Comrades, as we all know, Karl Marx taught us it is not a matter of if the workers of the world will unite, but when and when better than International Workers Day, or May Day. In actuality, May Day celebrations were about as intense as Columbus Day celebrations, aka most people just got the day off and sat around. Still Comrades, as we also know if there was no Communist Party there would be no New China, so some friends and I decided to pay our respects to the Revolutionaries who came before us. Shortly after lunch we started off to the Memorial Hall of the First Congress of the Communist Party of China located in the French Concession neighborhood of Shanghai. As the name suggests, the French Concession was formally under French control so it was a bit easier for radicals and, in the words of Chen Kai-shek, "bandits," like Mao and the Communist Party, to have meetings there. The building still stands as a museum to the early days of the Party. While getting in was free, security was actually quite intense. I would put it at one level below Tienanmen Square level of security and around the level I saw at most of the Republican National Convention in the US. The museum itself is OK, but, unlike many other Communist sites, had signage in both English and Chinese. What is interesting is that the museum split its focus on all delegates to the First National Congress, not just Chairman Mao. I would say the building was comfortable but simple, the nicest things were the museum elements put in after the Communist takeover of the Mainland and a tea set the delegates apparently used. Now I know what you are all wondering, yes they had a gift shop, and yes I did buy a both Mao Badge and a Hammer and Sickle pin. After that, we walked passed Zhou Enlai's, the former Primer of China, old home but we couldn't go in since it was closed for renovations. We than took the subway to dinner. We went to a world famous Pyongyang Korean Restaurant to respect the founders of the Peoples Revolution there. While the Pyongyang restaurants are know for their interesting dinner shows, they are most famous for being owned by the North Korean (Democratic People's Republic of Korea/DPRK) Government. The waitresses and chefs are all imported from the DPRK; apparently the waitresses are the daughters of major Workers Party members and Government officials as waitress at a Pyongyang is a very desirable job. While the food was all authentic Korean it all has a northern flair to it. Many of the dishes were Pyongyang specific, including my Pyongyang Rice in Soup and the Pyongyang Kimchi we got for the table. Furthermore, they do the mishmash of little appetizer things at the beginning of the meal, apparently to show off the vast bounty of Socialist Korea, which I read was a common way for foreigners to eat when touring North Korea. The South Korean guy sitting next to us said that North Korean food is overall less spicy than South Korean food. The food actually wasn't bad, a bit expensive but not bad; the South Korean guy must have liked it since it was his second time there. What is funny is that the Pyongyang restaurant served Budweiser and Coke-a-Cola, in addition to a wide array of Chinese beverages, including wine and beijiu. To be honest, I was a little bummed out by their drink selection, I heard North Korean beer is actually very good and was hoping they had some. Also who ever pays 300RMB, 50USD, for a bottle of Chinese wine is just dumb. To be fair though, they did serve the good for export Tsingtao, not the domestic stuff Ellen's Bar serves/gives away on Thursdays. The meal was just preparation for the main event, a musical extravaganza put on every night at 7:30 by our many lovely Korean waitresses. The waitresses are truly multi-talented, all could play one or two instruments and sing in Korean and Chinese while servicing the customers in Chinese, Korean, and English. The South Korean guy we met could understand most of the songs, he had a few problems with the last song and told us he couldn't tell if it was in Korean or in Chinese. The restaurant was actually more subdued than you think a North Korean place would be. There were no pictures of Kim Jong-Un, Kim Jong-Il, or Kim Il-Sung anywhere and the waitresses avoided singing any political songs. From what I read, public events in the DPRK begin with a singing of the National Anthem, Aegukka, and the red anthem of the current Supreme Leader, now We Will Follow You Only but formally No Motherland Without You or the Song of Kim Il-Sung. The South Korean guy said all the songs with words were about welcome and friendship, which I guess makes sense in context. Comrades, I can report to that the East is Red, and there is Peace at the End of our Bayonets. While some of the bourgeoisie would like to tell you that respecting our Party Fathers and eating with our Korean Comrades isn't fun, they are wrong as they are with most things. So tonight, we all exist to Serve the People and to Defend the Headquarters of the Revolution! Good night and Long Live Chairman Mao!
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Last night, the friend who's house I went to for the second night of Passover ended with with an extra ticket to the hit Brodway musical Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz at the new Shanghai Cultural Center (上海文化广场) in the former French Concession. Even if she didn't have the extra ticket, it doesn't seem to hard to buy a ticket from one of the many ticket scalpers just walking around outside the theater. Major theater productions, like Wicked, will sometimes form traveling troupes to bring their show to audiences who might not be able to make it out to New York's Brodway or London's West End, so the whole cast and a large number of the crew members were foreigners. The whole cast crew was very polished; which I guess is what happens when you have a musical running for as long as Wicked has. Even though we were in China, the whole production was done in English with Chinese subtitles next to the stage. I do kind of feel bad for the guy who had to think of the Chinese names for all of the stuff that appears in the play. Oz, the Great and Terrible, used his magic powers throughout the show to shine a red Laser of Shame down on anyone who is trying to use their cell phones to record the show in direct violation of the laws of the People's Republic of China. A show that was very well produced actually, Wicked has always been know for its great production and Shanghai Wicked was no exception. I was especially impressed the first time the Wizard of Oz appeared as a giant golden head, kind of like he did in the Wizard of Oz film and book. The plot was also interesting. It played things a more morally grayer than ether the Wizard of Oz film or book. I am slightly surprised that Wicked was produced in China because of the plot. If you haven't seen it, it is basically about the government lying to people to keep power. I guess the message wasn't too strongly anti-authortarian and it wasn't too sexy of a show so got a pass. I was a bit less impressed with the songs, they were fun and some of them stick around in my head but I am not in love with any of them. Still I, and many of the local Chinese who went out to see the show, enjoyed Wicked so I guess I could recommend.
As some of you may know, I am a big fan of pirates. I mean, I rooted for the pirates in Captain Philips, I drink rum, and I dressed up as a pirate for Halloween my sophomore year at Juniata. So when I was at TESCO and saw a pirate themed baijiu I know I had to try it. The first think that stood out to me was that the image clearly showed that Western style pirates are the pirates the "piracy" in Piracys is referring too. While China does have its own traditions of pirates and sea bandits that are very interesting, but none of those pirates ever hoisted the jolly roger. The next thing that really stood out was the fact that the name doesn't make sense, piracy can't be pluralized like how the name shows it. I guess the makers were trying to appeal to a Chinese audience who might know proper English grammar, particularly around pluralization since pluralization doesn't exist in Chinese. Next is the fact that there is very little connection between the classic pirates of the Caribbean and beijiu. I am a bit confused as to why this product even exists. I guess it might be an effort from the company, Beijing Zhongmeishengye Biological Technology CO. LTD. to market what is usually seen as an old man's drink to young people since it was cheap (4RMB for the bottle), very alcoholic (53% alcohol by volume according to the bottle), has English writing on it (a popular marketing tool for Chinese companies trying to look quality), and refers to cool Western stuff (pirates). I guess they might also get some novelty sales from weird foreigners who are wondering what Piracys Beijiu can possibly taste like, but with the relatively small numbers of foreigners in China I can't see that being a big part of their business. The two big questions are still, how does it taste and would I buy it again? It tastes like beijiu, though, unlike some beijius, it don't have as strong of an alcohol taste as you would think a beverage that is actually half alcohol would have. I also don't know if I would buy it again, since a significantly larger of beijiu that tastes pretty much the same costs only 10-15RMB, though it won't have any connection to pirates. I guess it is a fun novelty but I don't think I feel the need to buy it again.
I guess butter cookies are now my blogs thing, considering this is my second butter cookies review and two people independently made butter cookies references to me. Since I was still a bit hungry after dinner, I went to ECNU's on campus convenience store to get something snacky. I stumbled across these Floury Premium Quality Danish Butter Cookies and knew they needed a review. I am not sure what the Malaysians thing for butter cookies is ample about, these are the second Malay butter cookies I have tried. I guess Malaysia has a low enough income to make cookies that the Chinese could buy while still being "imported 100%." Unlike the ZEK cookies that reeked of artificial butter, the Floury cookies smelled distinctly of lemon juice. They did have a stronger than average lemon taste to them. Furthermore, while the ZEK cookies looked like what the package showed them to look like, the Floury cookies look very little like the package and several actually came broken. In the words of our new president Donald J. Trump, "sad." While pretty cookies are nice the real test of any food item is taste. These butter cookies actually taste alright and for 6RMB there is not much to complain about. I wish they had a bit more substance though, they just kind of fell apart. Also, all the different shapes had roughly the same texture. Makeing textural differences using the same base butter cookie batter was the reason why I thought butter cookies all had different shapes, according to Floury I am wrong. In conclusion, I guess Floury Butter cookies are alright, I won't be buying them in the US though
A friend of mine from last semester went to Yang's Dumplings in the Global Harbor Mall for some lunch. While Yang's dumplings weren't super dumpling like, they were more xiaolongbao or baozi like, they were still excellent and, for the low price of 19RMB with water, super affordable. I got the basic "Yang's dumplings" and the shepherd's dumplings, my friend got the vegetable dumplings and all were good and tasted quite different. It is important to remember to get some napkins before eating, since, from experance, the hot soupy dumpling liquid goes everywhere. I am not sure why I haven't been to Yang's Dumplings yet, I am also not sure why I haven't tried to get an endorsement deal from Global Harbor considering how many nice things I have posted about them here.
Last night I broke down from my usual 入乡随俗 approach to China and visited the Shanghai Brewery Donghu, a brew pub serving Western style beers and food. An American has a right to a burger sometimes. If you looked at the crowd you would agree, it was about 50% Western, had English speaking staff, and didn't have a Chinese language menu (much to the dismay of the Chinese guys sitting across from me). I had a hard time finding the place since one of the two locations on their website is actually closed for renovations, not like they tell you that one the site. Forntually they opened another branch close by, that they also didn't mention on the website, that I went to instead. They must be doing well to afford two rents in that neighborhood; on my way to Shanghai Brewery I passed a brand new glittery purple Porsche driven by some obviously wealthy Chinese lady. While I normally feel that non-Americans don't really understand hamburgers, Shanghai Brewery at least got the concept, perhaps thanks to their Western ownership. Was it the best burger I ever had? No. Was it the best burger I have had in China? Yes. Did it hit the burger spot? Yes. While the Chinese are (in)famous for their adventurous food, most Chinese beer tastes kind of like Qingdao (except Qingdao because they make a stout). Shanghai Brewery does not stick to this tradition and serve a wide array of beer styles including two different IPAs. I tied both the IPAs, North Star IPA and Donghu White IPA, because I wanted something a bit heavier than normal Chinese beer. The North Star, according to the menu it is named for the stars on China's flag, wasn't too hoppy for an IPA, but was very citrusy. Not a bad beer. The next IPA, the Donghu White, I liked a bit more since it was hoppier, it still wasn't too hoppy since, interesitng enough, it was part IPA and part wheat beer. I kind of liked it actually. The environment wasn't bad, the Chinese don't seem comfortable with the concept of sitting at the bar though which is a bit annoying. I don't believe I could make Shanghai Brewery my bar, even if I lived closer, but I can recommend it for ex-patriots in Shanghai who want some Western quality food with Western style beer.
I was chatting with a Chinese friend about some basic photo editing she was doing when I asked her what app she was using. She told me she was useing Meitu(美图)and encouraged me to try it out. So I installed Meitu on my CoolPad and gave it a try. The closest thing I could discribe Meitu to is if Instagram and SnapChat had a baby app. Meitu offered a wide array of artsy filters and playful stickers. It is also pretty clear I am not the target demographic for this app. Basically every sample photo shown, to tell you what each feature actually looks like, was of attractive young Chinese women. Unlike many Chinese apps though it offers full English support. Meitu also offers a wide aray of look improvement filters that can do everything from enlarge your eyes to make you whiter to remove skin issues. I find it painfully obvious whenever anyone uses the personal improvement features and Meitu was no exception to this, you can just tell form a photo that a good deal of touch was done. The most useful feature of Meitu, at least for me, is the collage feature that lets you combine several photos and a fun background together into one single image. My biggest issue with Meitu is that my cheap CoolPad was pushed to the edges of its ability trying to run the thing, it worked but not well. This may be a problem any photo editing app has on rather weak phones and not a problem with Meitu itself. Still, most Chinese built apps seem to expect that a large number of their users will be using less powerful phones. I guess if I was a female domestic ECNU student I might use Meitu, for me I might just use the photo collage features once or twice before the end of my time at ECNU. After my relative success with the butter cookies, I went back to the little convient store on ECNU's campus to buy some more. This time though I got Franzzi green tea and plum flavored cookies, two significantly more Chinese flavors than butter cookie. Despite the Italian sounding name, these cookies didn't seem to hide the fact that they aren’t imports. From some reading I did in my Globalization & Urbanization Class, many Chinese companies will use English names or English text in their marketing material to make themselves look more high class. I guess because these cookies aren’t imported, each box was about half the price of the Chinese owned imported cookies and about a fourth of the cost of the foreign owned imported cookies. Despite this, I actually liked these cookies more than the imported butter cookies, I guess Chinese producers know how to use green tea and plum flavors better than butter cookie flavor. I found the cookies didn't have a very strong flavor of ether green tea nor plum, while green tea flavoring is often subtle I was expecting a bit more form the plum. The most dominant taste in the cookies was just the taste of hard sugar cookies, not bad mind you but not special. The only strange thing was that the plum cookies had little chunks of what I can only imagine was dried plum in them, while this created a textural difference I don't know if it was the best decision. The other big thing I liked was that the cookies came in small, individually sealed, bags so they stay fresh. Overall, Franzzi cookies aren’t bad so I guess I can recommend them.
Update: Spelling Even though Facebook, and consequently Facebook Messenger, is blocked in China many Chinese still want some type of online messenger system to use, enter WeChat. The vast majority of Chinese and foreigners I have met in China have a WeChat account and use it regularly, more regularly than texting or calling. Even Chabad's Rabbi in Shanghai has a WeChat that he uses to share info about the Chabad House's activates and events. While WeChat has a Facebook wall esk "Moments" page and "subscription" accounts the app is really designed for person to person or group communication. In terms of features I would put WeChat's feature set far ahead of Facebook Messenger's. While Messenger offers a rarely used payment feature as kind of a side thing, WeChat pay seems almost more useful then a credit card in China. Also, WeChat offers voice calling and GPS maps which are both useful features that Facebook doesn't offer. Finally, WeChat has a sticker collection feature, that Facebook doesn't, which is simply far too fun. You will whole heartedly agree with the old adage "a picture is worth 1,000 words" when you express approval for something with a clapping Xi Jinping or showing confusion with a ground hog shouting "啊." My biggest issue with WeChat is that they most probably likely turn over chat logs and metadata over to the Chinese government whenever the government wants it. While for me this is not a problem as I avoid doing anything too sketchy or illegal, it is a problem though for activists who find that the police know the plans they made on WeChat a little too well. If I needed any level of security for my conversation I would not use WeChat. In China, I enjoy WeChat and I wish Facebook would steal some ideas from them. Outside of China, I will only use WeChat to communicate with my Chinese friends in part because of its limited use in the US and in part form its total lack of security. |
AuthorI am a junior at Juniata College spending a year studying abroad at East China Normal University. Please feel free to join my on my journey to China and beyond. Archives
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