz if you drank all the wine and whiskey samples that they had to offer!  Beyond that, if you’re looking for some organic foods, specialty food imports, and most of all, safe products, its all there, but be warned in advance, you’re going to pay some serious prices.  My jar of organic peanut butter was 92 Yuan, yeah, that’s even worse than Whole Foods.

           Another thing I’ve noticed during my stay in Shanghai is that the Chinese don’t mess around when they are building something.  Wang Kai, our resident director, recently took us to the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center on one of our weekly trips.  It was interesting because on all the model skylines, there was one building that towered over the rest, and I thought to myself, “I definitely haven’t actually seen that building.”  Well sure enough it is the new Shanghai Tower and the Chinese will build it so quickly that they pretty much already consider it built.  Also, one night Saturday night as I was riding by a construction site, I saw that all the lights were still on, and in the background I also saw that the cranes were still moving.  The development going on here really makes you question weather you’re in China or some future world.

^The Shanghai Tower being built.  View from the Thai Restaurant on the top floor of the IFC Mall.

            Another example of two extremes was a trip I recently made with my roommate and his mother.  She took me to the ancient Chinese city of Zhujiajiao, about an hour outside of Shanghai, in the morning and then a luxury shopping center in the afternoon.  I’m still not really sure what China is.

^Releasing fish into the ancient river in Zhujiajiao is supposed to be good luck according to ancient Chinese tradition.

^Luxury good shopping center.

China still is still in touch with its roots in terms of its food though.  I love watching the guys at the noodle shops make noodles with their hands.  Below is a quick clip of the whole process.  You know the guy is pretty good if he gets two or three good “FWAPS!” on the board before he tosses it in the pot.

^Jiaozi and noodle shop on the back street.