Mad About Shanghai

Moganshan Road Art Center

If you are into art, like visiting art galleries or taking photos of others at a unique location, I would recommend Mogashan Road Art Center just at the edge of Suzhou Creek, not too far from the city.

The center itself is converted from a some old factories and warehouses. Many of the rooms and offices from these ex factories and warehouse are then converted into galleries themselves forming a maze and labyrinth of offices, residential apartments and art galleries. Some entrances may look small and hidden away somewhere but inside it could be a big and interesting gallery. I visited the place and had a great time randomly entering into different galleries, at different levels, different entrances and different exits.

Though spartan at many quarters, each has its own character and theme. If you feel like buying one or two art pieces, most of them are available for sale. I saw some amateur photographers taking pictures of  aspiring models there too.

After some exhaustive leg work walking around the 50 odd galleries there, there is even a book store for you to buy some related books and souvenirs. The cafe there is a must visit in fact, one of the coziest I have visited in Shanghai.

Some pics from my visit:

 

 

Buying a prepaid SIM card in Shanghai

If you are coming to China on a short term visit, one of the first thing to do when you arrive would probably be  to get a prepaid mobile SIM card.

You would save heaps and avoid that expensive international roaming charges when you make calls locally. Also, it makes it easy and alot cheaper for your friends in China to contact or text you.

The prepaid cards are easily available at news stands for RM100 (about US$14).

To save you the hassle, I would recommend you to buy the card from news-stands or the smaller shops rather from the official telco shop. Let me tell you the reason why.

Sometime back, I needed a prepaid card and as I passed a China Mobile shop, I walked in to get one. I was told to get a queue number. As it was very cold outside, I did not mind waiting a bit more to get away from the treacherous winter. When it was my turn, the customer service officer asked me for my passport, address and other necessary details. I was puzzled and I asked him why this was needed when buying from other shops didn't require one and it was pay-and-go. If this is for tracking purposes it certainly would not be effective as scores of prepaid cards are being sold without being tracked. He didn't have the answer for me but told me this is the process.

Since I was already being attended to, I figured that I would wait.So, I waited for him to print all the necessary documents, the printer got jammed and I waited for him to fix that too. When the documents are ready, I had to sign on several copies of it before I can get my prepaid SIM card.

The entire process took about 20 mins just to get a prepaid card!

So next time, just get it from a news stand. Just pay-and-go. It would take you literally less than a minute.

Chinglish of the Day

Spotted this used car dealer on the way to the city:

Cost of Living in Shanghai

ECA international recently released its findings on the most expensive cities in Asia.

Shanghai ranked sixth and Beijing two notches down in eighth. Personally, I am surprised that Shanghai has surpassed Seoul in terms of cost of living.

Tokyo remains the most expensive city in Asia. 

Heres the top ten. If you are thinking of relocating to Asia, this list would be helpful:

1) Tokyo

2) Yokohama

3) Nagoya

4) Kobe

5) Hong Kong

6) Shanghai

7) Seoul

8) Beijing

9) Singapore

10) Taipei

Read about the survey here.

Interesting Signage

(Pic contributed by Ni)

Gear Upgrade

Oh. Still on the topic of photography, I recently changed my DSLR and compact camera. Both are aging. I guess its the right time for a change.

For my DSLR camera, I upgraded from the Canon EOS350D to EOS500D. The "Live View" and HD movie functions come in handy. I no longer have to carry a compact camera for the odd few occasions I need video functions. Also, I did not bother with buying the kit lens this time and used the 28-135mm lens which I find very versatile and relatively light weight. The 15 MP is of course a huge improvement from the 8MP of the EOS350.

For the compact camera, I changed to a IXUS95IS (10MP) from an IXUS 80IS (8MP) which I feel isnt much of a difference at all.

If you are looking to get a camera,  I would recommend the Canon s90 Powershot which is a somewhere in between the two cameras mentioned above. It doesnt have the heft and weight of DSLR but take relatively good pictures and tucks into your pocket too. Perhaps thats my next target!

Playing with Food

I attended a short half day food photography crash course. The concept was most interesting.

You attend the course in a restaurant. There is a quick thirty minutes talk on what are the best techniques to apply  when shooting food from different angles. They showed some fine examples of good photos with food photos and show you how you can shoot like that.

They would serve a  selection of food in various intervals. You can take as many photos of the served dish as you can, eat it and wait for the next course. In the process,the instructors would go around giving tips to improve your shots and there is a competition at the end to see who took the best pictures.

There was about a twenty five participants.

Man. This is where I realised food photography is so different from landscape, candid or architectural shots.  As you shoot, sometimes in marco mode, everything is shown very clearly. Any hints of pepper, salt, sauces  can be clearly seen. Any "blemish" would be vividly shown on the photographs.

Let me share with you some of the takeaways from the session:

1) No flash

Never apply flash when you take pictures of food. In a photo,the flash kills the texture of the food you take.

2) Light must be coming from behind the dish

Make sure the source of the lighting is coming from behind the food/dish. This is how to make sure the subject (fo0d) gets plenty of light so the photos taken would not be too dark.

3) Organise the food

Make arrangement to the food. Eg. Make sure everything on the plate is in place and neat.

4) Never take the entire picture of the dish

Focus on the part you want to convey a message. Most of the time the most delicious part.

5) Provide balance

For example, if you are taking pictures of a nice burger, dont forget to include the fries in the frame.

6) The photo must tell a story

They make the picture look more delicious!

7) Crop

Take away empty spaces if you are doing post processing

8) Dare to experiment

Play with different angles and arrangements to get the best effect

Have fun shooting and eating!

 

 

Article on Obama's Visit to China

 "Obama in China: Walking the Great Mall". The article gives a brief history of the contexts and intentions of US presidents' visits to China, then frames Obama's visit in terms of political and economic factors. Stevenson details a complex relationship between the countries that he predicts will not be seriously engaged in the events of the president's visit.

Access the article here:

http://www.newgeography.com/content/001193-china-at-60-the-great-wall-mart

Its Snowing in Shanghai !

It started snowing in Shanghai. Just a small trickle in the morning some days ago and for a very brief while.

Anyone encountered the same ?

Advice for First-time Visitors to Shanghai

A guest article by Viking River Cruises

Shanghai, the largest city in China, is an amazing mix of modern and traditional Chinese features. The city is a popular tourist destination known for its historical landmarks, its modern ever-expanding Pudong skyline and its reputation as a cultural and design center. Nanjing Road is often billed as the #1 shopping street in Asia, Yuyuan Garden is a traditional Chinese garden in the heart of the city and the Oriental Pearl Television Tower offers panoramic views of the city. Whether you are visiting Shanghai on a land tour or on a Yangtze River Cruise, you will find that it is a cultural, prosperous city, offering visitors some of the world’s grandest sights.  But, like anyplace, there are things that first-time visitors need to be cautious about.

Shanghai is a fairly safe city; however, the nightclub areas of Mao Ming Road and Ju Le Road can be a bit risky late at night when the establishments close around 2AM.  If you want to see these areas, being aware of the surroundings and keeping to well lit areas is the best way to make sure that you return safely to your hotel at the end of the evening. An even bigger issue in Shanghai is pick pocketing.  On pedestrian boulevards and in outdoor shopping areas, no pocket or bag is safe. Again, being aware of surroundings is the best policy to protect you and your belongings.

Another important thing for first-time visitors to remember is that Shanghai is a very busy city.  When crossing streets, visitors should know that motorists, bicyclists, and motorcyclists will probably not stop for you.  Even walking on the sidewalk is challenging when silent motorized bikes whiz by without warning.  Just keep in mind that pedestrians are lowest on the food chain in China and you’ll be fine!

Unsuspecting tourists can also become the victim of scams. The majority of these scams happen at tourist spots around People's Square, on Nanjing Pedestrian Street and at the Bund. As a rule, the people of Shanghai are very friendly and are always willing to help if you ask them, but they would seldom approach a foreigner first.  Therefore, it is wise to be suspicious if someone speaks to you in English on the street.

Shanghai may be surrounded by huge rivers but it’s plagued with a lack of clean drinking water.  The greatest risk to your enjoyment of traveling in Shanghai is stomach problems caused by low hygienic standards. To minimize this risk, wash your hands frequently; eat only fruit that you peel yourself; and only drink bottled water…you should even use bottled water to brush your teeth.

Shanghai is China's largest city and is situated in the centre of the coastline where the Yangtze River flows through its delta into the East China Sea.  For first-timers visiting China, a Shanghai holiday is ideal; the city's blend of traditional and modern lifestyle allows tourists to enjoy the best of both worlds. And if travelers are aware of their surroundings and take caution to avoid risky situations, Shanghai is the perfect introduction to China for westerners.