Expo part 3: Magazine photography

After a full day at the Expo on Friday, I had to go back the next morning for work. The magazine's next issue is on the Expo, so I had to accompany the photographer to take photos of 45 of the pavilions.

Saturday's attendance hit a new record of over 500,000 people. There really wasn't any point in taking pictures, because there were just way too many people. The loudspeakers kept broadcasting wait times for the popular pavilions (4+ hours for Japan and US, 3+ hours for France and Germany, etc...). The European Square was especially insane. Even the wheelchair line for the Korean pavilion stretched around the block. Imagine if you can: several hundred thousand Chinese people, all doing Chinese things. Snacking on KFC, duck hearts or cucumbers; taking victory pose photos; napping on all of the benches; running towards the hybrid buses that are already packed to maximum capacity.

I don't know how the Expo workers do it. Gao laoshi and I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but I did get to see the Asian and Middle East pavilions, which we didn't do on Friday. We did our best with photos, despite all the people, and now I have a picture of almost every single pavilion...

Some of my favorites (at least the outside, didn't have time to visit the inside). First, the good:

Angola.

South Korea. Their hangul theme was beautifully successful.

UAE. I don't always like Norman Foster, but this one I did.


The bad:
Belarus. This is what you literally get if you give 100 children crayons and told them to draw on a building. Literally.

Pakistan. It's simply a replica of the Lahore Fort. You can't tell here, but the top of the building is a giant Pakistani flag.


And the inexplicable:
Macau. Giant bunny lantern. The architect says it represents childhood memories and Macau's small size but lively spirit. Ok.

Iran. I looked up the English phrase and apparently it's a Persian poem by Saadi. But the English translation...

North Korea. Whoever placed this next to Iran must have a sense of humor...all the other Asian countries are in an entirely different zone.

Expo part 2: All day, everyday...

I have become a huge Expo nerd. I read about it on blogs, follow Expo news, and this whole past week at the magazine office, I've been researching the Asian/Middle Eastern pavilions for our next issue. I know all sorts of random facts about the buildings, architects and about Haibao (the official story is actually a lie, I met a close friend of the designer of the mascot who told me about the original design). I see the event as just a huge branding opportunity for countries, while their talk of "sustainability" and "better life" is mostly just talk. Still, the buildings and designs are why I have spent 20+ hours there already.

My two lovely flagship friends from Nanjing were in town this weekend, so we went to the Expo on Friday. The weather was terrible--grey skies and constant drizzling--but it was perfect for Expo visiting since the crowds weren't too terrible (only 382,100 people!) We were naive enough to think that we could visit the China pavilion...but upon arrival we learned that reservation tickets start at 7 AM and are always out by the time the gates open at 9. We had to be satisfied with taking photos of the enormous red structure from afar.

To avoid the long lines and the inevitable queue rage, we visited not so popular pavilions, like New Zealand, Cambodia, Columbia, and the Caribbean joint pavilions. While none of those were particularly exciting, it was still nice to catch a glimpse of what those countries are about...that is, if you look past the 3D movie hype and ubiquitous claims about sustainability.

We did wait in fairly long lines for Spain, Denmark, and Mexico. We didn't wait at all for Peru, since we told the guard we wanted to eat the restaurant and he just let us right in (expensive food but so delicious). At night, Kamla and Melody went off to see the US pavilion, while Michael and I did France, Switzerland and Australia in record time.

Some photos:
China.

Denmark. The Little Mermaid statue from Copenhagen.

Spain. We waited more than an hour for this one and it was worth it for the giant robot baby that cried bubbles and smiled. Uncanny valley, seriously.

Trash in the French line... trash everywhere.

Switzerland. Michael got us in, because il est Suiss. He couldn't stop laughing at this guy though, because he's apparently so typical Swiss.

Australia. The best Expo movie experience, I highly recommend it.

Japanese corporate pavilion. "Hello, we have Hello Kitty for sale!"

We were so beat by the time we finally got home. And I had to get up early the next day...to go back to the Expo for work.

"City Management"

Chengguan literally means "city management". The chengguan are basically officials who are in charge of cleaning up the city image, cracking down on unlicensed street vendors, etc. They are also notorious for being extremely violent. I've heard about how violent and brutal these guys can be, but the following incident really makes me 难过.

Du Wei and Pepe told us about the 城管 incident they witnessed on Sunday night. They were walking on Nanjing Xi Lu, when a chengguan car pulled up. Five officials jumped out, grabbed a fruit vendor, pinned him against the wall and started violently beating him. One of the officials picked up his baskets of lychee and yangmei and threw them all over the street. The vendor was begging for them to stop, saying that it's his 饭钱 (livelihood) but the officials only beat him harder. Pepe recorded part of this on his phone and it was sickening to watch.

If that wasn't bad enough, people started coming out of the nearby shops and restaurants to 看热闹 (see the commotion, a Chinese favorite pastime). The crowd began picking up the lychee, peeling it and eating the fruit as they watched the vendor beg on his knees. Other people grabbed the yangmei, took them into their shops to wash them--and then came back out to watch while munching on the expensive fruit. Pepe and Du Wei were livid, but didn't know what to do.

The state media downplays the whole "city management officials" issue, but the truth is, the government doesn't want peddlers and vendors on its streets so management officials will continue to act with impunity. Recently Nanjing set down new disciplinary rules for chengguan, but I doubt they will be effective any time soon. They already have such a negative public image that even if they are properly trained and act civilly, people will still side with the vendors.

My neighborhood is devoid of those unofficial night markets, places where people hang out and snack on skewers, places that are social and Chinese. I still remember 3 years ago, us American students would go out for midnight snacks at the stir-fry noodle carts or spicy skewer stands and hang out with locals in their matching pajama sets. A few months before the Expo, we used to buy "fake" books on Wujiang Lu. Those peddlers were giving out their numbers so they could continue to sell from their homes during the crackdown period. But what can fruit peddlers do?

Everyday everywhere, I see the Expo slogan "Better city, better life". But what measures are you allowed to take to make a city better? And whose life is being improved?

Expo part 1

Last night, the Europeans and I went to check out the Expo, since there are discounted tickets starting at 4 PM. Anna and Werner wanted to see a Swedish band playing at the Europe Square and I just wanted to see the buildings.

The site is absolutely huge. We entered from the corporate side and were impressed by two things: the size, and the lack of people. After hearing reports of the chaos at the Expo, it seems like attendance is not going how the planners expected. We went to the GM pavilion where we watched a truly magical 4D film. We waited an hour for it, but it was worth it for all the surprises. Watching Chinese people frantically push their way into the theater even though there are enough seats was also amusing...and irritating. Afterwards we took the ferry over to the Pudong side where all the country pavilions are. Again, all the Chinese people made a mad dash for the boat as soon as the gate opened, shouting "Hurry run!" as if the boat would leave without them.

We only had time to walk around the European Square, which had much more people than the corporate pavilions. As expected, all the bigger countries had fancy pavilions: Spain and its giant wicker basket, Germany and its hulking steel mass (supposedly the program is really interesting), France with its lit-up lattice facade. The smaller countries, like Belarus, were basically just painted boxy warehouses. Romania had a surprisingly interesting pavilion, which is like a giant green apple with a bite taken out of it.

The Dutch Happy Street totally exceeded my expectations. I had to transcribe/translate an interview with John Kormeling, the architect, and his description of his design just sounded unorganized and crazy. Yesterday I got to see that it is definitely unorganized and crazy but in a good Alice in Wonderland meets futuristic carnival sort of way. There are no lines, since people can walk freely through the figure-eight street. The "buildings" showcased Dutch designers' work and there were plastic sheep sculptures you can move around at the bottom. Everywhere around are colored lights and somewhere bells are tinkling creepily. I think it showed many aspects of Dutch culture and design and was incredibly fun to walk through. But not all of the "nice" pavilions had cool programs. Austria's pavilion was pretty boring; they're trying to simulate Austria's beautiful nature, so you get to throw "snowballs" and walk through projected forests and ponds but the effect doesn't match up to the description.

The concert started at 8, with modern Swedish folk music. The band we came to see, Those Dancing Days, was after and they were a lot of fun. Five girls, dressed like they're from the 80's, playing indie-pop. At the end, some crazy American guy got into the seated area and managed to get the entire audience up and dancing. The volunteers who were blocking the entrance were helplessly pushed aside as Chinese guys excitedly ran in (of course, no Chinese girls dance.) It was one giant party.

I am looking forward to going back to the Expo this Friday when some friends come to visit...lots of pavilions on my list.

Going out...for once

I don't go out much, since it's expensive to drink in Shanghai and I dislike getting up late the next day. Loud, crowded places full of cigarette smoke aren't my thing either. But I decided to be social yesterday and actually had a nice time.

Last night, the Austrians and I went to an art opening at Shanghai Times Square. It was very weird. The exhibition is in the shopping mall, and features the works of 15 Montreal artists. A lot of the pieces weren't installed yet, but the exhibition runs only until the 19th. I wasn't really impressed or moved by any of the artworks, but it could have been the setting; maybe if I wasn't standing next to the Gucci store full of Chinese nouveau riche, the art would have made more sense. I did like the white wine they were serving. It was more amusing to look at the types of people at the mall: either supremely rich or supremely covetous of the rich.

Afterwards, I met up with Sue, her husband, and their various friends at Mokko's. The bar only serves sake and soju or Japanese distilled alcohols, which was a nice theme. Barhopping isn't my thing, but we went to Scoreboard and then OZNZ afterwards. I met some very cool people and made some new friends, which I am sadly lacking in...I've become a bit of a homebody in China. Crash course on Shanghai night life.

Of course, I pay for it the next day, when I wake up at noon and realize I need to start my literature review due by night.

Chinese health and beauty

By now, I'm familiar with most Chinese perceptions of female beauty: white skin, big eyes with long eyelashes, thin legs, nice breasts. I've seen products that can help with all of these areas. The most ubiquitous are the whitening skin products; it is nearly impossible to find a skin product that doesn't whiten, whether it's lotion, face wash, or sunscreen. There are plenty of eye makeup products as well as eyelash lengthening treatments, and if that isn't permanent enough, surgery to get a upper eyelid crease. There is a weight-loss tea commercial I see everyday on the bus that supposedly slims every part of your body, including your calves. In Korea you can get calf slimming surgery (where they basically remove some muscles…) And as for breast enhancement, other than the obvious plastic surgery, I once saw a bizarre infomercial for a "breast spray". It costs only 9 yuan but promises to increase bust size from flat to popping out of your shirt. It was the most entertaining thing I've seen.

I haven't really figured out what Chinese guy attractiveness is, although many girls have said they like their men to have an apartment…haha, oh sad but true.

I don't think Chinese people are more gullible when it comes to health and beauty miracle products (then again, they have Chinese medicine…) but I see so many commercials here, so they must have some sort of target audience. Like that diet tea commercial on the bus--I turn up my music whenever it comes on because I hate the ending phrase "不要太瘦!“ (Don't be too skinny!) I don't get it. I just watched a 2 minute commercial on how you can slim down your neck, waist, hips, arms, calves, and face.

As for Chinese health…it's interesting how so many things are still rooted in old ideas. We were talking about Xiao Xu's wife, who is doing the traditional 坐月子 after having a baby. Traditionally, the new mother can't leave the house for a month, eat "cold qi" food, take a shower, be exposed to wind, etc… maybe before modern medicine, these practices helped women recover faster. The modern version of "sitting a month" doesn't have to include no showering, but it often includes not using the tv, cellphone, or going online. I feel like this would just lead to postpartum depression, all the being cooped up inside with your mother-in-law and being made to eat pig knuckles and drink herbal concoctions. Then again, maybe you can have better psychological health and bond with your baby more. I'm sure lots of working moms regret not spending more time with their babies. But Chinese people never bring up that as a reason for 坐月子, probably because talking about psychological health is still a little taboo.

I'm not very convinced by most Chinese medicine practices, especially when I ask people how do they know it works and they reply, "Because we've been doing it for 5000 years!" Ah well. Sometimes peace of mind is the best thing and who am I to take that away?

Smells

I got my wish: summer is here. With the heat and mugginess come the smells. During the winter, to quote a professor, "all the shit is frozen", but now when i walk down the street, all the familiar and often unwelcome smells are back. Just walking home, I smell fried dough (油条), sichuan peppercorns, and 包子. And of course, that unpleasant street smell that is composed of garbage, exhaust fumes, and children's (and probably adult's) urine. Although many China smells are bad, I kinda like it…it's smells like a place where people live. Phoenix smells like desert and concrete, which I also like, but it's mostly sterile.

Smell is especially evocative for me. I've been visiting China since I was young, and some of my strongest memories are the smells. Sometimes I'll encounter them in the States too--like one I can only describe as "construction", which immediately brings me back to my grandparents' apartment complex--and when I do come across them in a different environment, I literally stop in my tracks in confusion. There's also that musty, metro station smell that I find sometimes in the garage in the summer.

One thing I really pay attention to when traveling is scent. Korea was very interesting, because the smells there really transported me out of Asia. For one, a lot of people wore perfume or cologne. Instead of Chinese BO and Chinese old man breath (anyone who knows old Chinese people knows what this is like…), I was surrounded by smells I typically associate with America. I smelled cologne that brought me back to high school prom and waterfront walks in Annapolis. I smelled perfume that reminded me of getting ready for a night out on Mill Ave. But there were plenty of Korean smells too: I remember donuts in the metro stations, fish markets, pickled vegetables, sterile museum.

And anywhere in the world, the combination of beer and chain-smoker breath…decidedly unsexy, but it still makes my heart squeeze painfully, even three years later.

I wonder if anyone else pays as much attention to smell. It probably explains why delicious food is so important to me.

Seoul: shopping and hanok neighborhoods

In retrospect, I should have finished updating my trip while in Korea since the VPN I'm using is getting progressively worse. Oh well...onwards to the last day in Seoul!

On Monday, we went back to Insadong to do some shopping. I was never really into Korean fashion before, but staying in China has changed my views on what is cute. I actually really liked a lot of the clothes and shoes in Korea, but I just settled for buying a handmade ring and a few other trinkets and souvenirs. Next was lunch... we were looking for bibimbap, but the octopus with seaweed and rice was just as good. The only other time I've had fresh octopus was in Mexico... the little suckers on the tentacles do weird me out a little. Sue and I always have room for Korean dessert, so we went to a dok cafe, bought some goodies to bring back to the office, and then split a delicious pot bingsu.

Afterwards, we were trying to find Bukchon, a hanok neighborhood, but got sidetracked by other neat places. We stopped by the Gyeongbokgung Palace. Since most museums are closed on Mondays, we didn't get a chance to check out the museums there, but the grounds were really pretty. My favorite part was probably the totems and jangseung, remnants of the old animist culture. I couldn't tell if the wooden and stone totems were authentic, but I liked seeing those. We then wandered around Samcheongdong, which was a quaint area with some traditional-style buildings, tons of coffee shops, boutiques, and Western restaurants.

The hanok neighborhoods was probably my favorite part, even though it's not exactly a touristy thing to do. We just walked around the narrow, hilly streets, looking at the houses tucked into alleys. There were big kimchee jars on the roofs, teens in their cute school uniforms buying snacks, and ajimas smiling at us as we walked by. All the houses were in really good condition (compared to China...) and I was interested to learn that there is a current debate about how to develop/preserve the area.

At night, we went out to Yeouido, the financial district. Sue and I had some gimbap as a snack, and then we made our way to the 63 Building (with some ice cream in hand, because it's impossible for us to go anywhere without some food...). This was once the tallest tower in Asia--like 25 years ago. I think Shanghai has jaded me because I wasn't impressed at all, except for how clean and shiny everything was.

For late dinner, we met up with Joe McPherson, the food blogger at Zenkimchi. We figured he knew the good places to eat so we had emailed him, and he was nice enough to take us to his favorite pork BBQ place. We had two kinds of pork, which we wrapped in lettuce and sesame leaf with red pepper paste and roasted garlic...mmm. The waitress poured beaten egg in the ring around the grill, which is usually used to catch the dripping oil, and threw in some kimchee and green onions to make a Korean omelette of sorts. We also had makgeoli, which is like bubbly unfiltered sake. Joe was very entertaining to talk to. He's lived in Seoul for 6 years and has had a lot of experiences with food as well as tv production. I learned quite a bit about food politics as well, which I didn't even know existed. Anyone interested in Korea and food should check out his blog.

We got home a little late, but it was a really fun night. The next morning we caught the airport bus to Incheon and headed home.

When we got back to Shanghai, I was actually surprised that I had that slightly relieved, coming-home feeling I get when returning from traveling. Korea was fun, but China is familiar and has technically been my home for the past year. I could read the signs, understand the language, and look around at the Chinese faces with a sense of familiarity. It was the first time that I realized that I can live in China long term--doesn't mean I really want to right now, but I have a feeling I'll be back in this country in the future.

Seoul: Hongdae shops and the museum

Sunday wasn't as busy. We spent the morning at the hostel since we all had work or homework to finish. Sue's friend Keely, who is teaching English on a Fulbright grant, met up with us for lunch. We ended up getting jajangmeon (炸酱面) which is technically Chinese food, but the Korean version was pretty tasty. Afterwards, we got some pot bingsu, which is shaved ice topped with condensed milk, azuki, fruit, and ice cream. With all these delicious desserts and fried street snacks, I'm curious as to how Koreans remain so skinny.

Afterwards, we went to Hongdae, which is a shopping, eating, drinking area. There was a flea market with crafts made by Hongdae University students (apparently the art program there is the best) and I picked up some cute bottle cap cellphone danglies.

We then went to the National Museum of Korea. I really liked spending the rest of the afternoon there and learning a little about Korean history. I've always been a big fan of celadon pottery and now I have a new interest in roof tiles.

Seoul: hanging out with Dr. Park

Yesterday, we met up with one of Sue's old professors, Dr. Park, at the Flying Bird teahouse in Insadong. The teahouse was tiny, with uneven stools, fishtank tables, and chatty songbirds flying freely around the room. I had some hydrangea tea, which has an interesting sweet aftertaste. We sat and chatted with Dr. Park for awhile. He is an extremely small man, at maybe 5'. He teaches at one of the universities and was a lot of fun to hang out with.

He treated us to lunch at a vegetarian place, where you take off your shoes at the door, sit down at the low tables on a mat, and watch as the server brings out 17 small dishes of banchan. I love banchan, so it was nice to try out so many different kinds. For example: apple-egg-potato salad, several kinds of slightly bitter spring greens, glass noodle stir-fry, marinated mushrooms, pickled bamboo, bean sprouts, and of course, kimchee.

After the healthy, filling lunch, we went to Changdokgung (昌德宫), one of the five great palaces built during the Josean Dynasty. I was sad to hear that only 30% of the buildings remain, since a lot of it was destroyed and looted during the Japanese occupation, but it was still a beautiful place. It's easy to see the Chinese influences on the architecture, but it's very different. Korean traditional architecture is much more understated and on a smaller scale, with more big, open spaces. The color schemes are also more muted and layouts of living spaces a little different. We went to the Secret Garden area, which is nothing like Chinese gardens. I'm not sure what traditional Korean gardens are like, but it was extremely peaceful and beautiful. The weather was gorgeous and families were out with their children (no one-child policy here, although low birth rates has become a problem).

Afterwards, we grabbed some coffee and then walked around Namdameng (南大门). Next, Dr. Park took us through back alleys and the vegetable stands, something most tourists probably skip. Next he took us over to Myeung Dong, which is a shopping district full of young people, street food, and international brands. The Myeung Dong cathedral is also there, which is a beautiful Gothic cathedral that has been outfitted with speakers and tv screens on the inside for all the people who go to the services. Dr. Park talked a little about the history of the museum and how it was a focal point during the democracy movements and the only place where police didn't dare go inside.

Dr. Park remained on as our tour guide...taking us to Lotte department store, which is 12 stories of luxury brands. There was a huge line waiting to go into Louis Vuitton. The duty free floor was packed with visiting Japanese tourists. Rich women trying on stiletto heels while boyfriends toted their Chanel bags behind them. Korea is incredibly consumerist. Also, Seoul has its share of ugly skyscrapers. Bad architecture isn't just a Chinese thing.

Dinner was at an Indian place, since Sophie doesn't like Korean food much, but everyone likes Indian food. After some good conversation and tasty curry, we parted with Dr. Park and went back to the hostel with sore feet.

It was a good day and we saw a lot of the city. Today was also busy, but will update on that later.