Despite mydoubtswhether Beijing would pull off a successful Olympics and the controversy over free press, human rights, the Opening Ceremony, and other issues, in my opinion, China hosted an amazing Olympics. The skies were blue, there were large tracks of greenery, the Olympic Green was very attractive, traffic was not a problem, the volunteers were helpful and spoke English, security was present (most of the time, until you hear my friend’s story) but not imposing, the city was clean (almost sterile), the new subway is sleek and modern, and people were friendly and helpful. Everything was very well done, with a few exceptions. Visitors who didn’t speak Chinese were still at a loss when trying to communicate with taxi drivers and average folk. The buses shuttling spectators between venues were overcrowded and no one knew how else to get between venues. But my biggest complaint is the re-sale ticket market. There were a few scalped tickets available but nothing to justify the many half (or more) empty events. Where were all the other tickets? Where were the tickets to the Water Cube? Nonetheless, those who know Beijing, I believe, were all similarly impressed with how well Beijing pulled off the Olympics.
Unfortunately, those changes were not lasting. Despite the fact that the Paralympics are currently going on, the skies have already greyed over, the pollution has returned, and the streets are jammed again. Some of the changes will remain, though: the renovated airport (now one of the largest in the world), the modern, extensive subway lines, the unique venues of the Water Cube and the Bird’s Nest, and Beijingers pride in having hosted such an unrivaled Olympic games.
If you’re curious for more insight into China and reading the blogs of China-based expats isn’t enough for you, also check out NBC’s lessons in Chinese Culture 101. I can’t say I wholly agree with the portrayal, as many are far from complete and give only positive snippets of Chinese culture, but what makes them interesting is NBC’s take on Chinese culture.
I expect that with the upcoming election, China’s continued phenomenal growth, the 2010 Shanghai Expo, the 2010 Guangzhou Pan Asia games, and everything else, we’ll continue to hear a lot about and from China.
Yesterday was my first day attending the Beijing Olympics and was it a busy one! From the brand new but crowded subway to the mega-security lines and then into the Olympic Green, Beijing has impressed all around. After wondering around the Olympic Green, we attended the quarterfinals and the semifinals of fencing (men’s team epee). Later in the afternoon we saw the mens individual archery competition in which the American lost to the Mexican. Finally the Ukrainian won and I got to watch my first Olympic Medal presentation ceremony, live in person!
Later in the evening, I caught the USA women’s volleyball victory over China (on TV) and then we ended the evening at the Holland (Heineken) House, which was good fun.
As of this morning, my plane tickets to Beijing are bought and in hand! I have a place to stay and the promise of Olympics Games’ tickets. Beijing Olympics, here I come!!!
I’ll be in Beijing from the evening of August 14th to the morning of August 19th if anyone wants to meet up. Yay!!!!
As of yesterday all the food & drink vendors and retail outlets in and around Shanghai’s subway stations have cleared out their inventory and closed. No more grabbing breakfast in the subway station for me. They’ve even put tape over the doors to make sure no one sneaks anything inside. Some larger, more established outlets are still running, such as McDonald’s.
How do they decide who stays and who gets closed down?
Do they compensate the stores that are forced to close?
I have a theory about why Americans downplay their culture of hugging when living as expats in China.
In the US, it is customary for female friends who are close or who haven’t seen each other for a long time to hug as greeting or farewell; the same is true between a male and a female friend. (Male friends shake hands.) Friends who are not close, will usually wave or say hi; in more formal situations they may just shake hands.
In the 2 years I’ve been in China, I’ve noticed that American expats whether in Beijing, Shanghai, or elsewhere have completely abandoned this cultural norm.
Americans have adopted the practice of kiss-kiss, or kissing the air while touching first the right cheek then the left cheek. Two girls, and a girl and a guy will do it. (Two males continue to shake hands.) They don’t even need to be close friends, mere friends or familiar acquaintances are given over to the kiss-kiss greeting.
This kiss-kiss greeting is common in Latin American culture and European culture. Notably, French and Italians do 2 kisses, while Argentines and Dutch do 3.
I, as an American expat in Shanghai, have become accustomed to doing the kiss-kiss greeting and farewell to such an extent that when Americans who are in town visiting hug me I am shocked and feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Anyway, on to my theory… My theory is that, largely due to the current administration, because Americans are so hated abroad, we try to diminish our American-ness by adopting other cultural styles. We try to make ourselves seem less American by acting like Europeans or Latin Americans. We attempt to show that we are citizens of the world and embrace other cultures by adopting them as our own, rather than beating them down, much as has been done in Afghanistan or Iraq. Obviously, this more of a necessity and common practice in expat life since daily we seek to be accepted by associates and friends from around the world who are frequently not fond of America. As expats, we are attempting to minimize our American-ness in the presence of a global community and seek acceptance among our kiss-kiss-accustomed peers.
I’m curious to know, if this is just a phenomenon of expats in China, or if this happens among American expats elsewhere in the world. Comments on the expat experience elsewhere and agreements (or not) with my theory are welcome.
As far as whether I like the practice, in some ways I do, as it feels refreshing and somewhat less awkward than the standard American hug. However, sometimes I do miss the benefits and closeness of a hug.
On more than one occasion I’ve been asked: “How do I get from the airport into downtown Shanghai?” While a simple Google search reveals ample suggestions, I will list the options for traveling from the airport to Shanghai and point to my preferred method (taxi).
From Pudong International Airport
1) The Best Way — Take a taxi. Go straight out of the airport, find the taxi queue, stand in it, then show the manager where you want to go. Have your hotel or destination address written in Chinese and English! It’ll cost about CNY160 ($24); make sure the driver turns on the meter.
2) The Most Expensive Way — Arrange ahead of time to have a car & driver (or minivan/bus if there are a lot of you with luggage) pick you up at the airport. Roughly $100 for a car. Similarly, organizing a private guided tour usually means the tour guide, car, and driver will pick you up at the airport.
3) The Cheapest Way — Take one of the airport buses. They range from CNY18-20 ($3) per person, depending on where you’re going. After you get off the bus, unless you’re familiar with the city or very adept at reading Chinese maps, you’ll need to hail a cab and let the driver take you to your final destination. Again, you’ll need the address in Chinese.
#1 - Between Pudong Int’l & Hongqiao Domestic Airports
#2 - Jing’an Temple
#3 - Xujiahui, last: Galaxy Hotel (Gubei/Hongqiao) (and others)
#4 - Hongkou Football Stadium (and others)
#5 - Pudong, Middle Yan’an Road, Shanghai (main) Railway Station
#6 - Many stops including Shimen Rd, Huashan Rd, ending at Zhongshan Park
#7 - Shanghai South Railway Station
Most buses run until 9pm.
4) The Most Exciting Way — Unless you consider the terror of riding a cab into downtown Shanghai during rush hour a thrill, the most exciting way to travel from the airport is to take the Maglev. This highspeed train (270mph) costs CNY50-100 ($7.50-15) per person and takes you to Longyang Subway station. From there you will need to grab a cab or transfer to Subway Line 2 and get off at the stop nearest your hotel. When you get off the subway at either Longyang (Pudong) or elsewhere, you’ll need to take a taxi to your hotel. Make sure you have the address in Chinese!
From Hongqiao Domestic (and in some cases international) Airport
1) The Best Way — Take a taxi. Supposedly the taxi queue at Hongqiao airport has been cut drastically: a waiting time of up to 3 hours has now been reduced to 10minutes (20 during rush hour). Depending on where in the city you’re going, the taxi should be less than CNY50 ($7.30). Have your destination written in Chinese.
2) The Most Expensive Way — If you’re in a hurry and can’t wait in the taxi queue, no matter how long it is, call ahead to have a car and driver pick you up. It’ll cost you about $70.
3) The Cheapest Way — Take the public bus. CNY4-30 depending on which bus you take. After you get off the bus, unless you’re familiar with the city or very adept at reading Chinese maps, you’ll need to hail a cab and let the driver take you to your final destination. Again, you’ll need the address in Chinese.
#1 - Pudong Airport
#2 - North Shaanxi Road
#806 - Shanghai Jiaotong University, Xujiahui, and more
#807 - Jinshajiang Rd, Meichuan Rd (and others)
#925 - W. Zhongshan Rd, Jiangsu Rd, N. Shaanxi Rd, N. Chongqing Rd, People’s Square
#938 - Xujiahui area, ending in Pudong
#941 - Hongxu Rd (Gubei), Zhongshan Park, Shanghai Railway Station
Bottom line is, regardless of which airport you come into or which method you plan to take, make sure you have your destination written in Chinese characters; you never know what might happen. Taxis are readily affordable, but drivers can’t read or speak English, so make sure you can show them something in Chinese. If it’s a small hotel or a hard to find place, have the phone number as well so the driver can call if he’s lost.
This article published this last week on Yahoo, entitled Olympics could be a bust for Beijing hotels, confirms many of my predictions:
China has spent a reported $40 billion on new infrastructure and stunning venues, hoping to impress visitors with a modern city when the games begin Aug. 8. But the lack of reservations could shake the city’s hotel industry, which has more than doubled its five- and four-star hotels offerings to 160 since Beijing was awarded the Olympics seven years ago.
Ha declined to reveal his hotel’s occupancy rate, but he expressed concern over a report last month from the Beijing Tourism Bureau that showed five-star hotels were 77 percent booked, and four stars were at 44 percent.
Well, the occupancy rate was higher than I’d heard, but still not great when you consider,
Some five-star hotels are in good shape — at least during the Olympics — because they secured reservations from Olympic sponsors or Olympic committee delegations.
[…]
“They need to come, and they have no choice to turn back now,” Sander said. “They have put so much money down, they cannot draw back.”
Even all the greedy apartment owners are finding themselves not only without sky high Olympics rentals, but with no tenants at all.
In response to questions about visas,
“Beijingers will enthusiastically welcome foreign tourists,” said Zhang Huiguang, director of the Beijing Tourism Bureau. “But for terrorists and troublemakers, we’ll unite and fight against them.”
I like the use of the term ‘troublemakers.’ China is openly acknowledging they’re not just worried about terrorists but also about protecting their image. As such,
Students have been targeted too, because the government fears they might side with political activists if protests erupt during the games.
Anyway, just read the article, and if you have Olympics tickets (or know someone who does) but aren’t going to use them, I’m already here and I’m happy to buy them from you!
We all know the China visa situation has gotten worse, it is now beyond desperate. Travelers to China, be warned. To start, a few visa stories from friends and friends of friends. One girl I know paid 9,540 yuan for a 6-month, single entry tourist visa–that’s about US$1400. She must really love China. Two other people I know who are transitioning from L (tourist visas) to Z (work visas), would previously have only been required to take a short 2-day trip to HK to do the change over, now they must travel to their home country for at least 5 days to apply at the consulate there. Even then, its not guaranteed; they must bring documentation of previous Chinese visas, apartment lease contract, and temporary residence form with them to the Consulate. For those honestly applying for tourists visas from their home countries, they now need to show proof of round-trip flight tickets and hotel reservations. Given that my friend’s friend is going to stay at her house, she had no intention of booking a hotel–lucky for cancellation policies! Another friend, visa having expired, flew to Hong Kong to get a new one, and what did they give him? 7-day tourist visa–just long enough to pack your things and leave the country for good. (You have to imagine China smugly laughing as the guy walks away from the counter dejected over his essentially worthless visa.)
A guy who was able to get a visa to China, and recently visited Shanghai and Beijing for the first time told me Beijing seemed ’sterile’ compared to Shanghai. Maybe the government has done too good of a job of ‘cleaning up’ the city and also of spreading rumors of terrorists. Neighbors are being told to spy on each other and report if any foreign visitors stay in apartments without registering at the police station. On that note, random checks of foreigners’ passports and visas have started around the country. In one situation, my friend’s apartment complex was on lock-down and no foreigner could come or go without showing their passport, visa, and form of temporary residence.
With everyone having to go home because of visa problems, airlines should be cashing in on expats’ long-haul flights, but with fuel prices rising, airlines are also feeling the pinch. Round-trip tickets from CA to Shanghai or Beijing between now and the Olympics are hovering at $1100, surprisingly reasonable given situation. But traveling to China for the Olympics, and prices start at $1600 r/t, with a stopover in Seoul each way.
With visas agonizingly difficult to get, airline prices rapidly increasing with this, that, and the other surcharge, Beijing hotel occupancy rates hovering around 30-50% for the Olympic games, and the government spreading fears of terrorism around Beijing, you have to wonder, is this really going to happen? The question becomes, why go to so much trouble cleaning up the city, designing spectacular stadiums, and investing in and building gorgeous new hotels, if you’re not going to give anyone visas, while making it such a hassle for them to come, such that hotels are half empty, and the games lack Olympic spirit? Will all the effort for the Olympics turn out to be a huge waste because no one comes?
The only positive news I’ve heard? My friend who works at the St. Regis-Shanghai said her hotel has seen a pick-up in bookings around the time of the Olympics.
I made another video for my job, this time showcasing Spanish language faux pas. Yes, it’s a script and yes, it’s meant to be a joke. The explanation is below.
Girl: Oh, you want me to say it in Spanish. Alright. Bueno. Creo que soy bastante fluida.
ENGLISH: Good. I believe I’m quite fluid.
Error: fluida = fluid, not fluent.
Correction: Fluidez is the correct way to say fluent, not fluida.
Girl: Es porque empecé a estudiar cuando estaba en la escuela, cuando era niño.
ENGLISH: This is because I started studying when I was in school, when I was a boy.
Error: niño = boy, not child
Correction: Joven is the correct way to say young, not niño.
Girl: También tuve muchas oportunidades de práctica con mi vecino en mi cama.
ENGLISH: Also, I had many opportunities to practice with my neighbor in my bed.
Error: cama = bed, not house
Correction: Casa is the correct way to say house, not cama.
Girl: Sé que aún tengo muchos errores. Pero de eso se trata el aprendizaje de un idioma. Práctica, práctica, práctica.
ENGLISH: I know I still have many errors but that’s how it is learning a language. Practice, practice, practice.
Girl: Trato de usar mi Español en todas partes, como cuando estoy ordenando comida mexicana .
ENGLISH: I try to use my Spanish all the time, for example, when ordering Mexican food.
Girl: Me gusta chiquita pechos, chiquita fajitos, con un poco de sabrosos huevos. Mmmm . . .
ENGLISH: I like little (human) breasts, little fajitos, with a small side of flavorful eggs.
Error: Pechos = human breasts, not chicken breasts.
Error: What she refers to as fajitos should be fajitas, a typical Mexican dish of grilled meat served on a tortilla.
Error: Sabrosos huevos can be construed as testicles.
Correction: Pechuga de pollo is the correct way to say chicken breast.
Title: italki.com. Aprenda un idioma extranjero
ENGLISH: Learn a foreign language
Girl: ¡Oh! ¿De verdad? Estoy tan embarazada!
ENGLISH: For real? I’m so pregnant.
Error: embarazada = pregnant, not embarrassed
Correction: Avergonzada is the correct way to say embarrassed, not embarazada. (List of false Spanish cognates.)
As if this could get any more absurd, today I was I was verbally attacked (albeit on the internet) by a Chinese person who was upset that I wasn’t equally outraged at CNN’s coverage of the T_bet situation. He claimed CNN’s coverage was damaging to China’s reputation and full of complete lies.
My response:
1) I haven’t seen any of CNN’s coverage therefore I can’t agree or disagree;
2) I’m not in T_bet, nor have I been following the historical-political situation; therefore, I am in no position to say what is truly happening or who is in the right;
3) I am not the outlet to which you should be expressing your grievances because
a) I already live in China, not in the US,
b) I do not control CNN, and
c) I don’t even own stock in CNN.
4) Perhaps you should be a little more open-minded about the whole situation and try to see both perspectives.
5) Did you ever consider maybe it’s the Chinese media that is telling the lies?
6) Since when did China have a good reputation to begin with in the English-language press?
Perhaps what’s more embarrassing and damaging to China’s reputation is that Chinese people are searching for fellow countrymen’s pictures and information on the internet to hunt them down and throw rocks at their house all in the name of nationalism. (I sure the West can still remember what happened last time a population had feelings of such extreme nationalism (think WWII).)
Maybe the reason the Chinese government maintains the Great Firewall of China and heavily censors the media is not for self-preservation, but to protect foreigners (expats) from the violence and anger that ensues when Chinese citizens don’t like what foreign governments or news media say and do. (That was a joke, by the way.)
P.S. If this doesn’t get my blog blocked in China, I don’t know what will.
They’ve even put tape over the doors to make sure no one sneaks anything inside. Some larger, more established outlets are still running, such as McDonald’s.
In the US, it is customary for female friends who are close or who haven’t seen each other for a long time to hug as greeting or farewell; the same is true between a male and a female friend. (Male friends shake hands.) Friends who are not close, will usually wave or say hi; in more formal situations they may just shake hands.
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