A hot nap

Yesterday I went for a class of hot yoga, and even though I might jinx it by saying this, it might be so that I maybe have improved, just a liiiiittle bit!? At least I got some “very nice!” and “good” comments from the yogi and for me, inflexible and stiff by nature, that’s quite big.

Anyway, when we moved over to doing the floor poses the girl next to me fell asleep on her mat! It was 40 degrees in the room, and we were given a 10 seconds rest. And just like that –she was sound asleep! The teacher came to wake her up, so which she seemed ashamed of and apologized for, however, one pose down later and we were given 10 seconds to lie down in savasana relaxing pose, and we had lost her again!

For me, who are experiencing serious sleeping problems from time to time (it goes in phases, sometimes I don’t get any sleep at night for 5 night in a row) and find it extremely hard to relax and especially fall asleep, someone who can fall asleep just like that –when it’s 40 degrees in the room and you’re taking a yoga class –is quite impressive.

Then again, I wouldn’t want to spend xxxx rmb on my yoga membership card and sleep my way through classes.

钱多多 -lighthearted take on a heavy issue

Excuse my lack of blogging, but this time it actually wasn’t by choice: blogspot was down most of Friday, so it was hard to blog. Maybe it was for the better, though, because last week was crazy busy. I think I’ve spent a maximum of 7 hours/home per day, and that includes sleeping.

On Thursday night a Chinese friend of mine took me to the theatre to watch a Chinese play. She’s married to a laowai, and his Mandarin is very good. For some strange reason, she believes that my Chinese is almost as good. So one day she said:

-Hey, you should join me to the theatre and watch a Chinese drama! I often take my husband and he enjoys it. When your level of Chinese is so good it’s a shame if you miss out on the local goodies.

I could not have agreed more (about it being a shame if I’m missing out, not so much about my language skills) and decided to give it a go and join her.

We went to 上海话剧艺术中心 (Shanghai Drama Art Centre) to watch a play called 钱多多 (it basically means “a great deal of money” but the name was also similar to the name of the girl in the play). It was about a Chinese woman, who was about to turn 30 and who still wasn’t married. Everyone around her (especially her mom) kept telling her that she had to find a guy and get hitched, before it was too late.

It was such a great play! First of all, I didn’t know that the quality of local acting was so good over here (really, it was fantastic), and second of all, I had no idea that the Chinese could have so much self-irony to make something so serious (marriage in China) so much fun (this was a humorous play, that made fun of everything from a nagging mother to some eager, but-oh-so-annoying-bachelors). My friend and I were laughing out loud (she even more so than me, as I didn’t get every single joke -there was a lot of referral to internet slang, TV shows and such).

The play went through all those difficulties an un-married woman in her 30ies might face here in China: too successful at her job to find a man willing to marry her, a mother who tries to set her up with the wrong guys, a super annoying bachelor who won't listen to anything else but his own voice, a (seemingly) happily-ever-after married best friend who’s a luxurious stay-at-home-housewife until she finds out that her husband has been having an affair, a cute guy that loves her –but that is 3 years her junior, and therefore cannot be considered Mr right because oh no, how could she marry someone that is younger than her? All in all -a great mix that caused both laughter and tears. The audience was loving it -roaring with laughter and applauds. Actually, I've never seen such engagement from an audience in China?! And I've been to both the Olympics and some pretty good concerts.

The play is on until May 22 and if you live in Shanghai and understand Chinese, I strongly recommend you to go and see it. I am real happy that my friend introduced me to the world of Chinese dramas and plays. I know this wasn’t the last act I watched here in China.

Kids with a heavy load

On Saturday, since our office does not follow the Qing Ming Jie holiday schedule, I was enjoying a day off and popped into All Days (convenience store) to get some ice creams for the pancakes that I was planning to make later (yeah, really made the “most” of my Saturday as you can hear. FYI: now on a no-pancake diet for the next 2 months –it went a bit overboard). As I was lining up to pay, I noticed the cute, Chinese kids that were milling about –some with huge backpacks and some dragging around mini suitcases with Mickey Mouse prints. Were they going on some kind of school trip?

Oh no they were not, I realized, when I 5 minutes later stepped out of the store and saw one of them being picked up by his grandpa on a scooter. They were just heading home after a normal day at school. Carrying such a load of heavy books, that they drag them around in mini suitcases rather than carrying them in backpacks. Just like me when I was a kid. Not.

These kids sure are carrying a heavy load around, not only mentally, but also physically.

Freestylers in class

I’ve joined a new gym, where they have Les Mills classes such as spinning, fat burn, bodypump and you name it. It’s awesome. After having spent the last year or so on a treadmill in order to get my weekly fitness dose, it’s nice to be able to go to classes, be inspired by the instructor, do as s/he says and not having to think so much on your own (might come across as a bit strange, but when it comes to training it’s actually ideal).

I used to do a lot of spinning when I lived in Australia and Finland, but since my move to China it has only happened on rare occasions such as at fat burning parties in Suzhou. So, during the last week’s classes I’ve sort of struggled to keep up.

But, no worries about that. I realized, from looking around in class. Me struggling was actually considered a minor problem for the instructor. Most people didn’t listen to a word he said.

Spinning over here is like freestyling: go into class, get on a bike, and do whatever you like. Stand up if you feel like it, and when the instructor tells you to sit down, you might as well continue standing if you want to. It really is like that: people here do whatever they like to do, and yesterday I was watching the instructor running out to some of the participants, encouraging them to listen to his directions rather than just doing their own thing –in vain. There is no real class discipline –people just do what they feel like.

It’s quite similar in yoga class, even though it’s way better there. People tend to try and follow the teacher’s instructions. But then you have the freestylers, who take their training into their own hands (which I think is good in most cases, but maybe not when you take part in a class?). Accidently stand behind a freestyler in yoga class and you can kiss seeing yourself in the mirror/keeping your focus and balance away, as the freestyler is all over the place, bending in another direction when the rest of the class is going left, doing little jumps on the spot when everyone else are busy balancing on one leg, swinging the other one behind in the air.

Normally the teachers don’t care about it, but once one American yoga teacher saw what was going on, went up to a middle-aged woman who was clearly not listening to his instructions and asked her what the h*** she was up to. “You are putting everyone off with this kind of behavior!” he said, and then she actually stopped, at least during that class.

Anyway, point to be made, it cannot be easy being a gym instructor here in China. Yesterday I caught myself wondering why a lot of people here are not interested in following instructions/do their own thing, and I came to the solutions that maybe they just don’t take it that seriously. Maybe they just wanna go for a work-out, and do their own thing.

Sharing a city with 23 million people

That's what I do. According to this recent article in Shanghai Daily. Apparently some 9 million of those (that's just the whole population of Sweden) 23 are migrant workers. No wonder the metro feels so crowded every morning. No wonder Perth felt a bit small during my recent visit.

Scandinavian fashion boutique Göte Göta opens in Shanghai!

Ann-Sofie Back
Ann-Sofie Back
Odeur
Gorjan and Petter -the designers behind Odeur

Now you can shop Ann-Sofie Back, Odeur, Noir & Blanc, Säby, Camilla Norrback, VITA and much more here in Shanghai! Göte Göta is located on the 2nd floor, 174 Xiangyang Lu, near Fuxing Lu (just above Awfully Chocolate -so basically you can shop first, and then treat yourself with chocolate afterwards... or the other way around -I'm not yet decided on what would be the best way?). It ain't cheap but it's not outrageous either. And the clothes do look really nice! So proud of the people behind this: great job and hands up for you!

Insects and street food

We have guests visiting and this time, taking them around was kind of challenging. Why? Well because the girl is pregnant and isn’t interesting in drinking (obviously!), eating sushi or shopping. Hm… what to do then in Shanghai? Shopping is the best over here. Suddenly we had to think of other things to do. So, we decided on trying some new things and took them to the insect market, which in fact is a market full of pets, birds, fishes, flowers and insects. I personally cannot handle animals in cages so I found it horrible. Also, cockroach farms and grasshoppers? And bowls of big bugs? Yuk, yuk, yuk. Never going back there.

Afterwards we went to Yunnan street to have a look at what used to be the “Yunnan street food market”… but not so much anymore. There were barely any vendors left?! Such a shame! When we moved here in 2006 that street was buzzing with life. Maybe it’s better at night time, but still.. I was disappointed. Why is Shanghai getting rid of the parts that makes the city so special, like local food markets? Just look at Wujiang lu? It used to be packed with vendors and now it’s just another commercial district with all the boring chains/franchises. Such a shame.

After some mango/tofu pudding at Yunnan road we continued to Tianzifang (Taikang Lu), which is a nice area to walk around in every now and then, even though it’s a bit hyped. Then we had a chocolate break at whisk, followed by a manicure and a foot massage, some walking around, and finally dinner at a local joint. Amazing how much you have time to do over here if you don’t stay for too long at one spot. Still, I have to say that having visitors is kind of like a full-time job, because you have to spend a whole day entertaining them. But all in all it’s great fun, and I’ve taken the time to do some good vendor shopping while we’ve been out: how’s a pair of leather gloves for 30 kuai for instance? Or 3 books (perfect for our upcoming Australia trip) for the same amount of money? Me likey!

Some go to the gym for a workout, some go to the gym for a shower

Lately I’ve been noticing that my gym has been rather empty in terms of people working out. The ladies changing room, however, is still packed with people. Yesterday I realized why. I started looking at the people that came into the changing room around the same time as me (one young girl in sky-high heels, one old lady and one office girl). Did any of these people change to workout gear and join me to the actual gym? Oh no. Rather, they stripped down and hit the shower. So, this explains why there are so many free treadmills at the gym (when I joined in Feb this year I used to have to fight for a spot) but not so many free hair-dryers in the changing room (like I have previously explained it is extremely popular to skip the towel and turn to the hair-dryer to blow-dry your body instead). I would never pay 1800 rmb/year for a shower, but then again, maybe they have their reasons. And maybe they do a workout from time to time.

Another interesting observation made in the women’s changing room was that one of a young woman putting on a corset top underneath her training clothes?! I first didn’t get it at all, until the put a t-shirt on top and I got the point: ahhhh, some extra help of keeping the tummy in. That’s quite a lot of effort some people go thought in order to look good while working out. Can you imagine working out in a tight corset top that only gives you limited breathing support. Uhhhh…

Finally, I have to say that I’m now torn between continuing my membership at my shitty gym (because yes, it is SO SHITTY! It’s dirty, it doesn’t open until 6.30am, they are stingy with the air-con during summer, the people working in there are rude, and so on) or joining a new (more expensive) one. My workmate has started at a new place and surprised me by telling me she joined a spinning class.

-For real? You took a spinning class in China? On free will?

-Yes, it was quite good!

-Without wearing earplugs?

-Yes, can you believe it? The instructor actually spoke, rather than just screamed.

-Wow. Tempting.

I’m still not convinced. But intrigued. The spinning I’ve taken over here has been very uneven in terms of quality. At my gym in Suzhou it was quite good from time to time, but in Shanghai it’s gone straight downhill. The music is so loud in the spinning room that when you step into the room, 2 floors down, you can tell that there’s a class going on upstairs. Not sure if I want to torture my ears with that, regardless of how much fat I'll be able to burn.

城市一对一

OK, so how weird was that, on a scale from 1-10? Something like 11? Or maybe even 15? Yes, of course I’m talking about seeing myself on Chinese television last night! When I first saw my face appear on the screen I almost turned the TV off, as it simply felt so awkward, and I looked so… different (I’m not sure about the “camera adds 10 pounds thing” but it certainly adds something because I sure didn’t quite look like me? Also, my nose looked gigantic in the profile shots –so now I know what all the Chinese people are talking about when they claim that laowais are big-nosed!)

To my great surprise, however, there was no voice over when I spoke and the Chinese characters were in harmony with what I said: so in other words: the film crew must have understood my Mandarin. YAY!

They had been editing the footage quite a bit, however, so I “only” answered three questions, rather than seven that I did on the day of the shoot (we shot for 2,5 hours but the end product was “only” 50 min). However, they definitely took away some of my idiotic answers –thank god for that!

Anyway, towards the end of watching the show I got used to seeing my face on the screen and it felt kind of… fun! I’ve been on a TV show, haha! Would I do it again if I got a chance? Definitely (with some more time to prepare, though!)!

OK, I promise I won’t go on anymore now about this TV thingy. Thanks for all of your comments (you who watched it –can’t believe some of you did –even from Malaysia!). I made a little camera recording of myself when I spoke about Swedish food (yes, for real -I filmed the TV! And yes, I know, I'm a total nerd!), but I cannot find my camera cable today so I night as well spare you, hehe!

Feeling arty?

In the mood for some art? The city has a lot to offer...

When in Shanghai, one must check out some of the cities art galleries/museums. Shanghai’s art scene is far from mature, but there’s a lot of things going on, and a lot of potential. Let’s just hope it can grow with time.

One place to check out is Shanghai Art Museum, (上海美术馆) which currently hosts Shanghai Biennale (until Jan 23). Shanghai Art Museum is located in the center of the city (325 Nanjing Xi Lu), covering an area of 18000 square meters. It is an English-style building set up in 1930s, which was originally a race club. The interior is stunning, and when it comes to visitors, there are a lot of seniors (that get free entry to museums in Shanghai –I think that should apply to everyone!) and art students. Admission: 20 rmb.





Another place to check out is the new kid on the block: Rockbund Art Museum: absolutely stunning! Shame that the crowd hasn't found it yet.

The museum have free movie screenings every night, showing everything from Bergman to more recent titles. Admission to the museum is only 15 rmb. Make sure to check it out: Rockbund Art Museum, 20 Huqiu Road, Huangpu District (near the Bund).

There’s also MOCA –Museum of Contemporary Art, a small museum located some 500 m from Shanghai Art Museum i Shanghai n People’s Park. It’s not as impressive as Rockbund or Art Museum, but the interior is neat and nice, and it’s more intimate as the space is quite small. Admission: 20 rmb

To be continued…

Little Lang Langs in the making?

Lately I’ve been going to a lot of classical music concerts at the Oriental Art Centre Concert Hall in Pudong. Not only is this great because I love classical music, but simply because in Shanghai, there’s actually a great selection of stuff to see (Which again, forces me to point out that living in Shanghai is so different to living in Suzhou where I, during my 2 years there, didn’t go to a single concert/performance/play. Sometimes I have to squeeze my arm just to remind myself that no it’s not a dream: I’m back to living in Shanghai and it’s beyond amazing).

Last night we saw (or heard) a piano duet by Vladimir and Vovka Ashkenazy. Loved it –love piano music. And by the look of the audience, I wasn’t the only one. The venue was packed, and I would say that 95% were Chinese… and maybe 30% had brought their children! Yes, imagine my surprise when I realized how many kiddies there were. Like really, small kids! We had good seats, in the very front, and next to me was a little Chinese boy, so small that he almost fell off his seat! Him and his brother were dressed up in shiny mini tuxedos, looking adorable and jumping up clapping and bowing every time the Ashkenazys finished a piece. When the concert finished the kid’s mom pushed a booklet into their hands (“Bach best pieces”) and urged them to run forward to get it signed. On the verge of inacceptable, however, Vovka Ashkenazy had already noticed the tuxedo boys and greeted them with a smile, despite guards stepping in to usher them away.

Once we got up to get out I realized how many kiddies there actually were: all dressed up to their toes, obediently holding their parents hands and smiling peacefully. I also noticed that a lot of them were holding on to little booklets with notes, obviously hoping to put an inspirational signature on them. And very well, once we got out from the concert hall there was a huge line of people waiting to meet the duet and get an autograph/handshake.

Are those children China’s new little Lang Langs in the making? One couldn’t help but wonder.

Faking it

How stupid of me to think that there was such a thing as an un-shallow way of keeping fit in China?! I mean, I’ve already seen how women behave in the dressing room before they head into the gym for a work-out: some put on make-up, some put on mini-hot pants, and wrap their bodies in plastic foil...

Then I joined a yoga club. And was amazed by the fact that I was NOT the only woman washing off my make-up before a class. Hallelujah!

That’s until yesterday, when I got changed next to a petite Chinese girl who put on a tight singlet and pants, and then suddenly took out a pair of fake boobs that she put on inside the singlet.

Oh, and there I thought I’d come to the land of naturals. What was I thinking. One must remember that she lives in a country of shallowness.

Swedish Odeur at Shanghai Fashion Week

I know, I know, some of you have probably had enough of fashion (especially since this is not a fashion blog in any way), but of course I have to report about something I recall to partly as “my” pride and joy, namely, the Swedish designer duo Odeur showing at Shanghai fashion week.

The show took place yesterday afternoon (2pm) at Fuxing park. And despite the not-so-sexy-time-slot and the fact that it was raining outside, we almost managed to pull a full house. It was a beautiful, if somewhat short, show with models showing simple, clean-cut, modern outfits, while wearing natural make-up and softly styled hair, and spreading glitter powder all over the catwalk while walking.

I was, as usual before events, too nervous to eat, drink or even go to the bathroom (I don’t know what happens to me some hours before events, but my body somehow turns off all of its natural function needs, and all I can focus on is the actual event), so once the show had finished and I finally lowered my shoulders and released my breath (phew!) I realized what a bad state I was in. Headache due to no food or water for 5 hours, urgent need to go to the bathroom, sore feet due to running around in heels, and yadi yadi. Oh well, all in all it was a great day with a good show, and even though it ate half of my wknd I feel happy about it. Now: new week, new challenges. Let’s get things going

Petter and Gorjan -the designers behind Odeur taking interviews after the show

Copycat store

On Saturday we were out walking, browsing the shops on Huaihai Lu, and I was just about to suggest a visit to Zara, when I saw something new in the corner of my eye: there, next to Zara, was a new (? –well at least to me it was) shop called UR –Urban Renewal.

-Hey, what’s that place? I asked my boyfriend. From the advertisement in the window, it looked quite nice (a nice looking camel coloured jacket a la 299 rmb –come to mama!). Also, it was located next to Zara where we were going anyway, se decided to do a de-tour and stepped inside for a peak.

Once inside it hit me that even though I’d never been in the shop before, everything still seemed so familiar. Same clothing setup with colour coded racks and then bags on top shelves and shoes on the shelf space on the floor. Independent racks with belts, low tables with knitted jumpers… all the working staff wearing black suits…. Hang on a minute.. it was exactly like… ZARA!

Once it hit us we couldn’t get over it. Urban Renewal was not only located next to Zara, but had copied Zara’s clean cut concepts entirely. The only difference was the actual clothes. The UR clothes lacked both in terms of style and quality and simply looked cheap.

I know that some years ago, this was a super common concept in China: successful western furniture store neighbours a Chinese copycat store with worse quality and cheaper prices. Still, I’ve never been inside such store myself, and it was something between amusing and weird to see it with your own eyes. I wonder what the Zara management thinks. On the other hand, they might not waste energy on being upset, because the two stores definitely don’t attract the same type of customer. After browsing aisles of cheap and tacky looking clothes at Urban Renewal, we headed straight to the “real” thing next door, where everything (at the first sight) looked kind of the same, but then, at a closer sight, looked so much better.

NOtCH 2010

Saturday, October 9, saw the opening of the fifth NOtCH festival in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou (the abbreviation "NOtCH" stands for Nordic and Chinese) and I attended the opening of the NOtCH art exhibition at DDM Warehouse in Red Town, Shanghai.

The idea behind NOtCH is to expose two distinct cultures – Nordic and Chinese – to each other’s music and art as a way to better link the two cultures. The festival features more than 20 Scandinavian musicians and artists, playing everything from free jazz to psychedelic folk to electronic pop music.

The art exhibition was better than expected and includes the following Nordic/Chinese artists:

Sweden: Henrik Rylander, Nille Svensson, Fredrik Söderberg, Kris Ström, PST + Po
Norway: Yokoland, Kim Hiorthøy, Morten Spaberg, Fantastic Norway, Nina Birkeland, Njaal Borch, So Takahashi
Denmark: Hvass & Hannibal, Mette Juul, David Garcia Studio, BIG
Finland: Jan Anderzen, Tommi Musturi, NAPA, Husky Rescue, Sami Sänpäkkilä, Pekka Finland, Kasino A4
Iceland: Magnus Helgason, Kira Kira
China: Ma Qiusha, Sun Yao, Qiu Anxiong, Pan Jianfeng

Check it out: DDM Warehouse, Red Town, 570 Huaihai Xi Lu.

NOtCH will go on until Oct 31 and there will be plenty of concerts at the DDM Warehouse/Mao Livehouse. The Swedish/Danish night is at October 15.

Precious family matters

Head of family

Back in Shanghai after some intensive days in Berlin and Malmö. Yesterday I did the lovely (not), 12 hour flight back. I had to transfer in Beijing, and when I stepped on the plane I was walking next to a typical Shanghai family: “mom and dad” (a young, trendy looking couple) and their mom and dad (grandpa and grandma) carrying their (at least) 3 year old "baby" boy. Although I’ve witnessed what I’m about to describe a countless number of times, it still manages to astonish me: The load and heaviness of that (not so little!) boy was totally on the grandparents, meanwhile the young, trendy parents went to sit at another section of the plane. The grandma and the child was seated in the middle section next to mine, and as soon as the plane took off the boy started whining.

It didn’t take long before the grandmother got up, and gave up her seat to him so that he could lie down and sleep across the seat section. But what was she supposed to do then? An old woman, standing on a full plane? Well, she simply sat down on the floor! Year, on that tiny little floor that also acts leg space between two seat rows on an economy class flight. She sat there, half leaning forward, hoping for the little boy to get his beauty sleep. They were like that for maybe 45 min, until the boy sat up, bawling like an animal. Grandma did all she could, but this time the boy wanted his trendy mom, who then had to get up from her comfortable position, and rush over to hold him for a short while, before handing him back to his grandmother.

Why do young people even get kids over here when they so obviously do not want to take care of them themselves? And why are children spoiled to an extent that makes me see red? Well, actually, don’t bother answering that, I know the answers already… deep rooted in history and tradition, yadi yadi. Still. Seeing a grandmother take the airplane floor so that a kid can sleep on a 2 hour flight between Beijing and Shanghai is quite a sickening sight. Just had to say it.

EXPO Health -健康世博

The moment of truth is here...

Meanwhile the rest of the world is talking about how obesity is becoming our new, global health problem, China is taking action: urging its population to measure their waists and calculate their BMI. Look what I received in the mail yesterday! All the equipment I need to see if I’m overweight!

I must say that I was positively surprised when I realized that in a country where 98% of the women are smaller than me, they still follow the international BMI scale, which means I am neither fat nor obese. Yay! Also, the “health package” included a measurement tape, so now I have spent the morning measuring everything I could possible measure on me (yeah, I really mean everything. I learned, for instance, that my right foot measures 25 cm from toe to heel meanwhile my left one measures 25,5cm. Now isn't that something?!).

When I first picked up my package from the mail I started laughing, and couldn’t help but asking one of the management men (who’s constantly parked outside our elevator on the ground floor) what all of this was for:

-It’s Expo health, he said. Because of the Expo, we should all look good and get in shape. Then we both started giggling.

Super clear instructions so that no one can mess up...

Best of spring: videos

Starting off with Shanghai Fashion week featuring Swedish designer Ann-Sofie Back!

(Ps. due to the insane slowness of blogger, I cannot post any more videos at this moment)

Nordic Lighthouse

Nordic Lighthouse model, picture borrowed from china-briefing.com

Not everything is happening within the Expo park in Shanghai. Some countries have chosen different approaches to the 6 months tourist/exhibition frenzy, one of them being Denmark.

Sure, Denmark made a pavilion, and flew over the world’s most famous little mermaid sculpture and put here in their pavilion pond, having thousands of people lining up to photograph her every single Expo day. But they also built a lighthouse outside the Expo area, in Shanghai’s Yangpu district. The lighthouse goes under the name “Nordic Lighthouse” and you don’t need any Expo ticket to enter it. Not a bad idea if you ask me.

The building is in fact a newly renovated warehouse. Although it’s been given a good makeover, the building still has a rough edge to itself, which works nicely with simple, Danish interior. It consists of three large floors. The first floor features exhibitions, and the second and third floors are designated for business meetings, conferences and exhibitions. They have quite good catering possibilities over there, with renowned Shanghai restaurant Laris being in charge of the food business.

I went to visit the lighthouse myself the other day, and I really enjoy the setup. It’s located next to the harbour in Yangpu, just on Huangpu river. So if you sit on the terrace on the third floor, you get a pretty nice river view.

Currently, there’s a Nordic landscape exhibition running, probably most interesting for those ones that are into city planning, landscape architecture and design. All Nordic countries (including Iceland and even Greenland!) are represented with a project of their own.

Later this month, I’ll get yet another dose of the lighthouse, as one of the projects I’m currently working on includes hosting a reception at the lighthouse. Oh, and did I tell you I’m going to be the moderator –welcoming guests in Chinese? Yeah, we thought it would make the event a bit more interesting (or well, someone came up with this idea –and no, I wasn’t me!) so they decided that a Chinese guy should speak English, and that I should speak Chinese. Since I gave a speech during Shanghai Fashion Week’s press conference in April, I’m not that nervous about this, but sure, it’s still a bit scary. But also fun!

If you’re keen on checking out the lighthouse or the Nordic landscape exhibition, you find the address here

Bored businessmen

Chinese businessmen continue to astonish me. Last summer, I went to a big business event in Finland and was surprised by the somewhat inappropriate questions I was asked. Back in China, the behaviour of these men in suits continues to make me wanna go: “what?! Did he just say that?!”

During the last few weeks I’ve been to numerous events, seminars and signing ceremonies where I’ve seen a very non-business-like behaviour. I’m not going to blame all these bored businessmen, speeches that go for more than 5 minutes are boring! But one of the parts you have to play when you’re in your fancy suit is to listen to them still, right? Well at least that’s what I always try to do.

Chinese businessmen, on the other hand, don’t try that hard. Or OK, let’s not generalize, because some really do. Some are great. But then there are the ones that fall asleep, talk on their phone, or use their mobiles to play computer games/ watch movies. That’s a step in a direction that’s too far away from normal business behaviour if you ask me.

I think if you ask them why, their answer would be simple: they’re bored. But what does that mean for future business events in China? Well maybe a new norm needs to be set in order to keep people’s interest?

At the most recent signing ceremony I went to, one of the men (a tall, fairly young guy from northern China) spent most of the speeches chasing me around the room, trying to take my photo. I discreetly tried sneaking away from him, I even spent 10 minutes in the bathroom with a locked door in order to get him to give up, but he was persistent and seemed to enjoy the chase-game. It was just slightly embarrassing when his camera went “click, click, click” (and always with a flash) and people turned around to see what was more important than the mayor’s speech, and saw me, looking uncomfortable and trying to get away from a man in a suit, armed with a camera.

Not blaming him for being bored. Just saying something ought to change.