There Goes the Googlehood

Today China blocked ALL Google services. To say the least, this throws
a large wrench in the whole blogging thing. But, I will continue to
update via proxies. The Anonymous internet group, seen all over the
world (I have seen them in Berlin), responded. Read their letter at
www.shanghaiist.com . Never forgive. Never forget.

The Fear of Life

It has been a while since I have last updated, and for that I have but one excuse: the Chinese are relentless in their academics. I am feeling it. Three hours of straight Chinese, taught exclusively in very rapid Chinese, followed by three hours of Chinese Management courses makes for long grueling days. Add to that, that last weekend it was 113 degrees at 100% humidity (raining off and on), suddenly paying attention and staying sharp is like "wading through treacle", as Bear Grylls says. I almost titled this post, "Everything Here Breaks." Because, well, my toilet flusher, books, shower, laundry machine, hangers, bamboo apparatus, water bottle, cup, amongst other things have all broken. Doing laundry in China is quite interesting. You must ask yourself only two questions: "Could your load of laundry conveniently fit into a lunch sack?" and "Do you enjoy the prospect of dizzying heights?" If you have answered no to either question, then you may understand why most students opt for the local dry cleaner. While Chinese washing machines are rather straight forward, the drying process is not. Here on the 9th story I was forced to hang my clothes  onto a bamboo pole hanging from various hooked rungs which are suspended 12 feet above the balcony. This is achieved by using a small "pitch fork" like tool to carefully balance a hanger brandishing your clothing item. While balancing your hanger, you must now successfully hook the hanger onto the bamboo pole in the wind while standing on your tippy-toes overlooking a 100 foot fall. Situations like this make me question the concept of fear in China, as fearlessness abounds. No fear of driving your moped down a crowded sidewalk, no fear of walking directly into on-coming traffic to cross a street, no of fear smoking in a pharmacy, no fear of breaking a sewer line onto the road where locals have laid their fruits for today's market. I learned that this deadened sense was responsible for a large amount of the business growth in China during the mid 90's. China only recently began to enforce laws in such matter as anti-trust and proper book-keeping. China's business is guided through a different set of laws known as Guanxi, or what we commonly call "networking" and "building face." Apparently the Chinese judge the worth of something through three steps: its value to social relations, its reasonability, and finally its legality. Banks do not lend money to those without Guanxi. Consequently, unpaid debts result in the nullification of your reputation via a black list. As Dr. Dong so eloquently said, "Not business is business, business is life." Maybe that's why my roommate sleeps in his school clothes. Frodo, my roommate, is a real stand up guy. He is incredibly thoughtful and helpful. When he has to wake up early to catch a bus, he will get both of us breakfast and bring it back. He always denies payment, and I inevitably have to literally force the money in his hand. He won't tell me if he is tired / warm / cold / hungry, and waits on my every queue. It's thougtfulness almost to the point of masochism. So I have stay abreast of his needs. In order to understand Frodo, I must become Frodo. The jewel is in the lotus.... hummmmmmmm.....

The heat, the lack of sleep, the noise, the air, the language, it all seems to be draining me slowly. Sort of like the water in my rusty shower drain. I asked Dr. Dong about Guanxi in regards to the new China. She said, "Everyone should have fear; the fear of life." 

Dime Beer Night

While a few days have passed, the smog sure hasn't. Irony abounds as the only source of color are man-made neon lights, against the once natural backdrop which has now been rendered a dull gray. The banquets are done, and we are on our own for food. Today a menu read, "Work fried bloody noun with marinade chill." We still haven't met our roommates, although we have met all of our potential roommates. The pairing, it seems, is to remain secret to inspire group cohesion. Being Caucasian is tough in China. I am a "Laowai" and am constantly discriminated against in both price and entry. Haggling is a must in downtown Shanghai. Here in the Hongkou district people are typically more down to earth, and prices are fair. Dime beers, a pound of bananas for a quarter, and four dollars for a banquet amongst good company. We went to see a Chinese circus the other night, but it turned out to be a comedy show as magicians, juggling, bubbles, and lasers (courtesy of he "SkyRag 2000" ) all made guest appearances. When asked if I wanted a DVD of the show for Y100, I turned it down, only to hear the price immediately lowered to Y30. Traveling downtown is a pleasure as cab fares run a dollar for a pretty lengthy ride if you take a few people with you. When you finally get to the club cocktails are a staggering three dollars. Yet the combination of such low prices, mixed with the need for haggling will turn you into a nickel-and-dimer that would make even the most frugal American blush. While buying breakfast I realized I had haggled the man down a whole fifteen cents. Outside Hongkou and in Puxi and Pudong the urban sprawl is breathtaking in it's own construct beauty. Somewhere between Bladerunner and Gotham City. Today I saw a man selling chicks in cages for 15 cents while multi million dollar skyscrapers surrounded him, and it was evident that the West has only superimposed itself on China, and had not yet taken root. The humidity is relentless, the air is thick with dust, the traffic is deadly, the restaurants of full of screaming parties, and yet we all can't get enough. The only way I have managed to keep up with the pace is to load myself down with supplies and expect the unexpected. All things here are subject to change it seems.  Classes start of Monday, and I have been constantly taking down notes in order to absorb as much Chinese as possible before then. Until that all begin, wish me luck as I head to Kaiba, a Belgian Beer bar nestled amongst endless bottles of "Reeb" and "Harbin." 

Whore of the Orient

I arrived in Shanghai today, after a 13 hour plane ride with my classmates, and a 40 minute scanning of the hazmat team pictured below. When they came on board it was as if the paparazzi had somehow emerged from the locals all around us, as hundreds of camera flashes went off to capture the event. One man had a temperature, but after further testing he was deemed to be "swine free" and the airplane broke out into applause. We took a bus  to our dormitory and drove through thick thick smog. Imagine if all of New York City decided to fire up their BBQs and laid on some extra wood chips. We meet our roommates on Saturday, so until then we have the room to our own. We have a remote control AC / Dehumidifier / TV as well as a private bathroom with "shower" and western toilet. There is also a balcony with a pretty good view from the ninth floor. All of the program heads are very welcoming and have been happy to assist us. There is a backstreet behind our campus referred to as "Ghetto Lane" by the staff. There are so many faces here that beg for photos, the whole ambiance is what I had always imagined. Where in previous trips abroad I have been swept away by travel brochures and promises of foreign landscapes only to meet multitudes of westernized surroundings, Shanghai has gone above and beyond my expectations. Tonight the streets were filled with people selling live crawfish, random baubles, herbal medicines, sex, and free smells. We ate dinner at a nicer restaurant and had various tofu / chicken / fish dishes. I went ahead and took the first plunge by eating fish cheeks and neck. Now, I think I will get some much needed rest, and relax with a Harbin and Tsingtao. I am trying to post new pictures, however, the Chinese ban is VERY difficult to get around. If you have a Facebook account I encourage you to view the pictures listed in my album on my profile. 

Chinese Firewall

Blogger is being blocked in China, so I will have to use proxies and email based updates in order to blog whilst abroad. This is an initial testing of the email based updates.