The Expansion of the Fastfood Nation

Scenes from the streets of Shanghai and the brand new shopping center we visited today. U.S. franchise are spotted every where. Almost all of the most popular American fast food franchise are seen here, from Pizza Hut to Papa Johns and KFC...

The McDonalds seemed to be much superior than the typical ones we see in the States. The locals love them. Long lines are in front of each store. So of course we have to try out the Shanghai McDonalds store, especially when Alex insisted on it so much. I just wish I could bring you all some of their special spicy chicken wings here. It taste much better too!

Papa John's is perhaps one of the newest chain of the U.S. fastfood industry that is making their own food print here.

KFC is perhaps the most popular American fastfood restaurant here in China. It may be because of the fried chicken taste is much easier for Chinese to accept than any hamburger could. KFC has also adapted their menu to more suit the Chinese taste buds.

Pizza Hut is definitely the hottest pizza joints around town. I have not ate at one in China yet. But remembering even back in 1993, there are many Pizza Huts in Taipei where they sold pizzas with all kinds of fancy Chinese food toppings such as Kung Pao Chicken or shrimp...

Last but not least, of course we had to visit a McDonald store. The translation of McDonald's name in Chinese literally means, "to have grain to eat, one should work hard." It is so in synch with the traditional Chinese value of hard work.

McDonald's in Shanghai

Menu display outside of the store shows many items around the price of 5 Yuan which is less than $1.00 USD.

Yao Ming's endorsement life-size photo cutout greets all guests enterring the store.

A flight of staircase leads customers to the second floor dinning area...

McDonalds' employee are seen taking orders in the cashier lines to help speed up the orderring process. This is not done in the states typically..

Upstairs, there are video game consoles for kids to play for free... most likely since there is less space available for each restaurant to have a full size play gym... But of course, it was a challenge for parents to get their kids away from these consoles to actually eat their meals.

The Road Block

On our way to the Thousand Island lake, due to the construction of the main highway is not yet complete, our tour guide decided to venture into the nearby mountains for a shortcut.... It was a road no more than 1.5 lane's width by US standard. There is no traffic lane of any kind drawn on the pavement of the road. On the left the steep hill side slopes upward to a sea of bamboo forest. To the right, a short cliff drops down to a valley of fields with plots of rice and yam and various other vegetations. There are farm houses spotted here and there but no main turn offs for cars miles and miles at a time. It's around 4pm in the afternoon. The sun down is just about a hour away. Our tour bus managed to manuver along this tiny road for the last hour and half when it had to stop behind a long line of other trucks and cars. The first line utterred by our bus driver, "We're stuck." He then pulled his hand break on and shut off the bus engine. Our tour guide was the first to jump off of the bus to investigate the situation up front. Soon, the rest of the 20+ passengers on the bus filed down one by one... Alex used the opportunity to catch a field butterfly and enjoyed himself running back and forth along the small high way.


This is the road we were stranded on from 4pm till 7pm. At the very front where the line of traffic changed direction is a truck the size of a semi with no trailer facing our direction. It is pulled over all the way to the right side of the road, but there is still not enough room left for another truck of bus to pass through. Smaller cars and bikes were way to squeeze through. Even those some times have taken the risk of having half of their left wheels hang off of the ledge of the pavement. The semi truck should have never taken this moutain road for sure.
The driver of the truck is seen under the truck trying to fix the problem. In the distance you can see a local farmer's brick house. It is typical for farm houses in China to have 3-4 stories tall.
I thought to myself, we may windup spending the night there...


By 5pm it was dark and cold. Most of the passengers had to dig out their jackets to keep warm. These tourists of my dad's generation, all in their late 50's or early 60's have been patient and understanding. Even though a few of the women complaint to the tour guide making such an unwise decision on his choice of roads. Andy later said he did see a sign at the start of the road showing tour busses are not allowed. However the driver ignored the sign and said that sign is only in affect for certain times of the day. By 6pm, the sun is completely down and a new crescent moon rose on the edge of the mountain. The view is still spetacular, but no one was in the slightest mood to enjoy it.

After hours of waiting and convincing, he finally agreed to let another truck driver, also stuck on the road to tow his truck with a steel cable up 20 feet to where the road is slightly wider. My mom and I were walking down the road looking for a spot to relieve ourselves and managed to find a small path that led up to the bamboo forest that is private enough to do so. By the time we're done, the bus managed to get through the blockade. And we made a change of plan to stop at a nearby hotel for dinner.

Shao Xing - Ke Yan:

Shao Xing (绍兴)- Ke Yan (柯岩):

Ke Yan's giant rock face towering over the park's lake and grassy plain, showcasing its dramatic presence to all tourists enterring the park. The park houses 7 giant rock formation which rises out of flat lands as if they flew over from some where and just landed here ...

Another giant rock in the park, a sculpture of buddha is carved into the stone. Of the hundreds and thousands of temples built to house buddha statues, I would have to say this is a very special one which make all the others deem into the shadows. The sourrounding hills and lake definitely make this one the penthouse of its kind. :)

The koi pond

There is a giant koi pond full of fish in the middle of the park. It was over populated with hundreds of fish fighting for tourists' food. Alex had loads of laughs watching them jumping at every speck he tossed out. But the park also make a killing selling small packs of fish food to tourists. The fight is so fierce they literally bite each other or suck each other's lips. In a way I see this pond of fish as a metaphor of China. Its beauty, prosperity and fierce competition all resembles today's Chinese people so well.... :)

A Picture Album of Shao Xing

OK, I figured out how to post multiple pictures within one Blog entry. So here it goes. Perhaps the only entry where I have more pictures than writing.


The fashionable young tourists spotted enterring Ke Yan Park. I often find myself much less fashionable these days compared to most Chinese city folks. No more will you find drab blue communist party uniforms in the streets. In parks and city streets, even farmers dress like run way models...


The one in the middle of the lake resembles that of the side profile of an old man. The way it sits in the middle of the pond as if he is on the verge of drowning.

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"Let Live" is something Buddhist monks always preach about. Don't kill and you will be loved by buddha and other gods. You will have luck and fortune if you let the animal go... This turns out also can be a source of profit for moden tourist attractions...


Fish and turtles' holding tank at the park's store where you can buy them to let them go in the nearby pond. This is an act of good faith on the tourists. But an extremely profitable practice for the park. They can fish the fishes and turtles back at the end of each day and sell them over and over again in subsequent days to different batches of tourists.


The lovely bell tower that is also a source of profit for the park where tourists can pay to ring the bell for good luck.


The walls of the staircase leading to the main house of the park tells the story of Buddha by elegant murals. They're newly painted using bright colors but with the old brush techniques.


View of the hammer rock from top of the hill.

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The second place we visited in Shao Xing is Lan Ting. The old residence of a famous Chinese writer, poet, Wang Yi Zhi.


In Lan Ting, the famous Ink Pond's center houses a patio where Wong Yi Zhi used to write at. I just love the roof lines of this structure! It is named the "Ink Pond" because the writer used to wash his brush in the pond daily. The water used to be completely black.


The old residence of Wong Yi Zhi sets in this beautiful green mountain landscape surrounded by a lilly pond. White walls, black tile roof tops outlined by blooming water lilly in the summer months would have been even better.

The near by river, the foot-bridge and its bamboo garden leaves a poetic impression in the mind of any traveler. I would have loved to spend a few days just lingerring there. On the other hand, one would not wish such a place to ever be converted into another modern day resort complex.


The small village next to Lan Ting park is a newly constructed tinsel town that houses many sourvenior shops. It will be great for film makers to use for their next Zhang Yi Mao movie...

Class Reunion

Now that I'm all by myself back home, I have more time to sit down and write up the last 2 destinations of our China trip. Andy and Alex stayed back in Shanghai because my parents-in-law will be visiting Shanghai coincidentally in mid-November. So since Alex was born and Andy's last trip to N.Y. back in 2000, I'm all alone for the first time in 4 years.

So you may wonder what's this class reunion stuff all about as suggested in my entry's title. Well, for our last weekend in China, we joint my Dad's Tong Ji (同济) classmates for their class reunion trip to Shao Xing (邵兴) and Qian Dao Hu (千岛湖). It's a easy way to travel, saving us the trouble of arranging for our own accomodations and tour guides. It also gave us a rare chance to peek into the social dynamics and insides of his generation.

Since my parents met and fell in love while studying architecture in Tong Ji university back in the 60's, this type of class reunions can reveal much about what their lives much have been like back then. I don't want to make this entry one that is about the China's infamous culture revolution but that is the back-drop of their college years. While the 60's has been an era of sexual freedom and drugs in the U.S. and western world, China was going through perhaps the most rigid era easily comparable to the Victorian age's social values when it comes to courtship and marriage.

Our young tour guide, Ms Jiang was of great help in stirring up the crowd. In order to entertain the group on the bus, she would bring up old stories she dug up from various classmates to discuss and laugh about. There are old dorm room stories as well as singing their favorite Russian folk songs. Yes you heard me right. They loved Russian folk songs. Back then their required second language study was not English but Russian. Of course it was due to the close relations between the 2 communist countries.

When asked to talk about their "love stories" on campus back then, the comments we heard most from them is how drastically different it is now adays for college students to date and have public intimacy and publically known sexual relationships. Back then, sexual relationships just aren't allowed and will be a cause for expelling the student from the school. If you were lucky enough to have a girl/boy friend, then everything must take place under the highest level of secrecy with the support and cover of your closest friends. It is just not talked about in public.

I sensed a kind of sadness among the laughters in the bus. The kind that says they were robbed of their golden years in a way. But I do believe the kind of relationship that was forged under those circumstance must be superior and can withstand more tests of time and tribulations. I would say most 90% of them stayed with their college sweet hearts till today.

They try to meet up like this every other year now. But knowing with passing time, each time there would be fewer of them make to the trip either due to their health condition or simply has passed away. I also would not hesitate to say that their generation has been the hardest working generation even today. There is a well known saying in China these days. "The prosperity and growth in China today is at the cause of an entire generation's health." I don't think I have ever recalled my parents having any type of personal hobby such as golfing or fishing or even going to movies... All their lives, they're either studying, working or taking care of family. Even today, at the age of 60, they still work 6-7 days a week on a regular basis.

So I give my salute to my parents and their classmates for all they have lived through and sacraficed.

I'm back

Tonight, I'm back in Redwood City tonight safe and sound. It feels like I've been away a long time yet I'm not looking forward to go back to work tomorrow at all. :(
At the end of this trip, Bay area actually feels like home to me now. Although I have always seen myself as a guest here for the past 4 years. Perhaps it still stems from the fact we don't yet own our own house here.

--- And I truly truly appreciate the speed of my cable connection from here. What a difference. :) ----

What I will miss from Shanghai:

1. Definitely all the great Chinese food from breakfast items to great local dishes. There are so much more variety than what we can find here. Plus everything is freshly cooked whether you buy from from street vendors or fancy restaurants. Even the grocery stores has a lot more brands. It will seem like a drab to shop here in our local Safeway again.
2. The endless shopping malls you can browse. There are just a lot more styles and brands of everything.
3. Most of all, I'll miss Andy and Alex who stayed behind. Alex will be spending another month there to attend the local day-care. I'm hoping by the time he gets back, he will be fluent in Chinese. :P

What I will not miss:

1. The terrible city air. The car exhaust is the major source of pollution on the street. Then there is also the pollution from the sewer system below.
2. The hundreds and hundreds of pedestrians and bicyclists on the street.
3. The taxi drivers who would not hesitate to scold a 3-year old child for stepping on the taxi car seat.
4. The spits on the side walks every where. It's like a national sport for men there. I guess you can't blame them if they really have so much spit due to respiratory problem caused by breathing all the car exhaust every day.

Compared to the Shanghai I saw the last time I was back there in Dec of 2001, there are visible improvements every where, mostly in the form of new constructions and high rises. Also I find the store clerks are more friendly now. I guess the customer service quality is also improving.

On my flights back, I finished the "Fast Food Nation" book. In this edition's final chapter, it seems to me, Schlosser made a turn for the positive in his attitude toward the golden archies giant. He gave positive encouragement to McDonald's corporation to continue their endeavers for a positive public image and extending their influence to the meat packing industries to treat their employees better and improve their work safety. My conclusion after reading the book is that just don't eat hambergurs any more. If we must, just go to In & Out joints. In fact, it's better to just be a vegetarian.

Any way, I better hit the bunk now. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep through the whole night considerring I didn't sleep more than a couple of hours on the flights over.

Healthcare in China

It wouldn't be a complete vacation without someone getting sick and has to visit the local hospital. Alex, being the youngest member of our family was the first to get infected. Luckily it was just a common cold. With the shortage on flu shots in the US, he probably would have caught something back in the Bay area any how.

Taking my parents' suggestion, we took a taxi ride to the nearest Chang Ning general hospital. The hospital is quite modern. It's fairly new and is a complete contrast to the older hospital my dad stayed at back in 1999 when he had his pancreatic infection. Marble floors, large lobby that opened up to the 2nd, 3rd floors with plants around the corners and escalators. It looks more like a shopping mall than a hospital.

The lobby was full of people as expected. You see, in China, you don't call the doctor's office for an appointment up front. You just go to the hospital and register in the lobby for a #. The regular registration fee you pay at the lobby's registration windows is all that you pay for the doctor's examination and consulting fee. For regular registration, it's a modest 20Yuan, equivalent of less than $3.00 USD. Then if you need to pick up medication, you would pay that later in the hospital.

For us, we decided to go upstairs and register at the "Special Need" department where we pay a hefty 120 Yuan per patient, an equivalent of $15 USD or less (same as our current PPO co-pay amount in the states). There is no need to show any indication of insurance coverage or identification of any sort. At this service level, you'll be allowed to wait in a fancy waiting room equipped with nice sofa, TV and most importantly much faster turn to get to the doctor. The nurses will also fetch all the paperwork and necessaties for your blood or urine tests, etc.

The doctors servicing this floor have lesser patients to see than the other department. There are also more than one type of doctor available at all times on this floor. Aside from general family doctors, there is also a staff of other specialty doctors. Most other patients we found on that floor are either Taiwanese or Korean residents of Shanghai.

Overall, I find the division of service quite convenient for us, foreign travelers. The locals are also allowed to use this level of service as long as they're willing to pay the same amount. No wonder my parents have not had any trouble with their healthcare need during they stay here in the last few years. The expat level of service at the same cost as our co-pay in the states really goes to show the dramatic hyper inflated medical costs here in the states. Remember, there is no other insurance company who will pay the hospital another 80% of the cost at a later date... There will not be a medical statement sent to us later showing how much the insurance policy negotiated the doctor's rate down to and paid on our behalf... The 120Yuan ($15USD) was all it took.

And what medicine did Alex get for his cough and cold? Tylenol cold and Clariton D... :

Trip Update

I must apologize for the lack of entries lately. The connection I have from my parents' home is very slow and my attempts to create new entries on Blogger.com are often unsuccessful. Here is a quick update of what we're up to.

We took a day-trip yesterday (Oct. 14) to go visit my ancestral home and grave sites on an island in the middle of Tai Hu lake (太湖,西山). It's a 2-hour drive from Shanghai, near Shu Zhou. That is truly a magical place. The island in the middle of the lake has its own moutain range and villages. The farmers live there are either fisher men or orange growers. Some also grow gingo nuts. My grandfather grew up there before he went to work in Shanghai. There is still one relative's family who live there today and tends to the ancestral graves. Their lives are of a completely different era in time and a pace of its own. They grow much of the vegetables they eat on their own land. The village has its own wells that supply their water which in my opninion is much better than the city's water. I'll have to write a separate entry for this place when I have more time.

Today afternoon, we'll be joining a group of my dad's old college class-mates for a short 2-day trip to Shao Xing(邵兴) and the "Thousand Island Lake" (千岛湖). We'll be back in Shanghai by Sunday evening. Then I'm scheduled to fly back to SFO on Monday the 18th.

White Supremacy

I have a couple of cousins who are recent college grads from universities either in the States or Australia. Instead of seeking for job opportunities in the States or Australia, they now prefers to live and work in Shanghai. However, they face an unique dilema in finding a suitable job with just compensation.
Believe it or not, there is very heavy favoritism toward the "white" ethnic races here in this very homogeneous Chinese society. My father told me funny stories about how business presentations delivered with a white guy as a member of the presentation team, regardless of his nationality or expertise, will be perceived as of higher quality or more trustworthy. Some companies go to the extend of hiring a temporary "white" person just for show as part of their business proposition presentation or deal signing. I wonder if this mentality root from Chinese people's own inferiority syndrome all the way back to the Qing dynasty. This reverse discrimination is most obvious when companies are considerring compensation for foreigners who seek jobs here in Shanghai. A Chinese American who may have the same experience as a caucasian American in the same line of work will be given lesser pay than the caucasian even though hiring the bilingual Chinese American would often mean better communication skill between the rest of the company and this individual.
I don't know what the remedy should be... It is ridiculous and frustrating for those whose lives are affected. If you have suggestions, please let me know.

Impression of Yun Nan

The brand new Shanghai Opera House sets in the center of the city’s People’s Square. Designed by a renowned French architect, the structure resembles a traditional Chinese treasure basin symbolizing the idea of collecting and integrating the world’s arts and talents. For my birthday, my parents and I attended the new “Broadway” show equivalent Chinese dance production titled, “The Impression of Yun Nan” 《云南映象》.
Yun Nan is the southwestern province of China that borders Burma and Vietnam. The literal translation of Yun Nan means south of the clouds. I’m not sure if that is the region’s original name or not. But it is a quite poetic one. There are many unique geological wonders in the area that are quite popular tourist attractions. Several minorities populate the area. Their culture and spirit saturates the impression of the province in the minds of Chinese people. They have no written language of their own and are known to communicate through their dance rituals and songs. The show uses locally recruited dancer and singers led and directed by a seasoned, well known dancer, Yang, Li Ping “杨丽萍”. Ms Yang’s signature dance and her life’s pursuit is a dance that imitates a peacock, the region’s favorite bird. Amazingly at the age of 46, she still look and dance like someone in her 20’s. The peacock dance to her is almost at the spiritual level rather than just an art form.

My mom thought they bought the best seats. But the 3rd row seat became first row due to the expansion of the stage to accommodate the format of the show. Many times, if I stood up, I could literally reach over and touch the performers. We can also feel the breath created by their clothing whenever they ran across the stage. I could see each dancer's face and the excitment in their eyes. There are so much innocence in them. I could tell which member are professional dancers from the national dance institutes and which ones are truly local people from Yun Nan. But the coordination of the dances are well rehersed and orderly. The lighting and stage design all are very creative and modern. Many of the techniques employed reminds of me of some of the Vegas shows. Not anybody or any show can be chosen as the center stage show on the national independence day in the Shanghai Opera House. The fact they chose this show either means they're really the best or that there is definitely a shift in people's appreciation of art form here that I hasn't anticipated.

The dances include the ones they dance during their mating rituals and worship of fire or of the peacock, etc. The drumming was very uplifting. But perhaps the most memorable part was the dance of the women. "女人国“ features a song that really, truly describes the role of a woman. It goes, "Can the sun rest? Yes, it can. Can the moon take a break? Yes, it can. Can the woman relax? No. The woman cannot. If the woman rests, then the fire in the stove will die out... If there is a woman in the family, there everyone is united. If there is a woman for a man, then when the mountain collapses, the man will carry it. If there is no women in this world, then there will be no people. A woman must work hard or there will be no sweetness in her life.... Can the sun rest? Yes, the sun can rest. Can the moon take a break? Yes, the moon can take a break. Can the woman relax? No. She cannot." I cannot say I agree or disagree with the lyric. But I know how hard life must be for women of their culture.... Sigh!

Website for the show:
http://ent.sina.com.cn/f/ynpics/index.shtml

Website for the theater:
http://www.srts.net/shenzhou/Shanghai_dajuyuan.html