Mad About Shanghai

Cool Dog in Shanghai

Here's Renee toying with Kindo.

Handsome?

Shanghai Street Sights - Dogs

What a beautiful (and lazy) dog ! Smart enough to find a napping spot which provide ventilation all round. 

Shanghai Street Sights - Lemonade

Another gimmick ?

Interesting to sell lemonade in milk bottles. 

Guest Post: Top Ten Ways to Learn Mandarin

Mandarin has become one of the most popular language of choice.

There are many ways to learn the language. Why not start with Learn Mandarin Now.

We requested more than 50 bloggers to let us know what's their favourite resources used in learning the language.

We have compiled their extensive feedback in the form of the infographics below.

Hopefully, this would spur you find an easier and more effective way to learn Mandarin !

Visit Learn Chinese: 50 blogger’s top resources for more tips and ideas.

Guest Post by Yang Yang

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 !

Looking For Lost Dog

Not my dog but helping to spread the word.

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.