Same, same

English summary: I just came back from a vacation in Hainan, ”China’s Hawaii”. Didn’t do much except enjoying the beautiful beaches and watching people. And while seeing moms chasing after their kids with sunscreen, grandparents trying to get the little ones to eat more fruit and dads gently splashing water on their babies’ little feet, I thought to myself ”how alike we are, all over the world”.

Hejsansvejsan.

Jag har precis kommit hem från fem gudomliga dagar som tillbringats på ön Hainan, den kinesiska folkrepublikens svar på Hawaii. I alla fall om man ska tro den officiella reklamen.

Nåväl. Jag har aldrig varit på Hawaii, så jag har ingen aning om liknelsen är befogad eller ej. Men jag gillade Hainan. Mycket. Underbar blå himmel (det är jag liksom inte sådär jättebortskämd med på min bostadsort Shanghai), ljuvliga, långsträckta, rena stränder och kristallklart vatten … yeahyeahyeah, what to say, det var helt najsigt.

Till Hainan for jag med Den Lilla. Dvs. dottern. Jag hade gärna sett att hennes ömme fader hade joinat oss, men han hade fullt upp med heavy corporate stuff, så det sket sig. Nåväl. Kanske nästa år?

Hursomhelst. Den Lilla och jag bosatte oss på ett av många ”resorts” på Hainan. Och redan vid den okulära besiktningen vid ankomsten stod det klart för mig: ”Herregud, det här är ju Sunwing. Fast på kinesiska!”

Nej men jag menar. Man får välkomstdrink och piffigt halsband. Innan man blir ivägsläppt till sitt rum blir man informerad om triljoner käcka aktiviteter man kan anmäla sig till. Visserligen inte grisfest, men klart likvärdiga grejer. Alla, precis alla anställda ler vänligt och hejar på en, var på områden man än råkar befinna sig. Dessutom har alla, precis alla anställda knappar med smileys på tröjorna. Och så vidare.

Men. Vad jag tänkte mest på under vår vistelse, det var hur lika varandra människor ändå är, öst som väst. Här och där. Och det behöver man inte kunna språket för att inse. Det räcker med att kolla in gester och kroppsspråk.

Jag menar. På stranden. Föräldrar och barn. Pappor som försöker entusiasmera sin pyttelilla avkomma för vågskvalp av mer eller mindre rejäl sort. Som försiktigt skvätter havsvatten på små bebisfötter. Mammor som jagar efter sina barn med solkräm i högsta hugg. Far- eller morföräldrar som försöker truga i de små äppelklyftor och vatten. Barn som skrattar så de kiknar medan de gräver ner pappor eller mammor i sanden medelst turkosa små spadar. Och, vid  frukostbuffén: ”Nej men gulleplutten lilla, seså, nu har farmor skalat den här fina apelsinen till dig, seså, ta nu en klyfta, det är MASSOR av vitaminer i den, som kommer att göra dig stor och stark!” *barnbarn grimaserar och springer iväg för att kolla ifall chokladfontänen är igång*

Det kunde ha varit Sunwing på Kanarieöarna. Ja, det kanske är självklart. Men jag vill säga det ändå. För att det tål att upprepas.

Made in China

— ENGLISH SUMMARY: I love to try out new products, gadgets and foods. And living abroad, there’s endless possibilities for me to test  stuff that is yet unknown to me. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy – any product from the supermarket will do 🙂 I’ve heard of expats here in China who only buy imported stuff because everything Made in China might be a health-hazard. (Although some of these expats have no qualms about shopping at the fake markets, which I think is slightly double-standardish…). Well, in no way do I ignore reports about hazardous products, and I know there are a lot of Chinese that don’t trust Chinese products either. But I don’t think it is beneficial for your health to be scared of just about everything, either. So I eat quite a bit of China-produced food and, being adventurous (yeah I know, some would call me downright stupid) try everything from chinese laundry detergents to skin creams. The pic above (glamooourish, no?!?!)  is me trying out chinese hair gel. I found it rather good! —

När det gäller produkter av alla möjliga slag är jag inte bara en early adopter. Jag älskar att testa vadsomhelst som är okänt för mig. Och som utlandssvensk har jag i princip oändliga möjligheter att göra så. Weeheeeheeee!

Det finns en hel del expats här i Kina som är ytterst misstänksamma mot allt som är Made in China. De köper helst importerade grejer. Ja, jag har till och med hört om folk som enbart köper importerad mat och importerade hushålls- samt hygienprodukter. Allt från mjölk och kött till tvättmedel, tandkräm och hudkrämer.

Men guuuuuuuud så tråkigt, tycker jag. Jag säger det inte rakt ut. Därtill är jag för finkänslig, eller feg (välj själva adekvat adjektiv). Men om saken kommer på tal berättar jag gärna att jag älskar att snaska på den kinesiska kolan White Rabbit, och att jag just nu testar en kinesisk hudkräm som bara kostar 30 yuan på min lokala supermarket. (Enbart kinesisk text på förpackningen, men å andra sidan såg burken söt och förtroendeingivande ut….).

Vid slika tillfällen har det hänt att folk fixerat mig med en blick som bara kan tolkas på ett sätt, nämligen ”Är du helt från vettet, människa?” Sedan har de sakta skakat på huvudet och med tonfallet hos en oändligt tålmodig förälder, som adresserar ett mindre vetande litet barn, erinrat mig om allt från mjölkpulverskandalen till någon i Kina tillverkad tandkräm som innehållit för höga halter av något kemiskt ämne (minns inte vilket).

Det är förresten inte bara expats som hyser misstankar mot produkter mot både det ena och andra som är Made in China. Det gör många kineser också. Inte minst mot livsmedelsprodukter. Mången som har råd därtill väljer importerade varor.

Och. Nu är det inte så att jag försöker vifta bort att mycket skräp och hälsovådligheter produceras här. Inte alls. Men. Jag tycker inte man kan utgå från att allt är skit. Eller hälsovådligt. Eller bäggedera. Att alla kinesiska producenter fuskar med precis allting. Och om vi nu ska snacka hälsorisker så tror jag inte heller det är särskilt hälsosamt att gå omkring och oroa sig för allt möjligt hela tiden.

Så jag fortsätter att borsta tänderna med kinesisk tandkräm, samtidigt som jag gläds över att den där hudkrämen för 30 yuan funkar riktigt hyfsat på mitt fejs.

Senaste produkten jag testade var hårgel från det för mig okända märket Lucidol-L. Resultatet blev så bra att jag i ett anfall av narcissism producerade den glamorösa bilden ovan. (Funderar allvarligt på att kontakta tillverkaren och försöka kränga bildrättigheterna till dem, hehe).

Och så en sak till. Av de expats som föreläst för mig om vikten av att hålla sig borta från kinesiska produkter är det ett BEAKTLIGT antal som köper både ett och annat på den här stans fejkmarkader. Allt från kläder till billiga DVD-kopior.

Jo. Visst kan man hävda att det minsann är skillnad på en kopierad Gucci-väska och tandkräm.

Men. Man kan också se ett visst samband. Och kanske, får jag drista mig till att påstå, ana en viss dubbelmoral?

Just saying…

Let there be light

Normally, this blog is in Swedish. But some entries I feel can appeal to non-Swedish speakers too. So I write them in English. Like this one.

Not too long ago, somebody hurt me. I was very sad. In fact, I still am. A piece of my heart is broken. But anyway. When this happened, the weather was dreary. So I spent a lot of time inside, looking out into the gloominess, getting even sadder.

At some point, I felt I had to pull myself together and get out into the fresh air. Well, maybe ”fresh” isn’t the right word. I live in Shanghai, after all 😉 But I think you know what I mean. I needed a change of scenery. A change of air. A chance to get distracted.

So I took my camera with me and went downtown. To Hongkou district, a central part of Shanghai that isn’t as glitzy as the Bund or Pudong. It’s a bit run-down and devoid of popular tourist attractions. Hongkou is my favourite photo spot in Shanghai. There is a certain atmosphere about it that I like.

I wandered the rainy streets for a couple of hours. And believe it or not, but my mood lifted minute by minute. The misty, rainy sky made everything look dreamy, a bit mysterious and very intriguing. I took a lot of photos I am very pleased with. (You can see them here.) I was happy and excited like a little kid about all the photo ops that kept popping up on the streets that I walked. I really had a great time.

And now comes the best part. I found a pretty, smallish new sidewalk right by Huangpu river, and chose it for getting back to the car. It looked I was the only one using it – not very surprising, since it serves more sightseeing purposes than rapid movement…and since this wasn’t exactly popular sightseeing weather.

After a couple of 100 meters or so, I suddenly saw a big, yellow umbrella before me. As I came closer, I saw that it belonged to a well-dressed Chinese man in his fifties. He was standing at the balustrade, quietly looking out over the river and the city. Now and then, he took a slow sip from a soda bottle. Other than that, he didn’t move. He looked so serene and peaceful, and somehow, that made me very peaceful too. And happy, of sorts. To see this business guy taking some time out. On his very own. With a quiet, barely noticeable, smile on his face. For me, on that particular day, there was something very comforting about his presence.

I stopped a couple of meters from him. Leaned against the balustrade and shared the view with him.

The photo above is what we saw.

When I came home, and went through the photos I had taken, and saw this particular one, the first thing that went through my head was:

Let there be light. Over Shanghai, and in my heart.

And that is my story.

Tibetan skies

Last week, after returning to China, my family and I visited Llhasa, Tibet, for a couple of days. And despite jetlag in combination with mountain sickness, it was such a magnificent experience.

Trans-Himalaya is often called The Roof of the World. And I understand why. The feeling of being so close to the clear blue sky and white clouds is totally unique. (And not just because you’re dizzy from lack of oxygen!). The sensation of utter silence up in the mountains is magically serene.

Since coming home, I’ve uploaded some pictures from Llhasa to Flickr and Facebook. After that, I’ve been told on Twitter that I am ”clearly aiding China’s propaganda offensive to depict occupied Tibet as a peaceful/contended place”.

Well. I asked the person who wrote this if it would be better for Tibetans if there were no pictures on the Internet that depict the beauty of Tibet. I think that is an interesting question. I also think that the answer is not given.

I did not receive a specific answer. The person in question continued to state basically the same thing – that the pictures clearly aid China’s propaganda illusion.

Well.  The mountains, the sky, the monasterys and palaces are no illusion. And that is why I had no qualms about photographing them, nor uploading the pictures on the Internet. What I photographed was not staged.

I also very much doubt that people who see my pictures automatically will think ”Oh, hooray for China!”

So. For those of you who are interested: here are my pictures. In this entry, I focus on the skies over Llhasa. More entries will follow, with other themes.

 

First impression, close to landing at Llhasa Airport.

Deprung Monastery, the largest of all Tibetan monasteries.

Jokhang Temple. Many Tibetan buddhists consider this the most sacred temple.

At Llhasa River.

The colours of Tibetan buddhism. One interpretation is: blue for sky, white for cloud, red for fire, green for water and yellow for earth. 

Scenery near Llhasa Airport.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life in the slow lane, part 1

Yesterday, me and about 15 other expats went on a walk through some of the old lanes of Shanghai, accompanied by the photographer Gangfeng Wang, who grew up in the area.

The arcitechtural style of the residential houses here is called Shikumen, a unique Chinese-Western mix that only exists in Shanghai. The houses were built for Chinese people who lived in the Western quarters.

The deteriorating Shikumen lanes are being rapidly torn down now. High rises are sprucing up instead. ”What a pity”, we said to each other when we walked through this negihbourhood. But is it? Well, I will ask that question again in Life in the slow lane, part 2.…coming soon….

View from a rooftop terrace

Shaving corner with a view

Looks pretty idyllic, doesn’t it?

The perfect match, I think

On the side

Playtime – for some

Peeking through someone’s door

Shoes drying in the sun

Birdcages en masse

My best photo ever!!!

Gray, gorgeous, gloomy, glorious

Today I’m NOT feeling quite alright….some vicious virus seems to be attacking my stomach….making me feel kind of….pukish. So, what suits my mood better than to publicise a couple of slightly scary/intimidating/ugly pictures of an abandoned banking palace here in Shanghai?

My friend C and I stumbled on this extraordinary place while enjoying one of our city walks, when we look at and learn about all sorts of interesting old buildings in Shanghai.

Sometimes, when trying to get a closer look into interesting buildings in this city, you are more or less brusqely told off buy an intimidating looking security guard. And sometimes, you are heartily welcomed in. And in some cases, you encounter guards who are so perplexed by your appearance that they forget to tell you off and just smile broadly at you and your strange interest in ”their” building. The latter was the case when we peeped into this magnificent place…

Luckily, C can read Chinese, and the hand-painted signs at the door told her that this building, which is situated at the back of the Bund, is/was some kind of banker’s association headquarter.

Well, as you can see, this place is in dire need of thorough renovation. I just hope the city doesn’t tear the place down. It is truly magnificent.

The grayness of it all.

An awe-inspiring entrance.

The discrete beauty of grime.

Behind these doors, there used to be some VERYVERY SERIOUS and TOTALLY IMPORTANT banking work being done. Just imagine!

It was not until C, on a whim, took a flash shot of the ceiling, and we looked at the pic, that we realized what exceptional stuff is hidden in this gloominess!

Eventually, the soft-spoken security guard gently turned his back on us. Thank you so much for letting us in and about 🙂

Blue, blue Bund skies

Today I spend a gorgeous, blue-skyed day at Shanghai’s pride and joy – the Bund. Luckily I had my camera with me 🙂

Fact or fiction?

The sun, the warm wind through your hair…enjoy.

Perfect day for a glamour magazine shot…

And then…the sun rays making Oriental Pearl Tower shine…

Beyond the Bund

Yay, folks! Today I feel like writing in English! Won’t write that much though, the pics have a lot to say themselves. Anyway, these photographs are taken beyond the Bund, slightly away from the super-touristy sights. Ordinary Shanghai.

Yes, who wouldn’t love to have their wedding pics taken outside Prada?!?!

”Hey, aren’t we just as good-looking?!?” Of course you are.

The floor. Beautiful.

Red light. Goes excellent with the smog, if I may say so.

Me thinks somebody feels slightly left out.

The enquiry.

As I said, just an ordinary day beyond the Bund.