Chinese Lessons

the view from the playground

On my ride into work today I played a game with myself. I wanted to see if I could cycle one full block without seeing any sign of preparation for the coming World Expo. It wasn’t possible.

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David Shenk  – blogging at the Atlantic – discusses the homework debate

Well, it was bound to happen. Today a gutted snake was featured on the lunch table display. I confirmed it with another parent – snake soup was indeed on the menu. So, as of today, my 3 year old’s adventures in the local cuisine are richer than my own.

I was vastly relieved to discover this  cartoon character.  Hei Mao Jing Zhang (literally black cat police captain) was created by the Shanghai Animation Studio and popular in China throughout the 1980’s. When Max first came home singing the show’s catchy theme song, however, I reacted with paranoia. In my feverish imagination ‘Hei Mao Jing Zhang’ had become ‘Hey Mao Ze Dong.’

My review of ‘China Prophecy: Shanghai’ currently showing at the skyscraper museum in New York is  now up at China Beat

Lunch

Well Max will be happy. The other day he told me that pigeon was his favorite food.

Shanghaiist reports (via Shanghai Daily) on the horror of high school and its grim repercussions.

Since Max has now graduated from xiao ban to zhong ban his teachers told him that he should start bringing books instead of toys to school. So the Ultraman figurine has been replaced by an Ultraman comic.

On a ride into Gubei we noticed a new (and particularly ludicrous) display of a crowd of Haibaos all dressed in ethnic garb. After cringing, we began to wonder what will happen to Shanghai’s vast collection of Haibaos when expo is over.  Where will the future city locate it’s Haibao graveyard? My guess is at a discount section in Yiwu.