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Shanghai · Dominik Mayer · Products, Asia, Productivity
In the Middle
A friend and I met at the metro station Zhongtan Road, half the way for both of us, and walked through a compound near Suzhou Creek.
This could also be a shot of Paris.
The facility only had one normal toilet which the old lady unlocked for me. The rest were squat ones.
We chose this restaurant and Nanx ordered the food via cellphone. Even though I painted animals and fish I didn’t manage to tell them that we wanted something vegetarian.
Pudong at Night
I’ve never been a fan of the Oriental Pearl Tower on all those Shanghai postcards but standing under the gigantic spheres is an experience. I think I’ll go up to the viewpoint one day. By now, I really like the thing. The lights on the spheres change their color. Pretty awesome.
“Little animals”. The show was closed so we’ll try again another day.
The Bund was not illuminated but you can see a boat with a large screen. According to others it’s driving up and down the river all the time.
Pudong seen from the riverside. You can see the World Financial Center in the background.
Prohibitions and Oriental Pearl Tower.
Downtown Shanghai
At first I thought this would be a mixture of a razor with an mp3 player though it looks more like a vacuum cleaner on this picture:
A Chinese friend told me it definitely is a razor but I still don’t get it.
A chopsticks shop
Lanterns on Nanjing Road
Unfortunately we didn’t eat there. But thanks to my Chinese friend I finally got something without meat, fish, …:
It looks very typical. They also serve these things at school.
This is another, sour one.
And one with meat. But even the none vegeterians didn’t like it.
The soya egg. I learned that it’s impolite to spear something with the chopsticks but I still have no idea how to eat the egg otherwise.
Uniforms
They seem to like uniforms here. For me, they all look the same, a bit unreal, like carnival and it’s hard to say if the person in the uniform is a policeman, a parking lot attendant or the member of a private security company. Yesterday we tried to register at the local police station which was very hard to find because it looks like that:
On my way home from school I went through the old Chinese streets when a ranting man walked towards me. One minute later I think I saw the reason for his anger: A truck and a digger that seemed to tear down one of the old houses or clear away the debris. There was so much police around. Twenty persons or more. And a crowd of Chinese people watching. One of them made some signs with his hands as if he wanted me to take a picture. The others looked at me as if I was very welcome and they were eager to find out what I’d do. I thought why not, stepped back a bit and took this picture before a policeman made me leave:
Cloud Nine Shopping Mall
The first time I’ve been to a Sushi bar. I found out that I’m not that much of a Sushi fan.
Tongji Daxue
Construction site in front of Tongji University. The main entrance is on the left side. The tower in the background is the newest building on campus. Jan wrote about it some time ago.
The International School in the shabbiest building around. We didn’t even find it at first because the sign says something like “gas building”.
Another image you might not find on the Tongji website.
I don’t get the purpose of this building. What is a “National Demonstration Center for Teaching and Learning”? They also have a “Basic Teaching Experimental Building” whatever this might be.
Cats… They’re everywhere.
Hongkou
Old Chinese houses. I think they’ll tear them down to build more compounds. At least that’s what a model in Rainbow City 2 suggests.
The view from my window. You can see the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Word Financial Center in Pudong.
The Mall of Rainbow City 2.
Out of Kabul
First time in another part of Shanghai. No debris, dirt and construction sites. Instead: Nice streets with trees, little houses and great clubs. We’ve been to four of them.
Old Woman
Looking for a room, I visited the apartment of an old woman today. I could rent a room for 1500 Yuan and use bathrooms, kitchen, living room with her and another person that might move in. The good thing: She doesn’t speak either German or English so I’d be forced to learn Chinese. And she asked if I could cook and when I said not Chinese food, she said she could. The apartment also looks very nice and the price is good. But what if someone wants to visit me or I come home late?
For the Record
I’m still alive but very sick. Details of the trip to Shanghai will follow.
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Excitement
“Dominik has no time to be excited about Shanghai.” That was on Wednesday. Now the exams are over and I’m going to move out tomorrow. Still not much time, but there is room for a little excitement.
This Time Next Week
I’ll be aboard Air China flight 962 on my way to Shanghai. I’ll have written two more exams, cleared the apartment I have been living in for the last three and a half years and hope I won’t have to sleep under a bridge when I will have arrived.
Three Weeks
That’s the weather in Shanghai, three weeks before my arrival:
(Image: Google)
I hope it’ll get a bit warmer until then.
Delta M
Four weeks until I have to be in Shanghai. No appartment yet. But a flight:
I’ll arrive in Hongqiao rather than the modern Pudong Airport. It’s nearer and I better get my things to wherever I stay before exploring the city.
According to the lady of the Air China service hotline I may take thirty kilogram to Beijing but only twenty to Shanghai. Different regulations for international and domestic flights. Ok. I thought about sending some stuff by mail. Beijing, Shanghai. That shouldn’t take too long. A Chinese friend advised against it. Hm.
