Mad About Shanghai

Dog License in Shanghai

Ever wonder how a dog licence in Shanghai looks like ?

Scene from a Pet Shop

He certainly look bored.

Photo from Jennifer.

F1 Chinese Grand Prix (10-12 April 2015) - Practice & Qualifying Sessions

It's Formula One weekend in Shanghai !

I bring you some exclusive photos of the practice session courtesy of Mercedes Benz.

 

More photos to come !

Cities Liveability Index 2014

Check out this Cities Liveability Index by the Economic Intelligence Unit. Apparently, Australia is still the most liveable place in the world with Melbourne and Adelaide securing their places amongst the top ten.

Guest Post: 12 Reasons Teaching English in China is Frustrating

A Guest Post by Justin Tiessen

After 4 years of ESL teaching experience, I found that despite many of the perks that come with teaching English, there are also many downfalls. Here is a list I came up with of a few of the day-to-day frustrations. 

If you are living in China and teaching or looking for a tutor, please visit our website www.soufudao.com. 

1) Kids and parents, the "customers", are always right. If little Johnny wants to eat potato chips in the classroom...little Johnny can.

 2) Teachers are more like clowns than teachers. Who wants to be Santa???

 3) School management doesn't know how to… manage.  Have you ever been completely confused as to what they are doing?

 4) Tutoring agencies are taking wayyyyy too much off the top.

 5) Anyone who can speak English can be hired as a "teacher". Experience doesn't have a whole lot to do with it…

 6) Commuting from job to job can be a real drag.   Taxi anyone?

 7) Schools HATE giving you a real working visa. "Permanent tourist” status means you get to go to Hong Kong again...and again.  Who doesn't love Spring Airlines?

8) "Holiday" really means "work extra days later."

 9) Lack of transparency and communication between teachers, schools, and students.

 10) For many of the schools, it is profit before education!

 11) If you are sick, you get to pay the school. Win-win for the school.  Lose-lose for you!

 12) Last buy not least: working on weekends sure ain't fun! 

If you have taught or are teaching in China, you have probably discovered more than one of these to be true. Whether you are teaching at a private school or doing the tutoring hustle, you most likely have experienced the ins and outs and ups and downs.

In an attempt to address some of these frustrations, we created Sou Fudao. It is an online marketplace for tutors and students to connect, and it is free to use!

Check out www.soufudao.com to sign up as a tutor or a student, and say goodbye to some of these unnecessary frustrations!!!

More and More Shopping Malls in Shanghai

More and more shopping malls are sprouting out in Shanghai. And each of them is doing whatever they can to draw the shoppers in. Including this one that has chosen to feature live animals as exhibits.

This is the first time I have seen live piglets in a shopping mall.

Guest Post : Ten Steps to Becoming a Local Lao Wai

China is amazing country to visit, right?

Do you still remember the first time you came to China?

Everything seems different, strange and interesting.

Of course, there are different sights and habits new habits to get used to and a new to learn a new language.

Settling down in any new places takes time and efforts at the very beginning. You may feel homesick and experience culture shock. That is the main reason why we put together this infographic below.

Our writer summarized the top 10 challenges you could face when you first arrive to China. If you have been living in China for a long time, you should have known or heard most of points we mentioned in the infographic. But still we hope the advices still serves as a useful reminder.

Again, thank you very much David for letting us to share this with you. I wish you happy adventure in China☺

Fabric & Tailor Market in Shanghai (V)

I dont visit my regular tailor at Lu Jia Bang Road Fabric Market often. Perhaps once a year.

Each time I go there, I tailor my shirts in bulk, maybe five to seven of them at a go. This way, I get better discounts and sometimes they throw in free delivery.

Because of the number of times and quantity of shirts, I have been there, the owner always instantly recognise me and gives me a "friendship" price.

I made just the trip again. This time I made the mistake of taking the Metro to Lu Jia Bang Road station rather than taking a taxi. Maybe I am not familiar with the directions but it took me more than thirty minutes of walking to find that place!

This time round, he has increased the price per shirt to 125 RMB  (I used to get them for only 90 RMB!). As his workmanship is good and he knows that I would not return if he tries to rip me off, I did not haggle.

A few days later the shirts were delivered to me in plastic wrappings just like new shirts bought from stores. That was a small surprise as they used to just bundle them into a small plastic bag.

 I still recommend them! The shirts do last but the trousers I made with them before doesnt.

If you visit them before, just do the shirts.

For those that are interested, this is the store details:

Da Shanghai MJ Dress (大上海服饰)
399 Lu Jia Bang Road
371, 3F
Tel :02163775856
Mobile: 13524325665
email : [email protected] 

Disclaimer: I have not tried other stalls before. I have no comparison to make.

Check out my other trips to the Fabric Market before. My "history" with them go wayyyyy back:

Fabric & Tailor Market in Shanghai II (Part 1)

Fabric & Tailor Market in Shanghai II (Part 2)

Fabric & Tailor Market in Shanghai III

Fabric & Tailor Market in Shanghai IV  

Medicine Cabinets in Shanghai Wash Rooms

I have been spotting these "free medicine" cabinets in Shanghai. I wonder who actually dare to take and use the medicine given there is such a high tamper and fabrication rate in China.

 

Crowded Shanghai

Spotted this article in Singapore's Sunday Times last week.

And I have always thought Beijing is more populous than Shanghai!