Shanghai Expat Life

Ratatouille is coming to Disneyland Paris 10 July 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 20:42:00 +0000

I am coming to Paris Disneyland! Look out for my new ride ;) You can get all the gossip here... Watch this Youtube video.

Love, Ratatouille ;)

China's Top Social Media Networks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 12:49:00 +0000

Never fear, dear readers, I am still here! And I am back. :)

Boy have times changed.. when I first started this blog there were no smartphones, no ipads, no Whatsapp, no Pinterest, no Instagram and Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter were used by only a few and now look at us!

Did you know that the top social media networks are not all American? Many of them are Chinese. It's just that we've never heard about them because they are all in Chinese and we don't use them!

Weixin (WeChat) has almost as many users as Whatsapp and Qzone has about half as many users as Facebook.

Here's an interesting article in the Business Insider that discusses these new media.

Facebook (1.15 billion monthly active users (MAUs))

YouTube (1 billion MAUs)

Qzone (712 million total users)

Sina Weibo (500 million total users)

WhatsApp (350 million MAUs)

Google+ (327 million MAUs)

Tumblr (300 million MAUs)

LINE (275 million total active users)

Twitter (240 million MAUs)

WeChat (236 million MAUs)

Tencent Weibo (220 MAUs)

LinkedIn (184 MAUs)

and here's an interesting graphic from TechInAsia

Interesting, huh?

Calligraphy writing tricycle machine

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:45:00 +0000

How cool is this!
Some guy invented a tricycle that works in a similar fashion to those old Chinese men writing calligraphy with just water in large public parks, ...

Just Because: Tricycle Calligraphy 水书法器 from Jonah Kessel on Vimeo.

The Economist Intelligence Unit Most Liveable cities 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 08:35:00 +0000

The Economist Intelligence Unit survey ranks cities based on 30 factors such as healthcare, culture and environment, and education and personal safety.

Following is a list of the top most liveable cities as ranked by The Economist Intelligence Unit (of 140 world cities):

1. Vancouver, Canada

2. Melbourne, Australia

3. Vienna, Austria

4. Toronto, Canada

5. Calgary, Canada

6. Helsinki, Finland

7. Sydney, Australia

8. (equal) Perth, Australia

8. (equal) Adelaide, Australia

10. Auckland, New Zealand

12. (equal) Osaka, Japan

12. (equal) Geneva, Switzerland

16. Paris, France

18. Tokyo, Japan

29. Pittsburgh, USA

30. Honolulu, USA

31. Hong Kong, China

44. Los Angeles, USA

53. London, UK

56. New York City, USA

72. Beijing, China

(I couldn't find the ranking for Shanghai)

"Mid-sized cities in developed countries with relatively low population densities tend to score well by having all the cultural and infrastructural benefits on offer with fewer problems related to crime or congestion," said Jon Copestake, editor of the report, in a statement.

Bottom 10:

1. Harare, Zimbabwe

2. Dhaka , Bangladesh

3. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

4. Lagos, Nigeria

5. Algiers , Algeria

6. Karachi, Pakistan

7. Douala, Cameroon

8. Tehran, Iran

9. Dakar, Senegal

10. Colombo, Sri Lanka

Louis Vuitton city guides Toledo Shanghai

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 15:47:00 +0000

Shanghai features in Louis Vuitton series of city guides by Cuban-born artist Ruben Toledo, as the French fashion house release a 100 postcard set. The images by Toledo have been part of an ongoing series of commissioned work for the Louis Vuitton City Guide dating back to 1998. Each postcard captures the essence of each city as it focuses on iconic elements of each city. The Ruben Toledo 100 Postcards For Louis Vuitton Cityguide is available at Louis Vuitton stores.

Link here and here with more info and pics.

Interactive infographic of the world's best countries

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 02:12:00 +0000

Interactive infographic of the world's best countries! Check it out.
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/16/best-countries-in-the-world.html

1. Finland
2. Switzerland
3. Sweden
4. Australia
5. Luxembourg
6. Norway
7. Canada
8. Netherlands
9. Japan
10. Denmark
11. United States
12. Germany
13. New Zealand
14. United Kingdom
15. South Korea
16. France
17. Ireland
18. Austria
19. Belgium
20. Singapore
21. Spain
22. Israel
23. Italy
24. Slovenia
25. Czech Republic
...
59. China

Mercer HR 2010 World's most livable cities

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 May 2010 02:53:00 +0000

I'm back with with another survey list thing. My other posts have been some of my most popular, you can see the previous results here:

2007 results.
2008 results.
2009 results.

Top 50 cities: Quality of living ranking

Base City: New York, US (=100)

Rank 2010	City	Country	Qol index 2010
1	VIENNA	AUSTRIA	108.6
2	ZURICH	SWITZERLAND	108
3	GENEVA	SWITZERLAND	107.9
4	VANCOUVER	CANADA	107.4
4	AUCKLAND	NEW ZEALAND	107.4
6	DUSSELDORF	GERMANY	107.2
7	FRANKFURT	GERMANY	107
7	MUNICH	GERMANY	107
9	BERN	SWITZERLAND	106.5
10	SYDNEY	AUSTRALIA	106.3
11	COPENHAGEN	DENMARK	106.2
12	WELLINGTON	NEW ZEALAND	105.9
13	AMSTERDAM	NETHERLANDS	105.7
14	OTTAWA	CANADA	105.5
15	BRUSSELS	BELGIUM	105.4
16	TORONTO	CANADA	105.3
17	BERLIN	GERMANY	105
18	MELBOURNE	AUSTRALIA	104.8
19	LUXEMBOURG	LUXEMBOURG	104.6
20	STOCKHOLM	SWEDEN	104.5
21	PERTH	AUSTRALIA	104.2
21	MONTREAL	CANADA	104.2
23	HAMBURG	GERMANY	104.1
24	NURNBURG	GERMANY	103.9
24	OSLO	NORWAY	103.9
26	CANBERRA	AUSTRALIA	103.6
26	DUBLIN	IRELAND	103.6
28	CALGARY	CANADA	103.5
28	SINGAPORE	SINGAPORE	103.5
30	STUTTGART	GERMANY	103.3
31	HONOLULU	UNITED STATES	103.1
32	ADELAIDE	AUSTRALIA	103
32	SAN FRANCISCO	UNITED STATES	103
34	PARIS	FRANCE	102.9
35	HELSINKI	FINLAND	102.6
36	BRISBANE	AUSTRALIA	102.4
37	BOSTON	UNITED STATES	102.2
38	LYON	FRANCE	101.9
39	LONDON	UNITED KINGDOM	101.6
40	TOKYO	JAPAN	101.4
41	MILAN	ITALY	100.8
41	KOBE	JAPAN	100.8
41	YOKOHAMA	JAPAN	100.8
44	BARCELONA	SPAIN	100.6
45	LISBON	PORTUGAL	100.3
45	CHICAGO	UNITED STATES	100.3
45	WASHINGTON	UNITED STATES	100.3
48	MADRID	SPAIN	100.2
49	NEW YORK CITY	UNITED STATES	100
50	SEATTLE	UNITED STATES	99.8

Happy Chinese new year of the Tiger 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 01:39:00 +0000

恭喜發財
恭喜恭喜恭喜你

Happy new year of the tiger to all!
I hope you will all be blessed with good health, love, fun, family, friends and good fortune. :)

(picture from tigerdg deviantart)

Photos of Shanghai circa 1981

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:01:00 +0000

I always feel sad and nostalgic when I think of the past...

Look at these photos of the Shanghai of "yesteryear"...

more

Top Shanghai Blogs award

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:31:00 +0000

Just got an email.. so it seems I have won some type of Blog Award. My first! Woohoo!

Shanghai - the most beautiful city in the world

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:36:00 +0000

I found this really beautiful and moving promotional video about Shanghai (promoting it for the 2010 World Expo)

The cities with the most beautiful skylines in the world rated by National Geographic are as follows:

1. Hong Kong, China
2. Chicago, USA
3. Shanghai, China
4. New York City, USA
5. Tokyo, Japan
6. Singapore
7. Toronto, Canada
8. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
9. Shenzhen, China
10. Seoul, South Korea
11. Sao Paolo, Brazil
12. Sydney, Australia
13. Frankfurt, Germany
14. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
15. Seattle, USA
16. Pittsburgh, USA
17. Guangzhou, China
18. Dallas, USA

The Gubei Road Shanghai big tree flower sculpture is in Lyon France!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 06:46:00 +0000

Photos by: randyi66, spiky247, Diamond Header and kl loth on Flickr.

Sorry I have been away for so long. To make up for it though, I have one heck of a crazy post for y'all.

I have stumbled upon something very very interesting, by chance.

I have discovered that there is a twin sister of that giant, crazy, colourful tree/flower sculpture thing in Gubei!!

I'm sure many people (both residents and tourists) have passed that sculpture wondering what it's doing there.. It seems like it's in the middle of nowhere (which it sort of is, at the junction of some very busy big roads/freeways) on a big patch of grass. It is definitely eye-catching, some may say gaudy but personally, I like it.

The bright colour breaks up the horribly grey polluted sky...

It seems that everyone has seen the sculpture but nobody knows anything about it.

Until now!

Like I said, I found the twin sister in Lyon. And have managed to dig up some info about it (excuse dodgy translation):

The bouquet of giant flowers is a work of Korean Jeong-Hwa Choi, entitled “Flower Tree”.

It was exposed on the place Antonin Poncet, near the quays of the Rhone, at the time of the 7th biennale (September 18, 2003-January 4, 2004). The sculpture circulated since, in particular with the royal saltworks of Arc and Senans in 2004, before integrating the public domain of the Town of Lyon (deliberation of July 13, 2006). The common one wished to acquire it because of the passion of the Lyoneses for this work which they have a long time, like you, kept in their memory. Currently, the sculpture is in the course of restoration to find all its colors and to remake its appearance at the same place as in 2003. It will remain there during all 9th Biennial Contemporary art (September 19, 2007-January 6, 2008) then will join a site whose localization is not decided yet.

Over the years, the living sculpture, "The Flower Tree" is one of many symbols of Lyon. The Tree Flowers was installed in place Antonin Poncet during the Biennale of Contemporary Art in 2003. The sculpture was created by Jeong-Hwa Choi and is the reason the sculpture is located in place Antonin Poncet (because it has chosen the place for his sculpture itself). The sculpture is made of stainless steel and painted with polyester resin and measures 6 meters with a total of 85 flowers of polyester resin.

Now it seems that the public has become a fan of The Flower Tree. I asked a few questions to people who passed the statue to see the reaction of the public and each person said they liked the sculpture and thought it was pretty. I also asked if they thought it was an obstruction in a beautiful place with Lyon Rhône on one side and the hill Forvière on the other, but they said they did not think it was an obstruction of anything and instead, he added color and interest to the sector. One person said, "[The Flower Tree] brightens the landscape of the 2nd District because the colors of the sculpture has bright colors that are not found in winter. For my part, I find it pretty."

However, not everybody was happy with the sculpture. In fact, it was the Commission Supérieure des Monuments Historiques who originally opposed the installation of the sculpture. The Commission said the tree was to flowers "misrepresenting an exceptional" and was "too modern highly intellectual."
Personally, I agreed with people so I did a survey. I pass by the tree flowers almost daily and, in my opinion, the sculpture is a living work of art that gives a bit of joy and color to the neighborhood and the majority of people who view the work of Jeong-Hwa Choi each day.

Source: Lyon Capitale.

I know, I know. That still doesn't answer the question of the Gubei one.

Some questions I have and I wonder if anyone knows the answers???

1. Is it created by the same Korean artist?

2. Is it a replica of the one in Lyon, or vice versa?

3. What year was it put there?

4. Who created it?!

Interesting...

There was also a bit of a discussion of the Gubei Flower Tree here, on Trip advisor

World Airport Awards 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:17:00 +0000

World Airport Awards

The winners for 2009 are...

1. Incheon, Seoul, South Korea
2. Hong Kong, Hong Kong
3. Singapore Changi, Singapore
4. Zurich, Switzerland
5. Munich, Germany
6. Kansai, Osaka, Japan
7. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
8. Amsterdam, Netherlands
9. Centrair, Nagoya, New Zealand
10. Auckland, New Zealand

Economist Intelligent Survey (EIU) World's most liveable cities list

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:33:00 +0000

The results of the 'EIU's ten best cities in the world' chart have been released and they go as follows:

Rank City Country
1 Vancouver Canada
2 Vienna Austria
3 Melbourne Australia
4 Toronto Canada
=5 Perth Australia
=5 Calgary Canada
7 Helsinki Finland
8 Geneva Switzerland
=9 Sydney Australia
=9 Zurich Switzerland

Interesting! What do you think of this? Do you agree? Unfortunately I can't find more information about this and where other cities are ranked.

Link 1

Link 2

Happy Dragon boat festival

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:29:00 +0000

Hope you make and eat lots of zongzis

China's Fastest Changing Cities

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:10:00 +0000

Link from Forbes

China's fastest changing cities

1. Shenzhen, Guangdong
2. Guangzhou, Guangdong
3. Hong Kong
4. Shanghai
5. Beijing
6. Dalian, Liaoning
7. Nanjing, Jiangsu
8. Xiamen, Fujian
9. Tianjin
10. Chongqing

Internations

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:30:00 +0000

Internations is a German-based website helping expats from around the world connect with each other. You need to request an invitation to be let into the site but it's very straightforward. Check it out! There are forums, and meet-ups, etc.

Mercer 2009 Quality of Living - Best Cities in the world

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:16:00 +0000

I'm back with with another survey list thing. My other posts have been some of my most popular, you can see the results here:
2007 results.
2008 results.

and the 2009 full article here

Top 50 cities

Rank 2009	Rank 2008	City	Country	Index 2009	Index 2008
1	2	VIENNA	AUSTRIA	108.6	107.9
2	1	ZURICH	SWITZERLAND	108	108
3	2	GENEVA	SWITZERLAND	107.9	107.9
4	4	VANCOUVER	CANADA	107.4	107.6
4	5	AUCKLAND	NEW ZEALAND	107.4	107.3
6	6	DUSSELDORF	GERMANY	107.2	107.2
7	7	MUNICH	GERMANY	107	107
8	7	FRANKFURT	GERMANY	106.8	107
9	9	BERN	SWITZERLAND	106.5	106.5
10	10	SYDNEY	AUSTRALIA	106.3	106.3
11	11	COPENHAGEN	DENMARK	106.2	106.2
12	12	WELLINGTON	NEW ZEALAND	105.9	105.8
13	13	AMSTERDAM	NETHERLANDS	105.7	105.7
14	14	BRUSSELS	BELGIUM	105.4	105.4
15	15	TORONTO	CANADA	105.3	105.3
16	19	OTTAWA	CANADA	105	104.7
16	16	BERLIN	GERMANY	105	105
18	17	MELBOURNE	AUSTRALIA	104.8	104.8
19	17	LUXEMBOURG	LUXEMBOURG	104.6	104.8
20	20	STOCKHOLM	SWEDEN	104.5	104.5
21	21	PERTH	AUSTRALIA	104.3	104.3
22	22	MONTREAL	CANADA	104.2	104.2
23	23	NURNBERG	GERMANY	104.1	104.1
24	24	OSLO	NORWAY	103.7	103.7
25	25	DUBLIN	IRELAND	103.6	103.5
26	32	SINGAPORE	SINGAPORE	103.5	102.9
26	25	CALGARY	CANADA	103.5	103.5
28	27	HAMBURG	GERMANY	103.4	103.4
29	28	HONOLULU, HI	UNITED STATES	103.1	103.1
30	29	SAN FRANCISCO, CA	UNITED STATES	103	103
30	29	HELSINKI	FINLAND	103	103
30	29	ADELAIDE	AUSTRALIA	103	103
33	32	PARIS	FRANCE	102.9	102.9
34	34	BRISBANE	AUSTRALIA	102.4	102.4
35	35	TOKYO	JAPAN	102.2	102.2
35	37	BOSTON, MA	UNITED STATES	102.2	101.8
37	36	LYON	FRANCE	101.9	101.9
38	38	YOKOHAMA	JAPAN	101.6	101.6
38	38	LONDON	UNITED KINGDOM	101.6	101.6
40	40	KOBE	JAPAN	100.9	100.9
41	41	MILAN	ITALY	100.8	100.8
42	48	PORTLAND, OR	UNITED STATES	100.6	100.2
42	42	BARCELONA	SPAIN	100.6	100.6
44	44	WASHINGTON, DC	UNITED STATES	100.3	100.3
44	44	OSAKA	JAPAN	100.3	100.3
44	44	LISBON	PORTUGAL	100.3	100.3
44	44	CHICAGO, IL	UNITED STATES	100.3	100.3
48	43	MADRID	SPAIN	100.2	100.5
49	49	NEW YORK CITY, NY	UNITED STATES	100	100
50	50	SEATTLE, WA	UNITED STATES	99.8	99.8

The list doesn't seem to change much, does it?

2009 Best 29 best cities to live in

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 01:12:00 +0000

AskMen's 2009 Top 29 best cities to live in list

Check out their article here. Happy reading!

1. Chicago
2. Barcelona
3. San Francisco
4. London
5. Sydney
6. New York
7. Berlin
8. Hong Kong
9. Copenhagen
10. Paris
11. Vancouver
12. Rome
13. Buenos Aires
14. Tokyo
15. Toronto
16. Miami
17. Madrid
18. Vienna
19. Los Angeles
20. Montreal
21. Panama City
22. Portland
23. Lyon
24. Melbourne
25. Tel Aviv
26. Santiago
27. Cape Town
28. Hamburg
29. Edinburgh

Would you agree with this list?

Happy Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:09:00 +0000

Hope you all had a happy Easter and that the easter bunny brought you lots of surprises.

ShanghaiExpatLife's BlogRoll

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:46:00 +0000

otherwise known as a Blog List, or Links List.

A few months ago I started to link to other blogs for the first time. I resisted doing this for a long time but then I thought, "Why not?"

They are all blogs I have found myself and would read myself and if the quality of them goes down (or it isn't relevant to Shanghai/expat living) then I am likely to take it down.

So, if you see your blog in my blog roll I would LOVE a reciprocal link back to mine (http://shanghaiexpatlife.blogspot.com) but it isn't absolutely necessary.

I am always adding new ones and if you want to be added, just add a comment to any of my posts, or contact me! It's that simple.

There are actually two lists. The first is just a list of links, the second is live updates (but for some reason it doesn't accept all URLs so that's why only some people's blogs are listed in the second list).

Happy reading, everyone!

World's biggest Flagship Barbie store in Shanghai

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:48:00 +0000

(Pictobank)

(Pictobank)

(Flickr/Tomo.moko)

(Flickr/Rintak)

(Travelpod/NinaVersteeg)

(Getty images)

(Newsobserver)

(Guardian)

(ShoppingBlog)

(TheSpec)

(Guardian)

(AP photo)

Just read over at Bibiliew about the world's largest Barbie store right here in our very own Shanghai, on Huaihai Road. Check it out! (the article and the store).

You know China is doing well when Mattel decide to open their flagship store in Shanghai and not New York!

The design of the store is genius and reminds me of the Apple Stores... a lot. All that glass and modern architectural styles.. love it.

However, I do have a love/hate relationship with Barbie. I loved playing with her as a young girl but I did resent the fact there was no Asian/Chinese Barbie, and the fact that all dolls were blonde and blue-eyed back then in the 80s. And let's not get started with her incredibly unrealistic body proportions! She makes Dolly Parton and Pamela Anderson look normal. I was watching some news report about her 50th anniversary and Mattel was saying they are empowering women, not de-powering them as everyone thinks and that's one of the reasons why Ken and Barbie broke up. 'Cause you know, Barbie doesn't need Ken, right? Who needs Ken when you have millions of friends and clothes, and fancy cars, houses, horses.. and money coming at you every day Paris Hilton style? (that is tongue in cheek of course). Whatever. If I had a daughter I wouldn't persuade or dissuade her from owning a Barbie though. She'll probably grow out of it eventually, like I did. I try not to take these things too seriously like all the feminists out there ;)

Official Barbie Shanghai Flagship store website

Address: 550 Central HuaiHai Road

More articles:

International Herald Tribune
The Wall Street Journal
All Roads lead to China blog
GMA News
Gold Sea
UK Telegraph blog

Legend of the Grass Mud Horse 草泥马

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:19:00 +0000

So, the latest craze sweeping the internet is the legend of the 草泥马 / cao ni ma ('grass mud horse'), an alpaca like creature, fighting censorship in China. I have been keeping myself amused reading all about Male and Gebi...

Growing up, I didn't hear my parents swear a great deal but even when they did I didn't know they were. I mean, I didn't know the literal meaning of the words they were saying and it wasn't till much much later that I did! so when I read this (Modern Chinese profanity) I was very shocked and surprised... (warning: not for the easily offended or prudish). It also explains why there is a Canon G7 and G9 (and now G10) camera but no G8.

Anyway back to the 草泥马 / cao ni ma (which sounds like another phrase I heard my father say when he was driving (but that's another story)) I think the plushies are adorable... pity it's not a real animal, but that's not the point, is it? Of course the YouTube videos/songs are much funnier if you understand Mandarin and the double meanings of the words but the China Digital Times site explains it well. I have re-posted the lyrics and video (second video here) from their site.

There is a herd of Grass Mud Horses
In the wild and beautiful Ma Le Desert
They are lively and intelligent
they are fun-loving and nimble
They live freely in the Ma Le Desert
They are courageous, tenacious, and overcome the difficult environment

Oh lying down Grass Mud Horse
Oh running wild Grass Mud Horse
They defeated river crabs in order to protect their grass land
River crabs forever disappeared from Ma Le Desert

在那荒茫美丽马勒戈壁
有一群草泥马，
他们活泼又聪明，
他们调皮又灵敏，
他们自由自在生活在那草泥马戈壁，
他们顽强勇敢克服艰苦环境。

噢，卧槽的草泥马！
噢，狂槽的草泥马！
他们为了卧草不被吃掉打败了河蟹，
河蟹从此消失草泥马戈壁

The Fresh Air Fund

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:40:00 +0000

Sara from The Fresh Air Fund has contacted me regarding her charity.

"We rely on donations to keep our programs strong, and helping children is a cause that I am sure your readers would be interested in.

Of course, we're always looking for hosts and any help would be fantastic. Together we can help make sure these children have everything they need!"

THE FRESH AIR FUND, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Nearly 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fund programs annually. In 2008, close to 5,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada. 3,000 children also attended five Fresh Air camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York. The Fund’s year-round camping program serves an additional 2,000 young people each year.

If you can help I am sure the "Fresh Air Fund" team would really appreciate it!

Chinese Hip-Hop Lyrics

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:35:00 +0000

Been a bit flat out and have not had time to add to my blog.. but one of my readers contacted me asking to be a 'guest blogger'. I've never had one of those before and there's a first time for everything so why not? :) here is her essay.. enjoy.

An essay on Chinese Hip-Hop by Rachel Wiggett

Discovering Chinese Culture through Chinese Hip Hop

One of the things I love most about travelling is getting the chance to learn about and experience living in a new culture. There are many things that set cultures apart from each other. Whether it’s their food, customs, traditions, or folklore, every culture has things that make them unique and special in their own ways.

I have travelled to many places throughout my lifetime, and one the best ways, I find, to get to know the people in a foreign land is by listening to their music. One of my favorite things to do when I’m visiting somewhere new is to go see live shows. It gives me the chance to mingle with locals, as well as observe and understand their culture through the music they are passionate about.

One of the experiences that stood out most for me though, occurred when I was visiting Beijing in the summer of 2005. I had met some locals my age and they decided to take me out to a hip hop show one night. “Chinese hip hop?” I thought to myself. I had never even heard or knew there was such a thing. Of course, I was very curious to see what it was all about, plus it would be a great way for me to further improve my Chinese after a period of self study through Chinese language learning software.

That show was certainly an eye-opening experience for me. My Chinese friends explained many things behind the history and meaning of Chinese hip hop, which differed greatly from that of the American hip hop I was used to. They told me that when hip hop first became popular in China, most rappers would only rap in English. But over the years, as Chinese hip hop began to evolve and develop its own style, the use of English began to fade and the Chinese language started to infiltrate.

What I found most interesting about Chinese hip hop was how different the meaning and lyrics of the songs were. I had been so accustomed to hearing about: money, violence, guns, and women, in western hip hop, that I was in near shock to find out that these Chinese hip hop artists were talking about their culture, about love, and even about food! Another thing I noticed was how difficult rapping in Chinese really was in terms of rhythm. Chinese is such a unique language, in that word’s meanings can change, simply depending on the pitch you use for each syllable.

Moreover, Chinese hip hop is far from being mainstream, so it doesn’t have the same fortune, fame and glamour stigma attached to it, as it does in American culture. However, I believe this is what makes the artists that do pursue hip hop careers, always stay true to their music.

Ever since I was young, I have always loved music. Rock and Roll, Jazz, Classical, Hip Hop, these are the sounds that have shaped my world, my identity. Learning about Chinese hip hop was a great way for me to learn something new and interesting about Chinese culture. My suggestion to anyone travelling is always learn about the music! It will give your great insight and of course, broaden your musical horizons, which is always a good thing.

I haven't listened to Chinese music much myself so that was very insightful. Thanks so much Rachel!