Shanghai - World Expo 2010 - how should we behave!

After the Beijing Olympics of last year the next big event in China will be the Shanghai Expo in 2010. (http://en.expo2010china.com) While this might be still far away for most people not living in Shanghai, for those of us living here we hear about the preparations on a regular basis. We also see the (ugly) mascot called Haibao at many places in the city. Traditional Chinese design can be very beautiful but when it comes to mascots the Chinese do not have a very good idea of what is liked internationally.

Professionally I will also involved in a small way. We have just reached agreement with the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau (SEPB) that the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities will work with the SEPB in organizing a workshop on the air quality management plan for the World Expo. I developed the idea for the workshop when I was still the Executive Director for CAI-Asia and since I am living here in Shanghai I will probably be involved in the organization of the workshop.

However, our personal lives are also affected by the Expo. Yesterday we received a letter from the community Party committee which gave an extensive overview of do's and do-not's:

1. Eliminate uncivilized behavior:

• Drying clothes outside should follow the rules
• Pets should not disturb the neighbors
  
• Be careful where you throw rubbish
• Protect public facilities
• Parking should follow regulations
• Manage your hands: no graffiti, do not throw rubbish
• Manage your mouth: no obscenities, no spitting, no smoking in public
• Manage your feet: observe red lights for crossing, no jay-walking

2. Self Discipline, Follow the Moral Rules

• At home, be a good family member
  
• At work: be a good colleague and observe good work ethics
• In society: be a good citizen

3. Show good spirit:

• Be polite
• Be responsible
• Show big spirit in small ways: charity, donations

You can see that we have our work cut out! I thought that I better post this so that people planning to visit us in Shanghai for the Expo can prepare themselves as well.

Valentines Day - Qi Qiao Jie

After having survived the Chinese New Year and related festivals Valentines Day is now upon us. English media in China are busily advertising Valentine dinners usually with a price tag with a lot of 888's in it to bring the diners more luck. The price of red roses has temporarily increased threefold (but still cheaper than in the West).

It is interesting to know that apart from the commercially oriented Valentines day China also has its own day of love - Qi Qiao Jie - which falls on the seventh day of the seventh (lunar) month. This year this will be on August 26 th.

There are two legends surrounding the origins of Chinese Valentine's Day. Both involve the position of the stars on the seventh day of the seventh month in the Chinese lunar calendar .

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/foodfestivals/a/chinavalentine.htm explains two possible origins which are both nicely not commercial:

"According to the first version , the seven daughters of the Goddess of Heaven caught the eye of a Cowherd during one of their visits to earth. The daughters were bathing in a river and the Cowherd, Niu Lang, decided to have a bit of fun by running off with their clothing. It fell upon the prettiest daughter (who happened to be the seventh born), to ask him to return their clothes.

Of course, since Niu Lang had seen the daughter, Zhi Nu, naked, they had to be married. The couple lived happily for several years. Eventually however, the Goddess of Heaven became fed up with her daughter's absence, and ordered her to return to heaven. However, the mother took pity on the couple and allowed them to be reunited once a year. Legend has it that on the seventh night of the seventh moon, magpies form a bridge with their wings for Zhi Nu to cross to meet her husband.

In the second story, Niu Lang and Zhi Nu were fairies living on opposite sides of the Milky Way. Feeling sorry for the two lonely sprites, the Jade Emperor of Heaven actively tried to bring them together. Unfortunately, he succeeded too well - Niu Lang and Zhi Nu became so enraptured with each other that they neglected their work. Annoyed, the Jade Emperor decreed that from that point on, the couple could only meet once a year - on the seventh night of the seventh moon".

I guess that L. and I will end up celebrating both, in the same way that we also do several New Year's eves each year.

Progress Shanghai style

This is what I found today in my email:

Ten solar-powered, "speaking" garbage bins appeared at People's Square recently, a local newspaper reported yesterday.

The bins use solar energy to provide power for the electronic voice, which is activated by a button, that tells pedestrians where the closest two toilets are. The solar energy also provides power for a map on the top of the trash bins which lights up at night, Oriental Morning Post reported.

The map shows surrounding roads and public facilities, the report said.

The report did not say how much the garbage bins cost.

A total of 480 such trash cans will also be placed on Nanjing Road, at the Bund and other main streets, according to the Huangpu District Sanitation Bureau.

The bins are also easy to see at night. They are the first solar-powered garbage bins in the country.

Perhaps you understand now why I find it sometimes difficult to explain China to people who do not live here. While in Holland they are struggling to introduce a smart card for public transport, the garbage bins in Shanghai are clever enough to tell you where the closest two toilets are. I will try to get a photo, or even better a video!

Advertising!

I was taking a walk with L. this afternoon to see whether the new park across the creek had opened, which was not the case unfortunately. Walking back across the bridge I saw a lot of telephone numbers stenciled on the bridge railing. It turned out to be advertising for: delivery of your baby, birth control in case you want no more babies or scanning to determine the sex of the baby. All very useful but not what you would expect on a Sunday afternoon walk.

Customer Service

Traveling in the USA two weeks ago, I decided to take the train from Davis CA to San Francisco CA. Public transport generally does not have a very good reputation in the USA. It was with some trepidation therefore that I went with the train option. My fears were totally unfounded however. Buying the ticket online was easy. You get a booking code which you use to collect your ticket at the train station. Back home in the Netherlands small stations typically no longer have any human beings to assist you and machines are what is left. It was a very nice surprise to see not only a human being at the train station in Davis CA but also a chair for you to sit down while you complete your transaction. So civilized and so pleasant!