Cultural Disconnections

This morning on my way to the gym to put in an hour of sweat on the treadmill, I heard in the lobby (at 8:00 AM no less) a piano, clarinet and bass playing American Jazz. You could tell they weren’t American. There was no swing. Later, after my workout at breakfast, complete with Shanghai Dumplings the trio was no longer to be seen, rather the Musak played Dean Martin singing Volare … Something is wrong here.

I am off to the Old City this morning…

No harsh shadows in Shanghai. I awoke knowing that it was supposed to be a sunny day according to Accuweather.com. The sun was up but the haze and smog muted its glow. That will be good for pictures, even if it will be cold this morning.

Later in the afternoon …

It was an intense morning, made more so by the sub-zero temperatures. There is only so long that this man can walk around in the cold. After three hours of exploring back streets and markets I headed back to the hotel for a much needed nap.

The catchwords of the day were, “Hello, Hello! Would you like to buy Rolex Watch?” On every street corner in the Old City district a young man or woman would flash a card with pictures of all kinds of watches, luggage, you name it. This was clearly an organized endeavor as each had the same card. Every stall yelled out to this obvious rich westerner to hawk their wares. Was it the fancy zoom lens on my camera, or was it the Boston Marathon cap that gave me away from the rest of the local population? Beggars and happy children crowded the streets. Parents with little children made a point of having their children say “Hello!” to me even as I said “Nie Hao” in Chinese. Is this early occupational training?

The other obvious ruse was the lovely young woman who claimed to be an art student. “Would I come to see the exhibition of her and her fellow students’ works?” Since this happened three times in different parts of town I developed (pardon the pun) the answer that I was there to “take” pictures, not to buy them. That seemed to work to get them to say goodbye.

The proximity of this Old City and its rural life with the steel and glass high-rises emphasized the growing distance between the haves and the have-nots in this country. I wonder what Chairman Mao would have to say about all of this? From the Starbucks to McDonalds, KFC and a host of other Western enterprises, it is clear which direction China is facing.

The main area for tourists featured seemingly ancient buildings. These were stuffed to the gills with shops of all kinds, most of which featured over-priced stuff that we used to associate with “Made in China”. There is a formal garden that one can see for 30 Yuan (about $4) but I passed it up since there is nothing flowering of any interest at this time of the year. There were many Chinese and a few Western Tourists. On several occasions my services as photographer were called upon. It was the least that I could do. Those of you expecting souvenirs will have to wait for the pictures. As I mentioned before my bags are already overstuffed.

On a couple of occasions I witnessed police giving tickets to bicyclists. In one case the argument from the offending woman was hot and heavy, but it seemed that she was losing her argument as the officer continued to scold her about some infringement or other of the local traffic laws. What do she do? Yield the right of way to a pedestrian?

I wandered away from the obvious tourist trap area towards the lower rent districts and back alleys with more than enough local flavor and smells (some not so good, I’m afraid). In general, the streets were clean. The street cleaners with their ancient brooms were abundant. The sounds were happy and noisy, especially when you were in the way of a motorcyclist who forgot to read that manual about pedestrian right of way. Open-air markets abounded and given the cold weather, the meat and fish will stay fresh. I wandered into market with stall of all kinds of delicious looking fruits, vegetables, meat and fish. The giant eel were shiny and waiting to make some family or restaurant very happy.

In the din the juxtaposition of old and new was highlighted as a large white Lexus drove through the side streets and stopped nearby. From the passenger side came a tall beautiful Chinese woman dressed stylishly including high-heeled leather boots. Perhaps she needed some eel for her family’s dinner tonight.

There was laundry hanging everywhere. This seems to be a cultural landmark as it was noted in my guidebook. There was laundry hanging from places where it was not obvious that it was associated with some neighboring home. Every size and shape of laundry is hanging from wires, windows, doors, and light poles. I guess it will dry since it isn’t all that humid here as it was when I saw all the laundry hanging in the back alleys of Venice.

I snacked on a large Shanghai dumpling served for about a quarter by a nice looking young woman on the corner of one of the “fancier” shopping areas. It is amazing to me how many people were out selling on this cold winter day from their tiny shops open to the elements.

The cold finally got to me and though I had taken only about two hundred pictures I looked skyward to see the distinctive (and for my money ugly) topknot of the Westin and headed back. The elegant room was clean and welcoming. The clean white sheets did their magic for the afternoon nap as the sun sank quickly in the murky dusk sky behind the skyscrapers.