Snapshots of Shanghai

Shanghai Culture

April 26th, 2013

Istanbul, Turkey

Song of the Day: Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by Nat Simon

Mood: Relaxed

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Shanghai

One of the craziest things that the DJ Busy Bee and I did was go to MOCA. The MOCA is currently featuring work from artists in their 20s and 30s. Some of the works were interesting and some were just crazy.

Interestingly enough, the sign says "Keep infirm people away". In America,
legalization started with those seeking marijuana for medicinal reasons

Exercise

Old people love to exercise in Shanghai. People wake up very early to do tai chi and other exercises. it is a very communal activity and the streets are filled before 7 am. I particularly enjoyed seeing the geriatric dancing club.

Nanjing Lu

Nanjing Lu is where all the main American brands set up shop. There are always thousands of tourists and locals shopping and people want to be seen carrying the luxury bags.

We went on an extremely quiet day. Normally it is packed
 shoulder to shoulder across the whole path

White people are often approached by sketchy looking guys who say,
"Massage? Lady massage? Sex?" We declined their generous offers.

All the people provide an opportunity for some good photo-ops:

Piggy back rides!

Jing'an temple

The city maintains a  Buddhist monastery in the middle of the city.

The temple holds many different images of Buddha

This silver Buddha is made of 15 tons of steel and is 8.8m (28ft) high

People came to burn incense during their lunch breaks

People throw coins into the tower for good luck

After watching many people attempt it, I can proudly say that the 

Minnesota boys were the best. Mustangs represent!

The temple contained many Bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings. Depending on the tradition, instead of reaching nirvana, they altruistically decide to stay in the universe to try to help other people reach nirvana.

Shanghai Swindle

Off to work!

Many Asian firms want hard-working, educated Americans. Some want them just for show, a phenomenon known as "Rent a White Guy" and some explicitly want Jewish men. Others actually value Americans for the work they can produce. However, many of my friends have fallen prey to the "Shanghai swindle" where companies use exciting job descriptions to lure high-caliber employees. Unfortunately it's a bait-and-switch as the responsibilities promised never materialize. When they can't stand being glorified personal assistants or college counselors any longer, they leave their jobs and return to friendlier shores.