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 Shanghaiist recently caught up with Philippe Tzou, the Shanghai Couch Surfing volunteer. Couch Surfing is a great non-profit organization that helps people travel around the world staying in the homes of like minded people and sharing their knowledge and experiences. Shanghai has developed a unique CS community. As Shanghai-resident Philippe Tzou’s current guest Sascha Wenzlick put it: In Germany loads of people have CS accounts so you don’t get requests to surf so often. But in Shanghai you get weekly requests and CSers even confer to share the guests around.
Philippe calls several places home including Ivory Coast, France, Taiwan and Belgium. He worked for NGOs at the European Union in Brussels. Through working with disability groups he even found himself joining a wheelchair basketball league for a season and, as he put it, “getting owned”. Philippe has now settled on Shanghai and uses his skills and experiences to build the CS community here.
Philippe embraces the philosophy of Couch Surfing and has initiated one of its many collaborative projects. Through fundraising among his old Belgian CS network, he has started The Water Buffalo Project. The project will buy a water buffalo for a poor family in Hubei. It’s no pipe dream either. He has been to the selected village and settled on a family too. Shanghaiist has also had many guests over these past months and if you want to see one of those ‘nice ideas’ working in practice, you need look no further.
Pictured: Philippe Tzou and Sascha Wenzlick.
Watch out for a future post tipping the next CS party/event if you want to get involved.
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 We can see it now. Fast-forward to 2010. An ancient Tibetan god called Gozer arrives atop an apartment building near Xintiandi in Shanghai, where it tells the neighborhood's restaurateurs that the next thing they think of will be the form Gozer will assume to destroy their world. Despite their efforts to clear their minds, Bob Boyce imagines Haibao, the irksome mascot of the 2010 World Expo. As he explains, Haibao "just popped in there" as "something that could never possibly destroy us." Moments later a giant Haibao is seen walking towards the apartment building. And then the restaurateurs shoot at Haibao with their proton packs ... and so on and so on.
It will look something like the video found after the jump ... only bluer.
Photo from Joon Ho.
Text of this post almost totally ripped off from here.
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 Taikang Lu is best known for its quiet galleries, trendy cafes and relaxed atmosphere but hidden away inside Building Three are a group who take beating you into submission very seriously. Unlikely as it sounds, studio 311 is home to top Brazilian Jujitsu and MMA trainer Tony Eduardo Lima.
Mixed Martial Arts encompasses several styles and professional competition circuits. American and Japanese fans follow big fights and big names in comps such as K-1, UFC and Pride, but it is just starting to catch on in China. Once the sport had time to develop it became apparent that Jujitsu fighters were dominating and soon all fighters were coming to teachers like Tony Lima to get ‘ground game’. In Brazil, the art is highly traditional and highly developed through the Gracie Family and their schools. It is a complete style and a way of life.
Inspired by the Gracies, Tony Lima trained BJJ since he was twelve years old. His friend, Shanghai based Ryan Melchiano, was returning to the city and persuaded him to come along for the ride. The new studio at Taikang Lu is a welcome addition to Shanghai’s growing martial arts scene and definitely a step towards the pre-war days of famous schools and infamous ‘lei-tai’ challenge matches.
Professor Lima’s studio is at Studio 311, Building 3, Lane 210 Taikang Lu.
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By Rebekah Pothaar
Here is a warning to all. Don't buy those cute, little baby bunnies off the street or at the flower markets around the city.
Shanghaiist is feeling a little broken hearted this morning when we found our little bunny that we had received as an Easter Sunday present dead. Little Massimo only lasted a week.
Photo from scruss.com
A number of people have told us that the same thing has happened to them. They get a little pet, fall head-over-heels in love with the little cutie, but the longest they generally last is about three weeks. And where in this large city is one to bury the little thing?
The problem seems to be that they are taken from their mothers too early and are too young and weak.
We would love to get another one, but the memory of his still warm, but lifeless body this morning warns not to make the same mistake twice.
Get a cat and save yourself the pain.
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By Kate Merkel-Hess
 I recently received two new travel books (of sorts) in my mailbox, one of which I wrote a few short bits for. Beijing Time by Michael Dutton, with Hsiu-ju Stacy Lo and Dong Dong Wu, (due out in May from Harvard University Press) and Urbanatomy: Shanghai 2008, edited by Nick Land (published by China Intercontinental Press in 2007) fall at opposite ends of a rather loosely envisioned “travel book” spectrum, but both promise an on-the-ground look at “new” China.
Beijing Time, by Goldsmiths, University of London Professor of Politics Michael Dutton and independent scholars Hsiu-ju Stacy Lo and Dong Dong Wu (the advance copy I read did not clarify how research and writing was split between them), is a theory-driven investigation of Beijing as both location and symbol. The authors explore Beijing through layout and buildings, investigating how Beijingers interact with their city’s built environment, and asking, ultimately, what that interaction says about the city’s (and by extension, China’s) past and future.
The book begins from a premise that has almost achieved the level of trope in writings about China: the idea that contemporary China is full of strange juxtapositions—from the linguistic to the economic—and that out of these ironies a deeper truth and meaning can be excavated. For instance, in describing a series of buildings along Changan, the authors write that “in a very Chinese way they are examples of what Mikhail Bakhtin might have called ‘grotesque realism’—that is, the absurdist, carnivalesque ‘turning of the tables’ on the good-taste aesthetic realism of the ruling elite.” That China does indeed mirror Bakhtin’s dreamscape/nightmare carnival vision is apparent to anyone who has spent more than a few days in China1. But I feel that not only has this idea been extended almost as far as it can go, but that, in its worst forms, it veers toward an Orientalist celebration of China as so potentially “other” as to be incomprehensible.
Dutton et al., clearly familiar with the city, manage to avoid such an extreme, as the goal of this book is—in a pursuit that will certainly be replicated in many different media as this summer’s Olympic Games draw closer—to uncover a “hidden” Beijing. To that end, the most interesting section of Beijing Time is the final two chapters, in which the book considers the varied meanings of authenticity and inauthenticity in Beijing. This is a theme others have explored as well: Peter Hessler, for instance, deployed this same theme in Oracle Bones (2006). “Authenticity” does not take quite the same manifestations in China as it does in the West, and this is indicated here through various illustrations of the authentic and the inauthentic in China. This is a topic with clear room for further work, however, as the many Beijing Olympic stories that litter publications these days have at their heart a narrative of trust/distrust and authenticity (Will Beijing have clean air, as the government promised? Is the government trying to hide the real China behind glossy new buildings and freeways? Etc.). This tension deserves more thoughtful consideration than it is currently getting in the popular press, and requires a heavy dollop of self-reflection in addition to articulation of these issues as they play out in China.
Urbanatomy: Shanghai 2008 guidebook is just the thing backpackers might make room for (particularly those who are planning to stay in the area a while). I wrote two very brief historical pieces for this book last year—one on the author Ding Ling and another on May Fourth in Shanghai—though I have absolutely no financial stake in whether any of you buy it. (Jeff Wasserstrom, another China Beat contributor, also wrote for the guidebook, as did a number of other scholars and journalists.) The book is thick—almost 600 pages of glossy type and pictures, so it’s not easily toted around during the day (my favorite for this is an old standard—the Lonely Planet Shanghai City Guide—if you have favorite guidebooks, please feel free share your suggestions).
One of the nicest features of the book is its breakdown by neighborhoods, with an occasional listing of shops, museums, and hotels along their respective streets. Most guidebooks, of course, organize their materials in this fashion—but 600 pages leaves room for a lot of detail, and the historical background and interviews with prominent Shanghai figures (both expat and Chinese) sets this one apart. As those who have visited and lived in Shanghai know, its neighborhoods do have distinct characters, and it is refreshing to see that reflected in a guidebook, both in text and in image. Moreover, many of the guidebook’s writers are based in Shanghai (those familiar with Shanghai’s English-language That’s Shanghai will recognize a number of names in the guidebook, including the book’s editor, Nick Land; That's Shanghai is one of Urbanatomy's publications) and the book’s features reflect this easy familiarity with the city’s young expat life, from an interview with Chinesepod’s Ken Carroll to recommendations for yoga studios and fashion boutiques.
1 This is a reference to the lively book by Russian scholar Mikhail Bakhtin, Rabelais and His World, which was originally published in 1965 and published in English translation in 1993. The book analyzed the novels of French Renaissance author Francois Rabelais and defines in them two strains of thought that Bakhtin believed had been overlooked in previous readings: “carnival” (a time during which European masses felt free to subvert the hierarchy through humor), and “grotesque realism” (basically, scatological and sexual humor; the main means by which subversion of hierarchy was accomplished).
This article was written first appeared in the China Beat. The author is a graduate student in modern Chinese history at the University of California, Irvine.
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 One of the main perks of moving to China is the relatively low cost of living. If any expats tell you otherwise, they're lying. The flip side is that it can be incredibly frustrating when you come across certain items that cost the same or more than you would normally pay in other countries. Beer and alcohol, particularly at bars and mid/high-range restaurants, immediately come to mind as do computers, name brand electronics, and cheese. One of the biggest disappointments, though, has been what seems to be the incredibly high cost of prescription glasses. We've seen them range anywhere from 500 to several thousand kuai, which seems a little fishy when every other person wears them in this country.
Luckily there is a viable answer out there for the myopic and farsighted among us. Acting on a hot tip earlier this week, we found ourselves at the eyeglasses market beneath the Shanghai Railway Station and just couldn't believe our eyes (sorry for that one). This place had stall after stall of quality frames one after the other, most carrying entirely unique products. Most of the brands they carry aren't big-name, not that they'd be real anyways, but the quality is still quite good. If you're in the market for some contact lenses or sunglasses for the summer, you can find those there as well.
They have the same bogus prices pasted all over the place (1000-2000RMB frames), but when you finally get around to asking for a price it's so low that you'll feel guilty even trying to bargain. This particular Shanghaiist picked up two pairs of glasses for a total of 300 RMB, and could've dropped that even lower had it really been necessary to press the issue. This was for the whole shabang: eye exam, lenses, frames, etc. Needless to say, we'll be going back, bringing all of our visually impaired friends and family with us.
You don't need to take our word for it, go and see for yourself (sorry again).
Shanghai Eyeglasses Market
Shanghai Railway Station
Line 3/4 Exit Number 3
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Shanghaiist braved the crappy weather to take in the sight of people bashing each other with pillows for no discernible reason. We arrived with hopes of massive pillow-based armies clashing heroically on the battlefield of the Shanghai Sculpture Space. Reality was somewhat less grandiose as maybe 30 - 40 people showed up to fight, with probably another 20 or 30 people cheering from the sidelines (not including some bemused security guards). Also, due to rain, the event was held under the entrance roof instead of open warfare among the sculptures themselves.
But the event was still a great time. Everyone had a lot of fun whirling away in a plush deathmatch. Friends were made and rivalries were formed as participants shifted alliances to survive in the small fighting arena. No injuries to humans were reported; however, more than one pillow sacrificed its life to defend its owner.
Photos by Ryan Pollack and Mike Chen
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 An unexpected foray into Pudong's Century Park last week turned up a rare gem of a random activity for a warm afternoon: electric boating. At just 40 kuai per boat per hour it's too much fun to pass up. These boats travel at approximately the same speed as an old Shanghainese woman walking backwards, but you shouldn't let this deter you from setting sail. With a few friends, a backpack full of Reeb, and your best pirate costume the situation is ripe for some high-impact bumper boating*. The sleek stingray style boats go forward and in reverse, seating two, while the bigger battle cruisers (pictured above) can seat up to four seafaring types.
*Shanghaiist does not officially condone bumper boating and takes no responsibility for any repercussions incurred by bumper boaters physically, mentally, or legally. We do admit, in closed company, that it sounds like a hell of a lot of fun.
Photo by ?lifemage?
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 After logging on to various networking sites and instant messengers this week I started to see a similar sentence attached to a number of handles and headers. They were all some variation on the following idea: China is my adopted country, I love it here but recent events in Tibet are giving me a moral headache.
I have given this idea a lot of thought myself, but what struck me was the relative lack of variations on this similar idea: The UK/USA is my country, I like it there but recent events in Iraq are giving me a moral headache. We could go on, using any number of neo-colonial conflicts or policies in the world today.
As a UK citizen I can look back and see that Zimbabwe only became independent in 1980, for example. Then there was the Falklands War and then bombs have been falling on Iraq non-stop from 1990 until present. The awarding of the Olympics to London is no less controversial than to Beijing. No less controversial to me. I feel for the civilian victims of all authoritarian violence regardless of its reason, real or stated.
In the future, our time will be named and dated just like any other part of recorded history. What kind of era do we live in? We live in an era where the entire world’s surface is mapped and known, divided up and owned. We live in the time of nation states and its unavoidable mode of thought: nationalism. A time of borders, VISAs, passports and IDs. Nation states function as mental, as well as physical, prisons for us all. To talk about the world of nation states is to talk in terms of nationalism.
The Lhasa riots should give us a headache. The five year anniversary of the full invasion of Iraq should make us think. Darfur should make us think, as should Palestine. But instead of getting pulled into a web of personalities, excuses, sovereign powers, comparison and denial: let’s think about all suffering in our single human race, all born into one natural world. Then perhaps we can move towards the next era.
This month is the five year anniversary of the full invasion of Iraq.
Note: The opinions and other statements expressed here are those of the writer's alone.
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 During his discussion with Kerry Brown and Duncan Hewitt at the recently held Shanghai International Literary Festival, Paul French quoted British environmentalist Jonathon Porritt as saying that "the biggest problem with the environment in China is that nobody in China could care less about it".
China's environmental woes are well-documented and, despite attempts to convince the world otherwise, the country is still rarely seen as a leader on environmental protection. Having twenty of the world's top thirty most polluted cities doesn't help. Nor does backtracking on apparently progressive ideas such as the calculating of a green GDP. But does all this mean that ordinary Chinese folk don't care about the environment?
Shanghaiist knows some people over at Roots & Shoots who would disagree with Porritt for starters, but in light of his comments we thought we’d share with you a couple of green links that caught our eye this week.
First up, in an interesting piece over on China Dialogue, Dan Murphy looks at the recruitment problems facing the country's environmental NGOs. He explores the numerous social pressures that can prevent people from joining NGOs in China and argues that more effort should be made to break down some of the barriers to participation. Meanwhile, commenting on Murphy's article, the Crossroads site succinctly summarises the chicken and egg conundrum facing NGOs in China:
Simply put, if an NGO cannot fundraise, then it cannot attract talent.. and if they cannot attract talent.. they will never be able to fundraise because establishing trust with funders, developing stable programs, and developing a scalable platform is nearly impossible without funding.
Of course, the government’s discomfort with large-scale volunteer member oganisations, regardless of their intentions, also remains an enormous hurdle for effective NGO work in the country.
Staying on the subject of China and the environment, a recent interview over on the Treehugger site, alerted us to a documentary project called The Green Dragon. The TH interview is with the founders of the project, which looks at the potential for green development in China by focusing on the construction industry. There is also an excellent website to accompany the film — providing extensive resources and information on China and the environment — which is well worth checking out.
Finally, you can find a database of Chinese environmental NGOs at greengo.cn, proving that despite the country's numerous adverse effects on the environment, there are plenty of people here who are trying to do something about it and who really do care.
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By Rebekah Pothaar
The gory posters promoting driving safely are not for the squeamish and, although found in public places around China, they are not for children. The drive safety campaigns have chosen an aggressive "show", not "tell"approach here, not dissimilar from the anti-smoking campaigns in some countries, where real images of cancerous lungs, rotted teeth and fetal babies are put on cigarette packs as a warning to smokers.
But this drive safety ad campaign, featuring real images of dead bodies in pools of blood and mashed up cars is one of the most grotesque safety campaigns Shanghaiist has encountered.
This is the most disturbing of the drive safety posters.
Photos by Mark Vranicar from Mark's China Blog
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 Every once in a blue moon the local government is kind enough to open the doors of the Ohel Rachel synagogue and let Shanghai's ever-growing (or, more accurately, re-emerging) Jewish community celebrate their holidays in a proper temple. Tomorrow Shanghai residents will once again have the chance to step inside the more elegant of the city's two remaining synagogues and celebrate the Purim holiday. Although more commonly associated with dressing up in silly costumes and eating hamentashen, tomorrow's festivities will include a traditional Moroccan meal, perhaps in honor of Ohel Rachel's Sephardic heritage.
The first Jewish synagogue in Shanghai, Ohel Rachel was built in 1920 under the auspices of Sir Jacob Sassoon from the legendary Iraqi Jewish family of business moguls/opium traders/real estate tycoons. He built the temple in order to honor his wife Rachel's memory, but failed to live long enough to see its completion. Following the foundation of the PRC, the temple was quickly abandoned and served as a government storage facility for a number of years. In 1998 the temple was spruced up for a visit by then first lady Hillary Clinton. In the time since, the temple is usually open for three holidays a year, but the government has for largely unknown reasons yet to allow regular services to be held here.
For more information about the dinner and other Purim related events click here.
For further reading on Ohel Rachel Synagogue click here or here.
Ohel Rachel Synagogue
500 North Sha’anxi Road 陕西北路500号
Dinner at 6:30, 100RMB per person
Photo by Meckleychina.
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 Too much spam on your mobile phone? You're not the only one being hit or getting angry. 30 NPC delegates are thinking of enacting a PRC Information Security Protection Law, which would provide a heavy deterrent to spammers.
No details have been released regarding the law under discussion. However, Chinese law now officially forbids people from sending pornographic or "otherwise disturbing or irritating" messages via SMS text message. There have been cases where sexual harassment in the form of text messages have landed the offender punishment.
The company isolated by consumer watchdogs as the offender — Focus Media Wireless — is a detestable institution indeed. With a database of 200 million mobile phone numbers, the company has the lowdown on every last bit of your personal information, including your car license number, according to mainland TV images. Even top-end execs such as Pan Shiyi (潘石屹), the man behind such architectural stunts such as Jianwai SOHO, has been tracked; Pan can easily get spammed if the Focus Media Wireless wants it.
The illegal selling of personal information is extremely unpopular amongst China's 500 million mobile phone users. There have, so far, been few attempts at reporting cases of text messaging spam. Around 8 spam text messages are received by the average user a month -- that's about one a day per user, in essence 500 million spam messages in all in just one single day.
The mainland authorities are finally eyeing their focus on the SMS market, which as early as 1999 was still an empty market. In 1999, about the only mobile phones capable of sending text messages were those brought in from outside China roaming on Chinese mobile networks. In just ten years, the Chinese SMS world has gone from mute to spam mode.
Photo from JulianBleeckr: Not quite the mobile spam we're talking about here.
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