Blogs » Society » The Cheapest Man in Shanghai: On Christmas

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• The Cheapest Man in Shanghai: On Christmas
• Weekendist: Dec 21-23, is Christmas doomed?
• Presented By:
• Top 10 Internet Memes of 2012: The War and Free CGC
• Anhui student axed to death in university library
• Tibetan calendar debunks doomsday rumours (also: logic)
• 20 Percent Of China’s Population Believes The World Will End Today (Um, Really?)
• The Big Badass List of New Year's Eve Parties and Meals for 2012
• Christmas Recipe: Lollipop Bakery's Spiced Apple Cupcakes
• Aji No Kura: An Authentic Ramen Spot
• 1 in 10 Chinese believe the world will end today, survey says
• Panned By Global Times, Will You Nonetheless Watch “Lao Wai”?
• Is 798 Art Zone Destined To Become A Tourist Wonderland?
• Who To Copy In China, Part I. Starbucks.
• Another School Attack: 23-Year-Old Anhui Student Murders Classmate With Hatchet
• Watch: Man pees off the subway platform in Beijing
• Nicolas Anelka out at Shenhua, Drogba to follow suit, sources say
• 'Humans and animals prohibited' printed on Bijie dumpsters, solving homelessness once and for all
• North Korea reports Kim Jong Un voted Time's Person of the Year (he wasn't)
• Photos: Students and parents protest school demolition in Anhui

The Cheapest Man in Shanghai: On Christmas Posted: 20 Dec 2012 08:48 PM PST Date: Dec 15th 2012 2:45p.m. Contributed by: cheapestmaninsh

Weekendist: Dec 21-23, is Christmas doomed? Posted: 20 Dec 2012 08:00 PM PST Let's drop that Doomsday shit puns although every second venue tries to do something "related" to what exactly again? MAO brings us a night of electronic dance madness, and suited to the occasion, Shanghai's enfant terrible of techno parties is back at the Shelter - it's Magic Garden time. On Saturday night, you may find joy in the performance of Swan Lake at SOAC, or the comedy night at the Apartment. If you don't feel like dressing up nicely, however, consider paying Arkham a visit - ugly wins at their ugly sweater party! And on Sunday when finally everybody realized nothing is going to happen, you can have a glimpse of what could've been with the paintings of destruction and despair by Gong He. Oh, and before we forget it: Bar Rouge is spreading some Christmas spirit by handing out presents on Saturday night. How the presents will be given away, by who and to whom? A mystery, but probably not that fat bloke in the Coca Cola dress. And if that's still not enough, head over to our calendar for more. [ more › ]

Presented By: Posted: 20 Dec 2012 08:00 PM PST

Top 10 Internet Memes of 2012: The War and Free CGC Posted: 20 Dec 2012 07:13 PM PST Date: Dec 18th 2012 11:15a.m. Contributed by: cityweekend_sh

Anhui student axed to death in university library Posted: 20 Dec 2012 07:00 PM PST A student in Hefei, Anhui Province, was axed to death in the library at Anhui Medical University, according to the Global Times. [ more › ]

Tibetan calendar debunks doomsday rumours (also: logic) Posted: 20 Dec 2012 06:00 PM PST You know things are getting out of hand with the 2012 doomsday rumours when Xinhua is reduced to quoting Tibetan scholars saying their ancient calendar doesn't predict that the world will end today. [ more › ]

20 Percent Of China’s Population Believes The World Will End Today (Um, Really?) Posted: 20 Dec 2012 07:26 PM PST Surveys and polls are notoriously unreliable in this country, which you might have heard is really intersecting/overlapping parts of four different and very disparate countries — urban China, rural China, rich China, and poor China. Sometimes what's more interesting than poll results is poll methodology, and to that end, we'd like to find out which areas of the country were asked whether they believe the world is ending today, because apparently 1 in 5 people think the answer is yes. A poll conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Reuters asked respondents whether they agree with this statement: "The Mayan calendar, which some say 'ends' in 2012, marks the end of the world." Of the 16,262 adults in 21 countries, 10 percent thought yes. In China, that number is 20 percent. Two in ten (20%) of those in China are in agreement with the statement, followed at the top of the global list by 13% in each of: Turkey, Russia, Mexico, South Korea and Japan. Only 4% in Germany and Indonesia seem to believe the prophecy, joined by 7% in Great Britain, South Africa and Italy. Perhaps the fault is with the wording. Maybe Chinese respondents thought they were taking a true/false test: The Mayan calendar indeed does say the world ends in 2012. I'm no pro, but perhaps a better question would have been, "Do you believe the world will end in 2012, as predicted by the Mayan calendar?"? Interestingly, only 12 percent of Chinese respondents said they "have been experiencing anxiety or fear because the world is going to end in 2012." So: 20 percent says world will end, but out of that 20 percent, nearly half don't give a fuck. Here's the full breakdown: UPDATE, 11:30 am: Discovery News tells us people always go around saying "yes" when confronted with questions of doomsday, and adds: Although this is an interesting poll, don't go reading too much into it. It doesn't represent the downfall of critical thinking or a crisis in society, it just represents the psychology of doomsday fears and the rich tapestry of modern culture. When you have an ancient calendar, superstition and innumerable options as to how the Universe may destroy our planet on a whim, there will be some people that buy into the fear. And here's Reuters: Gottfried also said that people with lower education or household income levels, as well as those under 35 years old, were more likely to believe in an apocalypse during their lifetime or in 2012, or have anxiety over the prospect. "Perhaps those who are older have lived long enough to not be as concerned with what happens to their future," she explained. (H/T Behind the Wall, MSNBC)

The Big Badass List of New Year's Eve Parties and Meals for 2012 Posted: 20 Dec 2012 06:00 PM PST Date: Dec 18th 2012 12:53p.m. Contributed by: cityweekend_sh

Christmas Recipe: Lollipop Bakery's Spiced Apple Cupcakes Posted: 20 Dec 2012 05:30 PM PST Date: Dec 18th 2012 4:26p.m. Contributed by: georgiabarnett

Aji No Kura: An Authentic Ramen Spot Posted: 20 Dec 2012 05:03 PM PST Date: Dec 15th 2012 12:24p.m. Contributed by: katvelayo

1 in 10 Chinese believe the world will end today, survey says Posted: 20 Dec 2012 05:00 PM PST A greater percentage of people in China believe that the world will end today than in any other country, according to a CCTV report. [ more › ]

Panned By Global Times, Will You Nonetheless Watch “Lao Wai”? Posted: 20 Dec 2012 03:30 PM PST "The expat love story gets a film treatment in Lao Wai, a film about East-meets-West love," writes Global Times. That's not supposed to be an endorsement. Lao Wai tells the story of a French IT engineer in Shanghai who falls in love with a local girl, Mei, and together they test "the limits of love in the face of overwhelming cultural differences." The film is French director Fabien Gaillard's full-length feature debut, and it'll be shown tomorrow at Broadway Cinematheque MOMA. GT: The potential of Lao Wai is sadly wasted on the very prejudices, misconceptions and stereotypes about Western-Chinese relationships that a film of its kind ought to challenge. The tale in the film centers on the chance meeting of two individuals in Shanghai – a French I.T. engineer named Paul or "Dabao," played by Gauthier Roubichou, and female Chinese teacher Mei, played by Han Dan Tong. Together Dabao and Mei experience the highs and lows of an intercultural relationship complicated by conflicting cultural instincts and values. Though Fabien said the film was made "with Chinese audiences in mind," the characters often come across as one-dimensional caricatures. Here's part of the film's synopsis on its website: Set against the backdrop of modern China, "Lao Wai" peels back the abstractions surrounding China's rise and its people, offering viewer a truer picture of 21st century China. Exploring themes of betrayal and forgiveness, "Lao Wai" is a love-story in a time of globalization. (H/T Alicia)

Is 798 Art Zone Destined To Become A Tourist Wonderland? Posted: 20 Dec 2012 12:00 PM PST Art has never been the same at 798 Art Zone since the tourists were asked to come. I know it's a cliched, "hipster" thing to say, but it's impossible for any neighborhood to remain the same when daily foot traffic numbers in the thousands and publicists and PR specialists are behind the counter at all the big studios. But are more changes in the future, toward greater commercialization? Wall Street Journal's China Real Time Report thinks so: Beijing wants to turn its famous 798 arts district into a tourism wonderland, with giant water theater and fancy hotels. But the plan faces skepticism from local artists and some in the public over its cost, its impact on the district and the heavy amount of water it will use in a city constantly worried about supplies. Uh-oh. The Beijing government, along with a Hong Kong company, plans to build a new extravagant art center in the 798 area, the former warren of industrial factories that is now home to galleries, studios and some retail. The center would include  with an aquatic theater, a gallery, a stage for laser shows, a luxury hotel and apartments and centers that trade and authenticate work of art. The project will kick off its first phase in early 2013 and finish within two years. "This art center will reply on the talent advantage of the current 798 district," said the Beijing state-owned Culture Assets Supervision and Managing Office in a written statement. "It will incorporate performance, display, communication and trading into an international culture entity with Chinese elements." The piece features your standard quote from Ai Weiwei, described as "a prominent Chinese artist." Go check out the article anyway. Billions for Beijing's 798 (WSJ)

Who To Copy In China, Part I. Starbucks. Posted: 20 Dec 2012 10:52 AM PST Lawyers copy.  Let me expound on that.  Lawyers proudly copy.  If I am writing a joint venture agreement on a coal mine in Western China, the first thing I will do is send out an email to everyone in my office asking for our most recent China joint venture agreements, preferably involving a mining operation, even better if it involves coal mining.  I will also go online to various specialized law sites and run a google search seeking out China joint venture agreements involving coal mines.  And hey, believe me, if I see some good provisions in any of those, I will co-opt them (and seek to improve them) for the joint venture agreement I am doing. This is what lawyers do. And this is what I have done in running my law business.  I do not have an MBA and I do not have time to read MBA type books to get the equivalent of one on the cheap.  So I borrow from what I read/hear and like.  I read once about how Ford Motor Company emphasized standardization because it saves time and money in that it allows for familiarity and swapping out.  All of the desks in our firm are the same.  All of the desk chairs are the same.  All of the guest chairs are the same.  Everyone has either a MacBook Air or a MacPro Desktop or both and an iPhone.  This means if someone forgets a cord or a cord breaks or whatever, we are covered. I have a tendency to do the same with China.  I see who is succeeding and figure that they are to be emulated.  Despite its recent blip, I still border-line worship what KFC has done in China. I marvel at its ability to provide decent and safe and cheap food at a profit throughout China. That is no small feat and I assume KFC is doing a lot of things right. And if I were to start a fast food company in China, I would read as much as I could about how KFC did and does it, rather than try to re-invent the wheel. I used to write a lot about individual companies in China, back when newspapers and magazines contained a lot more than they do now in the way of articles setting forth what various companies had done to succeed in China.  I loved those posts because I always have figured that one can learn more (and better copy) from specific examples than from bromides on how to do things.  I am labelling this post "Part 1″ because I am planning on this being the first in a long running and irregular series of posts highlighting China success stories/who to copy in China. So I was delighted to see on my Facebook today that my friend, Ben Shobert, just came out with a two part interview series with with Marie Han Silloway, Starbucks China's chief of marketing. Starbucks is succeeding in China in many ways.  They are profitable and they are constantly growing. Their stores feel very much like a Starbucks anywhere, and yet they also have Chinese characteristics.  Amazing to me is that their service is so good and pretty much matches the service of Starbucks in more service-oriented countries like Japan and the United States.  In other words, if you doing business in China or thinking of doing business in China, Starbucks would be a good company to copy.  And for that, I recommend you read Will China be Starbucks' Cup of Tea and Will China be Starbucks' Cup of Tea, Part 2. Read 'em and learn. What do you think?

Another School Attack: 23-Year-Old Anhui Student Murders Classmate With Hatchet Posted: 20 Dec 2012 09:07 AM PST Details are sparse, but around 7:45 am today, according to Xinhua, a student surnamed Hu killed a classmate, surnamed Tan, on the sixth-floor library of Anhui Medical University. Another article speculates that the incident was instigated by either a dispute over a seat or an "emotional dispute." According to one eyewitness, Hu and Tan had chatted many times before about a certain girl, who later sought out Tan. Before the attack, Hu and Tan engaged in a verbal confrontation. Hu then picked up a fire-fighting hatchet and, despite pleas from those nearby, hacked Tan to death. Both the attacker and victim were 23-year-old seniors at the Hefei, Anhui province university. Hu was a clinical medicine major, while Tan majored in biomedical engineering. Hu has been detained by police, and the situation is being investigated. UPDATE, 12:43 pm:

Watch: Man pees off the subway platform in Beijing Posted: 20 Dec 2012 06:30 AM PST Beijing Cream brings us this video of a man casually peeing off the subway platform in the nation's capital. Tao assures us that all platforms on the Beijing subway are outfitted with toilets, so this guy really has no excuse. Let us feel smug for a second in the knowledge that this type of unacceptable behaviour would never happen on the Shanghai Metro. [ more › ]

Nicolas Anelka out at Shenhua, Drogba to follow suit, sources say Posted: 20 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST Both of Shanghai Shenhua's star signings may be on their way out of the door as the financially troubled club continues its slow but apparently inevitable fall from grace. Former French international and Shenhua striker and assistant manager Nicolas Anelka is believed to have cancelled his contract with the club. [ more › ]

'Humans and animals prohibited' printed on Bijie dumpsters, solving homelessness once and for all Posted: 20 Dec 2012 05:30 AM PST Is it too much to hope that whichever official thought it would be a good idea to print "Humans and animals prohibited" on all dumpsters in Bijie will lose their job for suggesting such a tone-deaf, ineffective 'solution' to the death in November of five homeless boys sheltering from the elements in a city dumpster? [ more › ]

North Korea reports Kim Jong Un voted Time's Person of the Year (he wasn't) Posted: 20 Dec 2012 05:00 AM PST The ever-vigilant North Korean state media have spent the past few days reporting that Kim Jong Un was awarded Time magazine's "Person of the Year." [ more › ]

Photos: Students and parents protest school demolition in Anhui Posted: 20 Dec 2012 04:00 AM PST        On Monday afternoon (17.12) students and their parents gathered in the pouring rain to protest the demolition of a primary school in Anqing, a small city in Anhui province. The school, called Double Lotus Temple primary school, was scheduled to be demolished as part of the city's redevelopment plans. The day after the protest (18.12) the mayor of Anqing released a statement that discussions were still ongoing and that the local government would seek consultation with the relevant departments, the school, the parents, and other members of local society. [ more › ]

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