Shanghai Fashion

Considering that Shanghai is one of the largest and wealthiest cities in China, it makes sense that many people here are quite fashionable in their choice of clothing. Especially the under 40 crowd. But I have noticed a disturbing trend that seems to be getting worse now that the weather is cooler. Sev and I call it the "Pajama Fashion". People of all ages go about their daily business in head to toe woven PJ's. Plaids, Disney prints, florals, whatever- anything goes as long as you match your top and bottom. I was cracking up the first time I saw someone doing their food shopping in the local mega mart in their jammies. I am still not sure if they just roll out of bed and go about their business or if they actually choose to put on a new outfit when they get up in the morning. They bike around town in these outfits as well. Men and women- the pajama fashion does not discriminate.


The other scary fashion that we are thankfully seeing less of now that the weather is cooler is the men in half shirts. Many of the Shanghainese men will roll up their t-shirts to chest level when it is hot out to help themselves cool off. Yuck. I really don't want to see a bunch of Chinese guys running around town doing their best impression of Daisy Duke (unless of course they've got a 6 pack of abs to go along with it but alas, I have yet to see any male eye candy wandering the streets with their shirts rolled up).

Pajama fashion in a local vegetable market (note the wedgie pick to go along with it)


I'm too sexy for my shirt. EWWW.

Bicycle culture

One of the first things that comes to mind for most people when they think of China is bicycles. And it's true- nearly every person here owns a bike and for many people, it is the only mode of transportation that they can afford. We have seen some crazy things being carried around town on the back of people's bicycles including a full sized couch, refrigerator, & several mattresses piled high.
For many people their bike is like their home office. The recycling here is done by people who ride around on their bikes with a bell or a megaphone collecting cardboard and bottles for recycling (they pay a nominal fee for what they collect and then they turn around an sell it to a recycling center). Many entrepreneurs peddle their wares (no pun intended) off the back of their bikes. If you can haul it, you can sell it. Again, I've seen things for sale ranging from live chickens, rabbits, ducks, and turtles, to fresh fruit, to socks & slippers, to hair accessories- kind of like a traveling "Clair's Boutique". And of course everything is negotiable. Even the mail carriers do most of their deliveries on their bikes.
My favorite thing of all is the bike where the garbage is piled so high on the back that you wonder how they can even peddle- I am not exaggerating when I tell you I've seen things piled up 8 to 10 feet tall.
And I can't blog about bikes without mentioned scooters- the second most preferred mode of transport here. Helmets are optional. The first thing that strikes you is the crazy outfits they wear in the summer including gloves and capes to protect from the sun and huge welding shields instead of sun glasses. The second crazy thing is that they pile on as many people as possible- our record spotting so far is two adults, two kids, and a dog all on one scooter. It is common place here to see children on scooters with no helmet and I've seen quite a few mom's cradling their newborns while they balance precariously on the back of their husband's scooter. At first I was shocked- don't they know how dangerous that is? But Sev pointed out that if you had to go somewhere and you couldn't afford a taxi, you'd do it too. Good point.

A good example of "bike wear" in the summer.

The recycling bike

The sock seller bike

The bike nap.

Traffic.

I know that I have mentioned the awful traffic here in Shanghai in my previous blogs but it is difficult to impress on anyone who hasn't been here how truly terrible it really is. If a trip by car should take you 20 minutes, you have assume it will be 45 minutes to be on the safe side. And if it's raining- forget about it. On top of that, fender benders happen constantly- on a recent trip we saw 6 accidents in a 2 hour span. And yes, there are a lot of cars on the road but the driving skills just aren't up to western standards. Here are some examples:

- If you are waiting at a red light to turn left, and it turns green you just go. Yes, you turn in front of on coming traffic that is going straight. And as many cars as possible will turn until finally the cars going straight block their way.

- If you are getting off at an exit and it is backed up, you simply get out of the line and drive to the front of the line and try to cut in. Fine if it was just one car doing this but several cars try to do it at once so that the one lane exit actually becomes 4 or 5 lanes of cars trying to get over which of course leads to backups on the highway and more traffic jams.

- It is not uncommon to see cars backing up on the exit ramps of the highway because they realized they took a wrong turn- scary.

- It is OK to make a u-turn anywhere, anytime and most drivers don't bother to look around to see if other cars are going to stop for them- they just assume you will.

- If you are making a right turn into traffic, you just go. You don't stop and wait for an opening.

In general, people just drive however they want to and they act like they are the only ones on the road.

Plus, it isn't just car traffic - it's people traffic. We recently went for a day trip to Hangzhou which is a lake town about 2 hours drive from Shanghai (of course, it took us 4 hours to get there). Anyway, we made the mistake of going during a holiday here which I am sure contributed the crowds but take a look at the picture below to get an idea of what I mean when

I say crowded.

Wall to wall people in Hangzhou.

Rush hour traffic in Shanghai. We finally decided to get out of the car and take the metro after sitting in this for 20 minutes and moving about 100 yards.

Happy Birthday Audrey!

Time really does seem to fly by- it seems like it was only yesterday that Audrey was born! Considering that she is the second kid and we have about half the pictures and videos of her than we have of Grace at the same age, we decided that we would actually have a little party for her. In the Chinese culture, the first birthday is a big deal so we tried to incorporate a few traditional Chinese customs into the celebration.

First of all, the baby must wear red as this is the color of luck. Next, it is traditional to celebrate with a dinner for family and friends and one of the things I love about restaurants in China is the "private room". Many mid & upper end places offer a private room you can reserve. All have a round table (another tradition- no square tables so that everyone can see each other) and most have a giant lazy susan in the middle so you can easily share your dishes. The best part is that dinner with Grace becomes much easier when we can shut the door and let her run around the room or plop her in front of her DVD player (I am not proud of it but yes, we have become THOSE parents who let their kid watch the DVD in a restaurant- as long as it keeps her quite and sitting in one place).

Our Chinese friends brought Audrey some traditional gifts including a red pocket (basically a red envelope with money in it), a little silver bracelet, and a red necklace with a tiny gold charm on it. And being that we are in China, I thought it would be fun to commemorate with a custom made panda bear cake (see pics).

Even though it was a motley crew of guests- Sev's boss from the US, our friends who live here but are from Minnesota and a couple of their friends who had just flown in the day before, and our Chinese friends- a good time was had by all. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

The 3D Panda Cake & Audrey in her traditional red silk dress.

Audrey showing off her first piece of jewlery. Audrey & Grace take a spin on the lazy susan.

Audrey and Mommy. It's my party and I'll cry if I want to (Audrey and her Ayi).