Slash of the Titans
How government censors — not audience members — were the most annoying part of my first movie-going experience in China
I am somewhat of a movie buff, yet I waited 18 months to see a movie in the theater in Shanghai. Or perhaps it’s that I waited 18 months to see a movie in the theater in Shanghai because I am somewhat of a movie buff. Let me explain.
Generally an easy going guy, I am the anal retentive movie-goer. I hate when audience members talk. I hate when their mobile phones go off. I hate when they have annoying laughs.
In America, I would choose show times based on when the theater was likely to be at its emptiest. I would choose a seat far away from anyone else. If someone would come in late and sit near me, sometimes I would get up and move.
I figured China would be just about the worst place for a person like me to go see a movie because — and I know I am generalizing here — Chinese people have no problem talking during anything, Chinese people love their mobile phones and the Chinese language comes in two volume levels: loud an louder. The whisper, I’m convinced, is a Western innovation.
06.27.2004, 3:04 AM · Culture, Movies, Observations · Comments (13)
Too rainy for you? Blame the government.
Shanghai summers are hot and humid, sometimes unbearably so. Last summer, the city’s high temperature remained above 95 degrees for a record 40 days in a row. And sorry Shanghai dwellers, summers aren’t likely to get better any time soon, because — as we all know — Shanghai is also one of the most polluted megacities in the world. What little bit of ozone our sky has left will likely be burned away soon. Automobile sales here are growing at a record pace — even though the roads are already overcrowded and the city has about one parking lot downtown — and factory emissions go largely unchecked. Oh, the country is also in the midst of an energy crisis because the government forgot to figure out how it was going to power its economy’s historic growth. Last summer, Shanghai experienced a series of power shortages because too many people were using their air conditioners at the same time.
But, have no fear, people of Shanghai. The government is coming to our rescue. It has a plan to solve all of our problems. The government’s going to make it rain, baby.
06.20.2004, 1:28 PM · News, Observations, Politics · Comments (10)
I smell a rat. (No, actually I see a rat.)
I was just telling someone the other day that I was amazed I hadn’t seen more rats in Shanghai. Or any rats, for that matter. It’s a huge, old, dirty city. There should be rats. There are in American cities, plenty of them. I’ve seen night-vision footage of alleyways in New York City that would make your skin crawl. And I’ve seen rats in southern China — big ones, they travel in groups — so bold they don’t even bother waiting for the cover of darkness. But, in 18 months, I have never seen a rat in Shanghai. Well, not until tonight.
Strange that I didn’t see this rat at one of the outdoor markets, where fruit, vegetable, meat and other assorted remnants are always scattered all over the place. Odd that I didn’t see it in some dark, damp alleyway where restaurants overflow garbage bins with who knows what. Fantastic that I didn’t see the rat in my new apartment — I’m still recovering from the roaches.
06.16.2004, 4:00 AM · Observations · Comments (5)
The eyes have had it
My eyes were filled with tears over the weekend — and no, it had nothing at all to do with a dead president (or the fact that Cecil and I lost to Rick and Luis in beer pong). No, my eyes were watery because I decided to go for a walk.
The pollution is particularly potent right now in Shanghai. And a simple 10-minute stroll from my new apartment to Huaihai Lu had my eyes burning. I imagine it has something to due with the humidity, which has the city in a stranglehold it won’t release until sometime in November. The humidity has Shanghai — and its pollution — trapped. And it’s early June. This is just the beginning.
That Shanghai is polluted obviously is no surprise. It’s the biggest city in the country with the world’s worst environmental record. But Shanghai’s pollution had never made my eyes burn before. Perhaps this is because I used to live 20 minutes from downtown. Perhaps it’s because I’ve never lived in Shanghai during the summer. I don’t know.
06.14.2004, 4:25 AM · Observations · Comments (3)
Commander in Grief
Was cleaning out my desk during the move and found this sticker that was given to me last summer in D.C.
I like it. Thought I would share.
Enjoy.
06.13.2004, 6:27 PM · Politics · Comments (1)
Paint. Fumigate. Decorate.
Or 10 Groovy Songs To Make Love To In Your Late-1970s Communist Bachelor Pad
NOTE: This post was actually started last week — hence the reference to nice weather, which was as short-lived as anyone familiar with Shanghai would suspect — and finished this week. Why the delay in completion? Well, read on. Moving is a pain in the ass.
It’s been a beautiful week here in Shanghai. Blue skies. Low humidity. At times, the air has actually seemed fresh.
Or, I should say, it has looked fresh. Because, during Shanghai’s nicest week of the year, I’ve been stuck indoors. I’ve been painting, cleaning and sitting in front of a computer.
I’m trying to get an apartment ready to live in. I’m trying to finalize plans for my upcoming trip across China. And I’m trying to get the new version of this website ready to launch before I leave.
Oh, and I’m trying to kill a small army of cockroaches, too.
06.10.2004, 5:34 PM · Observations · Comments (10)
The Trip: The details so far
Click map for larger, animated version>>>>>>>>
What: I am planning a cross-country trip of China this summer. I will leave from Shanghai, head northeast toward Heilongjiang and then make my way southwest, eventually ending up in Tibet. I will be traveling primarily by train and bus, whatever is cheapest. I will be stopping in many places and writing many stories and taking many photos for my website along the way.
I will also be doing my best to stay off the beaten trail. I want to go places not many tourists go, see things not many tourists see, meet people not many tourists meet. I’d like to give my readers a glimpse of the “real China” … whatever that may be. So although I will visit some of the famous spots, a lot of my trip will hopefully be spent in cities and villages few tourists ever visit. I’m hitting up my former students at Shanghai University and contacts I’ve made through my website to be my hosts and guides when I stop in their parts of China.
I think this project has a lot of potential. It’s going to be a weird and wild adventure. I encourage you to stop by this website often so you can join me on my journey.
Also, be on the lookout for a brand new design for this website. It will launch sometime before The Trip.
06.08.2004, 7:20 PM · The Trip · Comments (3)