Interesting Observation

I posted this photo of Best Buy way when we first got to Shanghai and added the comment that Best Buy seems to have failed in its attempt at entering the Chinese marketplace:

I commented that perhaps the reason for Best Buy's failure was predicated on the lack of the typical Chinese consumer's appreciation for a refreshing, clean shopping environment (I can vouch for this in spades after having braved the jungle that is Carrefour supermarket several times over the past month!). Turns out the real reason may actually be much simpler.

Granted, only the Chinese reader will be able to notice this observation, but if you look the Chinese text under the yellow Best Buy logo, you'll notice that it reads: 百思买, which is pronounced "bai si mai".

First, to give you some background. Many products, when first introduced into the Chinese marketplace, are given a Chinese name that attempts to transliterate the original name so that it sounds like the original words, all the while maintaining some meaning. You see, Chinese names almost always have a meaning that is very evident, unlike English names, which might have a meaning, but no one ever knows or cares about it. An outstanding example of a western products with a Chinese name: Coca-Cola is "可口可乐", pronounced "ke kou ke le", wonderfully translates to mean "tasty happiness"! Brilliant!

So, it looks like they tried to achieve the same thing with Best Buy. They got the translitaration part pretty good, as "bai si" sort of sounds like "Best". It's the meaning part that got completely hosed. True, "mai" accurately translates to "Buy" in Chinese, but "bai si" has the unfortunate meaning of "100 Thoughts". At first glance, it sounds all deep and Confucius-y, which was probably the original intent. But then, Cherry pointed out, if you have to go through "100 thoughts" before "buying" something, that probably isn't good for business!

While we're on the topic of goofy translations:

Make sure you slip, but be careful doing it!

2011 Shanghai Adventure - Part Three

As of tomorrow, we will have been in Shanghai for a full month, with less than one month to go!

One month anniversary in Shanghai FTW

The weather has improved dramatically since we first arrived. Some days, it is unbearably hot, but most days it cools down towards the later part of the day, which works out nicely. We've also gotten better adjusted to our schedule. Fifi's getting older and more naughty - feeding her, as can be seen in the above picture, is now quite a chore as she'll play, or decide she doesn't want any more and spit food out. So, mealtimes are actually probably the biggest constraint on time we have as it takes about an hour or two to feed her, then clean her up afterwards.

Regardless, we have finally taken the opportunity to try to engage in some recreational and even some touristy activities! We took Fifi to the pool briefly:

First time in the  pool

However, the pool is actually open to the public and we kind of got grossed out when we saw some people doing the characteristic Chinese "hack and spit" near the edge of the pool. I'm not sure why people do that so much here in China - I guess people's throats get too full of gunk so they expectorate a lot. In any case, it didn't take long for us to get out of the pool after seeing that!

With the weather improving, we finally got up the gusto to go ... outside! Our hotel is actually located next to one of the largest parks in Shanghai - Zhongshan Park. It's literally less than 5 minutes walking distance from the hotel, and we can see people flying kites and doing exercises every morning from our perch up on the 58th floor during breakfast. It took us a long time, but we finally decided to patronize the park ourselves!



Outside?!?! Say it ain't so!



Rock with the park's name

Cool big screen at the park's gate

On the bridge

Artsy fartsy photo of the lion on the bridge

Kite flying is popular at Zhongshan Park

Baby eyes and nose

Families enjoying themselves at one of the park's meadows

Our hotel, as seen from the park

We set up camp in the meadow too!

Zhongshan Park was not our only outdoors adventure these past couple weeks. We also ventured out to Xintiandi, which is a notable shopping/bar district in Shanghai.

Getting ready to hit the road!

Some of the cityscape along the way

Plaza 66 in the back there. Cherry used to work in this building.

You can get some pretty good shots when the road turns downhill like this!

What is Xintiandi notable for? For starters, the architecture is somewhat unique. Much of the district is comprised of old buildings that have been restored and renovated so that they still retain their classic look on the outside, but have been pimped out on the inside to be coffee shops, luxury goods shops, and other ways to spend your money. And money is important here - it's a popular area for expats and big spenders:



Unfortunately, it's hard to tell the unique architecture from this shot. Turns out I didn't take that many photos on this trip.



But like any self-respecting district in Shanghai - of course there are skyscrapers!



This gives you an idea of the kind of folks that might hang out around Xintiandi

Also notable about this district is that it is home to the location of the First Congress of the Communist Party of China. For all the criticism we from the "West" have of the CPC, it cannot be denied that China would not be what it is today without the Party. As mentioned in my previous post, this year commemorates 90 years since the CPC's founding, and so, appropriately, we paid this historical spot a visit. Unfortunately, we could not take many photos - there were quite a few cool exhibits with original documents, weapons, and relics from the turbulent Chinese Republic period (1911-1949) during whilst China was searching for its post-Imperial identity. But you'll just have to take my word for it and/or come and see for yourself. Once you get to Shanghai, it's cheap - the admission to the museum/site is free!






Hammer and Sickle

One of the lanes that you can traverse on the site

 More adventures next time!