Recommended summer reads...

Being an avid reader, my move to China has naturally prompted me to take in an interest in several books relating to the topic. With summer approaching, I thought I'd pass on a list of some of my favorites- a mixed bag so there should be at least one title listed below that will appeal to you, no matter your taste in books. I'm also attaching a link to Amazon so that you can read the professional reviews as well. In no particular order:



China Inc.:How the rise of the next superpower challenges America and the world by Ted C. Fishman

My synopsis: Title is self explanatory; however, it's a pretty interesting read (and scary) to realize how far China has come and how fast considering the fact that they were virtually living in the dark ages from 1945 until the early 1980's. Normally I find business books boring but this one is worth the read!

http://www.amazon.com/China-Inc-Superpower-Challenges-America/dp/0743257529



Fried eggs with chopsticks by Polly Evans

My synopsis: True story of Polly and her 1 month journey through China. Pretty much every situation she experiences in the book has happened to me in one form or another. Overall, a humorous look at China, although I hardly think a month is enough to experience this country. Very easy and light read - great for the beach!

http://www.amazon.com/Fried-Eggs-Chopsticks-Hilarious-Adventure/dp/0385339933/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1241162233&sr=1-1



China Cuckoo by Mark Kitto; **Published in the USA as Chasing China

Synopsis: True story of an Englishman who starts one of the first and most successful english language magazines and then has it stolen from him by the Chinese government. But, it's not really about that- it's about his personal journey and how he comes to terms with it and settles down to a quiet life in a Chinese mountain village. Honestly, I probably liked this book a lot because it mostly takes place in Shanghai.

http://www.amazon.com/Chasing-China-Search-Fortune-Found/dp/1602396574/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241162733&sr=1-1



Wild Swans: Three daughters of China by Jung Chang

Synopsis: True story of a girl who grows up during the cultural revolution in China. Starts back with her grandmother in the late 1800's up through the end of the 1980's. Fascinating story and really gives you a true picture of why the Chinese culture is the way it is. Highly recommend!

http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Swans-Three-Daughters-China/dp/0743246985/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241162908&sr=1-1


The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang

Synopsis: Extremely intense book. True story of the Nanking massacre- Japanese troops marched into the city of Nanking and killed hundreds of thousands of people. Read with a box of kleenex nearby and don't expect to be in a good mood afterwards. But, it is an important piece of history that we, as Americans, are not really taught much about. Plus, explains a lot as to why the Japanese and Chinese have such a rocky relationship. By the way, the young author of this book was so distraught after writing it that she committed suicide.

http://www.amazon.com/Rape-Nanking-Forgotten-Holocaust-World/dp/0140277447/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241162982&sr=1-1


Lost on Planet China by J. Maarten Troost

Synopsis: Didn't actually read this one; however, my friend Jodi (also lives in Shanghai) read it and liked it although she did say that it takes a bit of a sarcastic look at life here- sounds like my blog...

http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Planet-China-Understand-Comfortable/dp/076792200X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241163282&sr=1-1



Well, that's it for now although I do have a few new ones lined up on the bookshelf including a biography of Mao Zedong. If you end up reading one of my recommendations, shoot me an email and let me know what you thought.

Proud to be an American!

Well, it finally happened. After 12 years of living in the USA, my Polish husband has turned to the dark side and become a US citizen. Why, you may ask, did he wait so long? The story is sordid and long- but, hey, that's what a blog is for, right?

It all started back in December of 1995 when Sev arrived in the US for the first time. Citizens of Poland needed a visa to enter to the US back then and still do today (even though Poland is part of the European Union and most other EU countries do not need a visa to visit the US - argh).

Anyway, he came over on a fiancee visa- meaning we had 90 days to get married or he gets deported. So, we figured what the heck, and we tied the knot in March of 1996- on the 89th day of his visa validity! Sev was then granted permanent residency status- a green card. What this means is that he was entitled to all the same rights as a US citizen except the right to vote & serve on a jury. From his point of view, why take it any further? Who wants to do jury duty anyway? And so it went for the next 12 years and all was well until we moved to China. That's where the trouble began. You see, you cannot keep your green card and live outside of the US for more than 6 months a year. Beginning in 2007 when we moved to China, traveling to the US become a huge problem for Sev. Depending on the mood of the immigration officer, he was often sent to a special room for questioning since he had no visa and technically, his green card was invalid since he had been outside the US for more than 6 months. They always let him in but the stress and unpleasantness of the interrogations finally forced Sev to realize that it was time for the inevitable- apply for citizenship. My own personal reason for pushing Sev for his citizenship was that should we ever find ourselves in trouble overseas, I could go to the US embassy for help and evacuation if necessary, while he would have to go through the Polish embassy. And once you get kids involved, you can see how this can be sticky. I had visions of being stuck in some foreign country during a natural disaster and being helicoptered out as the kids and I waved to Sev through the windows...

So after a year long application process, full of typical government screw ups (lost fingerprints, moving his case to Indiana for no apparent reason, rescheduled interviews, etc) he was granted citizenship on April 8th!

No matter what it says on paper, Sev will always be Polish and proud of it. And so in his honor, I threw him a surprise party at Bubba's Texas BBQ here in Shanghai, complete with our international group of friends- most of whom wore red, white, and blue for the occasion (except our friends from Ireland who claimed they didn't own any red/white/blue clothing!). He was completely shocked and in the end, admitted he doesn't mind being an American after all :)

The cake- tacky, but perfectly suited to the occasion!

The group- the USA basketball outfit Sev was wearing was a gift which he immediately (after a few beers) changed into!

Ah yes, the deer head wall plaque- felt just like we were back in Minnesota!

The youngest American guest in his NY tee. You may have noted the absence of our own kids at the party. I made the last minute decision to leave them at home w/ the sitter so I could enjoy a few beers...does that make me a bad mom? Wait, don't answer that.

Shanghai's changing skyline

At one point, nearly 1/2 of all the construction cranes in the entire world were in Shanghai. So as you can imagine, the skyline changes here pretty quickly. One day something is torn down, the next day something new goes up in it's place. Crazy- and sometimes frustrating when you get to a restaurant you were at the previous week and it's gone (this happens a lot)!

And in case you haven't heard, Shanghai is the host to the World Expo 2010. It's basically a world's fair and the city is really sprucing up for the event. It will last for a total of 7 months and they are expecting over 20 MILLION visitors. Unbelievable! And we will be lucky enough to still be here when it opens in May of 2010- though I am already dreading the crowds.

Just wanted to share a few photos of Shanghai's newest skyscraper- the World Financial Tower. It is the tallest building in the world by roof height, and the 2nd tallest by pinnacle height. Also, the world's highest hotel (a Hyatt) calls this building home. But the most interesting story about this building is about it's design. It's owned by a Japanese company and when the architects first presented the plans to Shanghai's government, there was quite an uproar because the design looked like a knife- stuck right in the heart of Shanghai. (And for those of you who know your history, Japaneses/Chinese relationships are not the greatest to begin with). The top of the tower was initially presented with a large circular cut out, which added fuel to the fire because the circle appears on the Japanese flag as the sun. After some lengthy redesigns, everyone agreed to the current designed which shows a square cut out in the building instead (personally, Sev and I call it the "bottle opener".)

A view from the Huang Pu river of the World Financial Center and the skyline on the west side of the river (Pudong).

World Financial Tower and in front of it, the Jin Mao tower (#5 tallest building on roof height and #7 on pinnacle height). Took this shot from the observation deck of the TV Pearl Tower.

A view of the east side of the river (Puxi). Junk boats cruising past the old European architecture of the Bund (in the background).

Nothing to do with new construction, but this is one of the few old historic cathedrals in China. This one is over 100 years old- you must show your passport to go in and have a look- Chinese are not permitted to enter.