Global Brand Names in Capitalist China

Before I went to China, I wondered to myself what the consumption patterns of the people there would be. Would it be a country filled with low-quality items manufactured in state-controlled industries like in the former Soviet Union? What I found out is that at least in the major cities we visited, China is as capitalist as any other developed country. The rising middle classes as well as the jet-set political and economic elites consume goods, services, and ideas just like their counterparts in North America and Europe. Counterfeit Rolex watches were offered to us at just about every street corner. Copies of designer leather products were also widely available, and buying music or movies on disc, including pirated copies of yet-to-be released Hollywood titles is very possible in China.
King Kong psoter at a grocery store (above) while you can drive your Jeep Grand Cherokee to the Starbucks Coffee and order yourself a tall latte! (below).

You won't miss your favorite soft drinks in China either. Sprite, Fanta, Coca Cola, Diet Coke are all over the place and quite popular. Nestle serves chocolate and other goodies, and I wish I had gone in to see what the IKEA store in Shanghai sells. Underneath the Coke umbrellas overlooking the Bund strip in Shanghai, you can have fresh coconut juice and roasted corn on the cob too.

The Lion King was coming to Shanghai a week after our visit. All four of our tour hosts had seen the Disney movie version of the Lion King. The tickets for a decent seat in the middle of the theatre were going for about $45.

Kentucky Fried Chicken was one of the most popular fast food restaurants I saw in China. So too was McDonalds. Colonel Sanders is depicted with two different beard styles at different locations in China. At McDonalds, the menu included spicy McWings, and a MegaMac sandwich made up of four beef patties to celebrate the soccer World Cup. After 14 days of eating nothing but Chinese food, we were all ready for a good old value meal at McDonalds, and we got it!

I have never been to a Carrefour before, but apparently it is a popular department storein parts of Europe, and I saw a few branches of it during our trip. This one is located in one of the present-day expatriate neighborhoods of Shanghai.

More than slightly disOriented!

I have been back home in DC for a little over two days now, and it feels very strange to be back. I can't fully explain why, but it just feels funny. When I was in China, I had quite a few moments when it seemed surreal that I was actually so far away, in a culture so different. Several times, I thought to myself, "this feels like somebody put me on a bus to Chinatown, and I am not allowed to leave for a few days." Now I am back, and sleeping is the toughest part. I keep waking up, expecting to be in a hotel room in China, and finding myself in my own regular bed throws me off so badly. I dream about China; its sounds, scents, and colors. I dream about the people. I see myself in situations with the members of the delegation I travelled in. It will take a few days to get used to being back. Of course, I can't bring myself yet to go shopping and do any cooking, so I have had only three meals in two and a half days, two of them at McDonalds, and one pizza. There is a Chinese food place down the road from my house, and I am curious to see how long it takes before I go and order food from there.

In short, I am more than slightly disOriented!

Some final pictures from Shanghai.

In the MAGLEV train from downtown Shanghai to the Pudong International Airport with my colleagues from Maret and Bullis.
The 30 km ride took about seven minutes in total, and I felt slightly robbed. I wanted my money back, not because the ride was not worth it (it was), but because it was over before I had even settled into my seat and began seriously enjoying the ride. Oh goodness! Next time I will buy several tickets and simply go back and forth on the high speed train until my heart is contented.

My friends from Sidwell (above), Holton-Arms, and St. Albans (below) enjoy the ride.

On this day, our highest speed during our ride on the train was 431 km per hour. The highest speed I hear about is 265 miles per hour (no idea how many kph).

The Shanghai Transrapid MAGLEV train enters the train-station downtown. Notice the special tracks and the shape of the train.

Farewell to Shanghai ...

We went to a classical Chinese garden on our last full day in Shanghai. It was very ornate and delicate. I especially loved the interchange of water with fish, plants, and stones in the landscaping. The architecture included many doors and windows that frame the space and objects behind them in very interesting ways.

Although China is a big country and siginificant player on the global political and economic stage, the number of foreigners here is still very small. Being a black person still attracts a lot of attention, and I have had to pose for pictures with more than fifty new Chinese friends in the three cities we visited. In fact, after a few days, I quickly learnt to know what a certain inquring gaze on the face of a Chinese admirer with a camera in hand meant, even before they spoke a word. Many are shy, but the message is clear ... "Hello, you look different, I would love to take a photo with you if you don't mind." To which I smile and and simply pose away. I will post some photos of such scenes next week when I get the chance.

I liked this picture at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The honor guard in front of the flag and Chairman Mao's gigantic portrait appeals to my love of uniforms. I also was struck by the fact that while the flag and Mao's image are valuable things to guard, they are just not worth standing in the summer sun and sweating for or risking skin cancer. So, the guards get to stand underneath a nice umbrella instead, and everyone is happy!

We had lunch today at a hole in the wall kind of cafe where local chinese people go to eat, and escaped from the tyranny of lazy-susan-tourist-banquets that we have been experiencing since we got here more than two weeks ago. Shanghai rice noodles with pork, beef, or tripe was the menu, topped with fresh cilantro. For drinks, I tried a 630 ml bottle of beer 'cleverly' brand-named REEB. It tasted like a diluted Corona beer, but is definitely much safer than drinking unobottled water which is 'forbidden' in China.

And finally, we ran once again in Shanghai into some people we had met at the Great Wall north of Beijing about 10 days ago. These friends were part of a teachers/parents/students group from a public middle school in Montgomery County. Small world indeed.

We depart downtown Shanghai this afternoon (Thursday) by the MAGLEV train to the airport. The MAGLEV train (magnetic levitation) is a one of a kind engineering marvel in the world, built on German technology. It looks like many European high speed trains, but floats/flies on a special track at a top speed of about 265 miles per hour. The 30 kilometer ride from downtown Shanghai to the airport takes about 7 minutes one way, which is about as long as my stomach can bear on such an exciting 'roller coaster.' In fact, we heard that now more and more tourists are coming to Shanghai to simply see and ride on the MAGLEV. A return trip will set you back 100 Chinese Yuan, about USD 13 total. I can't wait to ride the train!

What would you like to drink?

I took this picture at the entrance to the Xian Museum of Tang Dynasty History. The weather in this part of China over the summer gets hot and humid, and often rainy too. Average temperatures have been between 29 and 33 degrees celcius, and on some days we had temperatures above 35 celcius. Walking around as a tourist visiting sites and doing some shopping in such muggy weather (like DC on a code red summer day) is not easy. We have been drinking so much bottled water. When I saw this sign, I wanted to ruch straight to Ann's coffee and get something else to drink. If you were here, what drink would you have selected?

PS: TsinGtao (pronounced CHING-DAO) is a popular Chinese beer that I have tried in my time here. Though I am no beer expert, I thought it was pretty nice.

The company you keep ... and travel with.

One of the most rewarding part of this trip is traveling with an interesting group of teachers from whom I am learning a lot. I hope I will continue to keep in touch with them when we get back to DC.

Teachers from Potomac, Bullis, and Maret schools. All the men on our trip.

With a friend who teaches art the the Bullis School. Enjoying the Olympic Statues Competition/Exhibition in downtown Beijing.

No diapers here ...

I took this picture at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Chinese children in general do not wear diapers. Rather innovatively, they wear shorts that cover their buns and thighs, with a convenient slit for other business matters when nature calls. We laughed quite a bit when a little boy came to relieve himself on a waterpond surrounding a tree in one of the gardens at the Temple of the Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian yesterday.

Let me post this and see if I can get another picture up before my time runs up at the internet desk.

We arrived in Shanghai today. It feels very much like New York City. I love it! Can somebody egt me a job here if possible? Just dreaming ...