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有话好好说
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« Conclusive proof that the RMB will be further revalued.Every good Party member needs some good lovin’ »Beijing: A shitty little countryside village
by Dan
Beijing? International city my ass! I used to think that a “Beijing vs. Shanghai” discussion was relevant but now I know that there is nothing to discuss. Shanghai beats out Beijing in every single category (except maybe in the annoyingly-loud-and-obnoxious-people category or the food-is-so-disgusting-that-it-looks-like-I-just-sneezed-soy-sauce category). In fact, I won't even continue with a comparison. I would be willing to entertain (but not subscribe to) the notion that Shanghai can compete with great cities around the world: New York, London, Hong Kong, but mentioning Beijing in the same breath with those cities is absolutely ridiculous and your time is better spent clipping a ball-point pen to your lower lip while attempting to catch the other end in one nostril.
If I had to describe Beijing to someone I would say this: Have you ever been to a small town in China? Any small town will do. You have? Great. Well, take that small town and increase the geographical area and the population proportionately until the population hovers around 15 million. Good. Don't get rid of the crappy mini-buses or the countryside attitudes. Keep all the tiny little clothes shops. If you see any horse carts on the road then just leave them where they are. Pave the streets a bit and throw up the odd streetlight every now and then. Still with me? Good. Now take any random person that you can find and throw them behind the wheel of a dilapidated car and let them charge money to take you places but the kicker is that they'll either take you nowhere, get lost, or complain about it the entire way. No matter where you go, you'll always think that you're just outside of the city until suddenly, 2 hours later, you've reached the other side and it looks exactly the same as every other place you've just driven through. Don't bother even attempting to explain basic traffic principles to these subhuman pig men. Just let people drive wherever they please and block traffic. Above all, make it virtually impossible to get anywhere on foot: lightly sprinkle the city with just a few necessary stores forcing people to drive everywhere in hellish traffic. Make sure that no air conditioning is ever used on public transportantion. Finally, cover everything in fine earthy dust so that people are always dirty.
Do you have any suggestions to help improve this description of Beijing?
This article is by Dan
This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 24th, 2005 at 8:00 am and is filed under Beijing, Shanghai. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
69 Responses to “Beijing: A shitty little countryside village”
bussibaer Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 10:12 am
i live in beijing.
you got the point.
that´s it!
i visited many big cities all over the world.
beijing is the most boring “big” city i ever visited.
a wannabe capitol without any class.
chops Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 10:53 am
uh-huh, have to agree … lived in BJ for 2 years then in shanghai for 2 years. while i was in BJ i thought SH was crap, but upon arrival in shanghai, getting out of the boring bund area, and working there it is sooooooo much better (eg. an abundance of 24 hour shangdian, xiyidian, cool restaurants and clubs) … okay, the music scene is not as good as BJ (though SH art scene is cool) but SH gets okay international artists (eg kid koala). anyway, SH is much better than BJ … any SHren will tell you how ‘xiangbalao’ BJren are and I have to agree.
Gordon Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 11:07 am
I could only think of one thing that might improve Beijing… It may seem a bit drastic though…..
Gordon Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 11:10 am
Personally, I think Hangzhou is better. I like Shanghai, but Hangzhou seems to have a much better lifestyle (a bit cheaper too!)
Dan Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 11:12 am
@Gordon: It’s a good suggestion but I still think that the remaining mutated and deformed Beijingers would still argue that their post-apocalyptic landscape is still far superior to Shanghai in every way.
Dan Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 11:18 am
@Gordon: Hmmm…Hangzhou? I’ve never lived there but I’ve enjoyed every visit. The lifestyle in Hangzhou would certainly be more relaxing but I might need to tip the scales in Shanghai’s favor because of the convenience, as Chops said.
Pete Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 11:26 am
Horses for courses really. In my experience, any city that you live in as opposed to just visit will end up driving you nuts for one reason or another. I lived in Shanghai for a while and loved it at first, but there were many aspects that got to me in the end. For instance I’ll never get used to having to pay for my chopsticks or tissues in a restaurant.
Now, having spent just over a year in Beijing, I have to say that I DO prefer it here. Controversial, I know, but I find it a more relaxed environment than SH. And believe it or not I actually prefer the people here in Beijing, but perhaps that’s because I’m an obnoxious, loud-mouthed bigot myself, and I just kinda fit right in….or it could be that I’m married to one…
And having moved to China from Birmingham in the UK (yes, I am a Brummie), I guess anywhere has to be better than that! You think the cabbies are bad in Beijing…
DD Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 12:15 pm
@Everyone in the World: I don’t know why you guys hate Beijing so much, if you don’t like it, just fucking leave!!!
hahahaahah, let’s see if we can get 71 comments off of that one.
Tom Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 12:32 pm
Didn’t you know? It’s been proven with Science that Beijing is better than Shanghai. Science!
bussibaer Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 12:42 pm
@tom: great link. hahahahahahahahah!
go for gold, beijing!
Michael Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 1:01 pm
I have to disagree - despite its faults I really like Beijing. Maybe it’s the people that make a place. I like Beijing people, and people from north China in general. Shanghai people are just too smart for their own good. And so what sometimes Beijing does feel like a small town grown big - that’s what people like about it. Same as all the rich people in London and New York live in the areas with a “village flavour”.
The fact that it’s not an international city is a point in Beijing’s favour for me. And how anyone can preferthat oily Shanghai food over Beijing food just amazes me.
Dan Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 1:06 pm
@Michael: I’ll agree with you on Shanghainese food. It boggles my mind that people actually enjoy that stuff.
Yuzi Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 2:42 pm
I never thought I liked SH so much until I moved to BJ. However, as the weather gets better, as the traffic gets better, BJ is getting less unbearable. I just hope to find more better things about BJ so I can enjoy living here more since I have to stay here to make a living.
Pete Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 3:12 pm
Thanks Tom, I believe that this scientific paper has once and for all proved what we all really knew all along: Beijing knocks the spots off Shanghai in every important area. I think it will be a very long time before we see a Shanghai Olympics…..ooooh but they have the Grand Prix, and ooooh it’s in the shape of a Shang, ooooh isn’t that clever……pah! Gimme a break. Shanghai Schmanghai. Didn’t like it. Left.
bigdog Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 3:32 pm
Beijing is a shitty countryside village, and Shanghai is a shitty riverside village. No one lives in either for the weather, the traffic, or the living environment. But one thing: they both beat Hong Kong with a stick…
Pete Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 4:45 pm
Sorry I can’t agree. I think Beijing is a much better city to live in that Shanghai. Here are a few of my reasons:
1. Taxis - I know the drivers can be morons. However, at least most Beijing taxis are doing away with the cages that separate them from passengers making the whole expereince much more pleasant and you can get them easily rather than have to wait 90 minutes to find a spare one if it is raining, too hot, too cold, Chinese festival etc.
2. Entertainment - I think Beijing has far more variety - you can have upscale bars like Centro (well, sort of upscale), cool hip hop or student places like Vics or Propaganda, cheap booze places like Poachers or Black Sun, local style (Banana) etc. I find Shanghai overpriced especially for western food. Is there any Italian place in Shanghai you can get a salad, pasta and soup plus a drink for 70 RMB? I do admit the starndard of western food is infinitely better in Shanghai, but sometimes I don’t want to spend 700RMB on a meal for two.
3. Accommodation - All the places I saw in Shanghai were more expensive and lower quality than my place in Beijing.
4. Weather - my God Shanghai in the winter is freezing because most places do not have heating. In Beijing, yes it’s colder outside but inside is always hot. I like lounging around in shorts and tee shirt when at home in Beijing in winter.
5. Do you really think Shanghainese are nicer people than Beijingese?
6. It seems to rain all the time in Shanghai. The number of clear sunny days is definitely much lower than Beijing.
7. The way people drive in Shanghai is in no way better than Beijing. They are equally poor. But in Shanghai they cut in front of you much more. I see near collisions every day here, much more than in Beijing. It’s like they are playing chicken.
Just my thoughts. Hope it doesn’t get personal!
Pete Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 5:07 pm
Pete2, you are abolutely right, and I couldn’t agree more with what you have said.
PLEASE though, pick a name other than Pete, it’s going to get very confusing otherwise!
Love
Pete1
Chingis Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 5:39 pm
Sorry Pete1, it happens to be my name. But you were here first so I will from now on be refered to as Chingis. I doubt there will be too many others with that name, except in Mongolia perhaps!
Johnny K Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 6:31 pm
This definitely makes me excited to be 3 days away from beginning my semester in Beijing…
yarek Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 6:38 pm
I live in Shenzhen but I have been to both SH and BJ. BJ is a huge village and there is no doubt about it. The 故宫 looks like a enourmous henpen to me. Sorry if that offends you. SH is a city although a half of that city is a bit artificial (I mean Pudong of course). The old part of SH has it’s positive flavour though. These are my impresions as a visitor.
However, as a place for living I prefer Shenzhen. It’s the most convenietnt palce to live especially if you are a foreginger in this country. You can get small Guangdong town experience in some parts of the city or spend all your time among Americans - as you prefer. It’s even a better place than BJ if you are learning mandarin, since being a city of immigrants Shenzhen gives you the oportunity to hear all sorts of 普通话 right on the street. And if you are here on business, the proximity of HK helps a lot. OK, so much for local patriotism
Jesse Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 7:04 pm
My 两分：
The first city I lived in here was Beijing, so I guess I’ll always be somewhat partial to it. I’ve also spent a bit of time in Shanghai and certainly see both sides to the argument here.
I’m going to venture out on a limb here and say that I think Beijing is a better place to live if you’re a foreign student while Shanghai is probably a bit better if you’re here working or conducting business of some sort. I’m not sure what the 学汉语 scene is like in Shanghai, but there’s no shortage of programs for people in Beijing whether you want to just do a summer of beginner’s study or want to sign on for one of those more hardcore language pledge deals.
Also, as Pete(2?) mentioned above there’s plenty of entertainment aimed at the budget conscious student in Beijing, while every time I’ve gone out in Shanghai I’ve ended up spending a lot more than I wanted to.
That said, I’d take either over Wenzhou any day.
Pete Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 8:45 pm
@Chingis: No apology needed, just didn’t want to confuse everyone! Chingis it is then, and I’m happy to meet you, Pete!
@Yarek: Beijing isn’t a city of immigrants? I take your point about learning Mandarin though, I’m beginning to sound as though I have an old sock in my mouth. Hao waarrr!
yarek Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 9:46 pm
OK, there are immigrants in BJ, but SZ is composed of immigrants. It’s a matter of scale. Moreover, each immigrant stands the chance of becoming a citizen of SZ after passing a special test on various academic topics . The city itself is younger than me!
Todd Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 10:46 pm
Ah, Beijing and Shanghai and the Qing Dynasty debate. I lived in both cities for over 5 years each and can make a pronouncement here - both cities suck on their own. No comparison needed. Oh, they were both cool for the first 2 years. Lots of interesting things to see, people to meet and places to go. After a while, the romance wore off and I realized that they were both just tough places to live. For very different reasons mind you.
Beijing. It simply has not changed in 15 years since I first moved there. The Kunlun Hotel, the Lido, China World and the Friendship store. A new mall here and there and a widened road, but it’s basically the same Bucharest look and feel as it was when I first got there. There’s nothing international about it and frankly I think the city is going to have a tough time pulling off the Olympics. At least the Games ushered in fantastic change to Seoul and Korea long before they actually occurred, but Beijing will continue to be the same dirty horse road, bland and over-policed township. Don’t get me started on Beijing ren…
Shanghai. Massive changes in the last 10 years, but to what end? It’s too much hustle and not enough bustle and it’s single claim to fame is that it can now beat Beijing’s pollution. Everybody’s called it the next Hong Kong, without realizing that Hong Kong is worse than both Shanghai and Beijing. The population basks and broods in their pre-1949 contemporary history of being different than the rest of China, but that doesn’t make standing in line at the bank any different than any other city. It’s about as international as Vladivostok. Don’t get me started on Shanghai ren…
Which one is better? Neither. Yarek hit the nail on the head - a second tier costal city like Shenzhen, Xiamen, Qingdao or Dalian is generally leaps and bounds better to live in.
lorsh Says:
August 25th, 2005 at 12:06 am
xiamen blows. my biggest complaint is that the new buildings (the city, like most here, was created virtually overnight) are ugly. i mean, they’re awful. bad shape, boring design, and a general feeling of fakeness. i’m no architectural nitpicker, but what they’ve done here is nauseating. shiny tiles coat everything and now the city is starting to look like an ugly bathhouse for giants. the glassy, angular buildings that are supposed to make the city look cutting-edge actually make it look cheap and fragile… like those shiny ball lawn ornaments that trailer parkers used to plant near their gnomes (north american ttc’rs will know what i’m talkin about). the seemingly totally random pieces of giant modern “art” that they have put in the middle of most traffic rotaries or parks are the worst– they’re just wrong. why don’t they fucking plant some cool trees or something.
with all these designs and trashy sculptures around, the city is starting to look like a 20 dollar set from the original star trek. the parks, with their gaudy, plastic, colored lighting, and occassional fake trees and bright, multi-colored walkways are looking more and more like a giant mcdonald’s play pen.
lorsh Says:
August 25th, 2005 at 12:21 am
the architecture in most new chinese cities is bad. there are stand-out exceptions here and there, but the point is that a city’s general “feel” doesn’t come from a couple great structures. rather, it comes from how things are put together, how different buildings look next to each other, and in what zone they are in. this is what urban planning is all about. does china even have this concept? sense of place? aesthetic zoning? respect for historical styles? do they care that these buildings will be where they are and how they are for the next 50-80 YEARS? why does it seem like they just use whatever design was finished first…or by whoever had the best guanxi with the mayor. i mean, it’s sort of an important thing to be all black audi a6 corrupt about.
lastly, it seems like they want all the cities to end up looking the same. that’s just stupid considering how diverse the country is and how much local flavor there is in each place, but, of course, it’s also just bad because the design objective for the whole country revolves around the look and feel of giant plastic turds…
MiX Says:
August 25th, 2005 at 12:35 am
Coming from Tianjin, I do agree that Hangzhou is the best thus far. Although I haven’t really lived in BJ, and I haven’t even been to SH, I enjoy it here. Sometimes the sheer volume of laowais makes it a little wierd, if unbearable, but I still manage to get a kick out of the city.
subhuman Says:
August 25th, 2005 at 2:48 am
Wow… very interesting insight on how all these superior human being think of the subhuman in Beijing and complain about the place where they can’t even afford to buy a ticket and leave this hell on earth.
Hope you guys won’t get assimilated. *pray to god*
Todd Says:
August 25th, 2005 at 6:34 am
@sub: i did leave beijing. hello???? are you there? do you have a brain? hello???? i don’t live in beijing anymore. do. you. understand. me. ?
Yuzi Says:
August 25th, 2005 at 9:13 am
It’s getting hot here. haha…
Anyway, just want you guys to listen to the taxi driver I met yesterday. According to him, all the traffic problems are caused by Waidiren (us) or those Nongmin (countryside people). Poor taxi drivers hate rich Waidiren who can afford cars and look down upon those Nongmin who takes their share in taxi biz. They don’t feel shame that they don’t know the names of the roads. That’s why I still don’t like BJ yet.
Dan Says:
August 25th, 2005 at 10:06 am
@Yuzi: Yes! That’s it! If I knew that I could get into a taxi and be confident that the driver was going to know the names of at least the major streets then I would be much more forgiving.
bussibaer Says:
August 25th, 2005 at 11:16 am
@yuzi: here a funny story about a taxi driver i met a month ago here in beijing.
i was around the worker stadium and wanted to go to wangjing. it started to rain. i stopped a taxi and told him to drive to wangjing. he had no idea. he said he wasn´t from beijing and this was his first day as a taxi driver. for luck i was able to show him the way. after we arrived i asked him if he knew where he was now. he got no idea. i wonder if he is still driving around and living meanwhile in his taxi, hahahaha.
Yuzi Says:
August 25th, 2005 at 11:23 am
@bussibaer: Sadly enough is that the stupid driver is not the only one who uses this excuse. Then it will be the problem of the government management, which means they should never issue a taxi license to anybody who doesn’t know enough roads’ names!
Good thing for me is that now I try my best to remember directions and I am getting better and better! Yeah.
Tom Says:
August 25th, 2005 at 11:27 am
Yeah, I found myself pointing out handy landmarks to an “it’s my first day” taxi driver not so long ago. Cruising along saying stuff like “this is a good road to know — if you turn left here and go down to the next junction, that gets you to Chaoyang Park”.
I should have charged him.
Of course, I’ve got used to the ever-lost 1.60 drivers now. Last night I hopped into a 1.20 south of Qianmen and started explaining where my destination was. The driver just cut in, saying “I know, I know it”, in a slightly hurt tone.
bussibaer Says:
August 25th, 2005 at 11:35 am
@yuzi: in general it´s good to know the directions. if not the taxi driver will drive more in a trial and error way. because he doesn´t know the way or he want to earn more money. most of the time i have to force them to drive the way i like to go to. btw. one of the reasons to learn quickly mandarin.
I rather hope they add some driving lessons to the syllabus.
Errico Malatesta Says:
August 25th, 2005 at 9:39 pm
Wow, a whinging white man! How interesting and insightful!
Do you have any suggestions to help improve this description of Beijing?
Erm, maybe cram it back up your arse where you pulled it out from?
Later lovers
Tom Says:
August 25th, 2005 at 9:41 pm
@Errico: Please sod off and die!
bussibaer Says:
August 25th, 2005 at 10:20 pm
@malatesta: exactly, mala testa, exactly. really that´s you, mala testa.
Errico Malatesta Says:
August 25th, 2005 at 10:49 pm
Typical whinging white boys! They can dish it out, but can they take it?
Love you, sweeties.
DD Says:
August 26th, 2005 at 12:00 am
Hello Errico Malatesta. How do you do today?
MiX Says:
August 26th, 2005 at 12:17 am
One of the many variations of the same law might apply : if you ignore them, they will go away Though another one of my favorites is that if you ignore it, it’ll only get worse.
DD Says:
August 26th, 2005 at 1:31 am
oh, i’m just giving him a chance to redeem his sorry ass. one reply that says anything but “i’m feeling quite chipper on this fine day” and he goes in the delete bin forever.
Dan Says:
August 26th, 2005 at 4:13 am
@Pete: First off, is this Pete1 or Pete2? I think you guys need to have a sit down and figure out once and for all who the real Pete is. Pistols at dawn is my suggestion but you guys can work it out in any way that you feel fit.
Secondly, the one big problem with requiring all taxi drivers to take an exam to measure their knowledge of streets is that 104% of them will fail and we’ll all be left crying on the side of the road since there will be no taxis remaining. I think a better incentive is to take all drivers that fail the exam and force them to sit in back of a cab, tell them that they’ll receive a 1000RMB bonus if they can get to a specific place on time, and then we make sure that none of them ever get there because we’ll also make sure that the driver has absolutely no clue about where the place is located. That’ll learn ‘em…
Dan Says:
August 26th, 2005 at 6:35 am
@Errico: I can tell that you’re the life the party. It’s great that you take everything so seriously. “Ill-tempered”? “Ill mannered”? You obviously have a lot to learn. I also called Beijinese “subhuman pig men”. You’ll notice that they are neither “subhuman” nor are they “pig men”. I’m surprised that you felt that it wasn’t necessary to disagree with my claim that Beijinese are of the “subhuman” species. I wonder if they would be pleased that you have charged to their defence of being “courageous” subhuman pig men. Hey all you Beijingese out there: Errico thinks you’re all a bunch of subhuman pig men. You should all take your courageous asses down to Tiananmen and kick his pigmen-hating ass!
Tom Says:
August 26th, 2005 at 11:21 am
Errico, Errico… it really is beneath me to reply to yours comments, but the kettle’s boiling so I’ll kill the time. I wonder what makes you assume people are white? Not that that’s important.
I imagine it’s strange, living with your condition. I should feel sorry for you, but it is hard, you know. Much as with any kind of borderline autism, one knows it’s an affliction, yet it’s still so very deeply irritating.
Now, I’m sure you’re a very successful human being who’s satsified with the way his life has turned out and not an inscure, pathetic intellectual runt, so I think it would probably be all to the good if you were to take your gargantuan, Shavian wit and explore avenues more befitting your capabilities. Ideally with the prospect of never again darkening our virtual doorstep.
Best wishes and all that.
bussibaer Says:
August 26th, 2005 at 11:24 am
please leave “mala testa” alone in his universe of “my-d…-is-to-small-so-i-have-to-be-a-大嘴”.
ChinaRye Says:
August 26th, 2005 at 11:28 am
Why not just simply get out of a cab and take another one if the driver does not know where anything is? If most people did that they would start learning things real quick.
Yuzi Says:
August 26th, 2005 at 11:34 am
@Errico: Calm down and don’t get it personal.
Just wonder why can’t people complain about the truth and maybe the complaints can help to improve.
I really wish you were not an angry Chinese, because I am Chinese and I am complaining about the stupid lazy BJ taxi drivers and the terrible traffic! Tell me that you are not a Chinese! And hopefully you are not a whining white boy either! Please….no….!!!!!!
Yuzi Says:
August 26th, 2005 at 11:42 am
@ChinaRye: C’mon, you know that’s not really easy. You get into a taxi and they drive away and then they ask: Where is it? How can I get there? If you want to start a fight, go ahead and ask him to stop. However, when I take a taxi, it’s always because: 1. I am in a hurry; 2. I don’t know how to get there. That means I am not hanging out with taxi drivers and I am not there to teach them.
DD Says:
August 26th, 2005 at 12:07 pm
No Erica Malatestical, I deleted it, not Dan. I told you I would and here we go again.
Tom Says:
August 26th, 2005 at 1:03 pm
“Joined-up thinking”? Fuck, it’s Tony Blair.
Noodle Says:
August 26th, 2005 at 8:55 pm
Love this blog and the comments!It’s so fucking hilarious!
Ehh…Patriotic man(or something like that..)and Erica are one and the same??
Chingis Says:
August 28th, 2005 at 10:38 am
Dan maybe you missed a few posts. Pete and I have sorted it out. I’m no longer Pete, I am Chingis.
Matt Says:
August 31st, 2005 at 10:58 am
Some bee-ach in chaoyang tried to sell me oranges for 15 kuai a jin. And they sure as hell weren’t Florida oranges.
doom Says:
September 2nd, 2005 at 11:45 pm
First, I agree that Shangers is better BJ. But East St. Louis is better than BJ. I also have to agree with the Hangzhou lovers here. It’s a great place to live. Hopefully too many people won’t find out about it. If you like good weather…Haikou is nice.
Morgan Says:
September 5th, 2005 at 2:18 pm
You guys are fucking bitches. I wish I knew who you were so I could stab you in the eye with a rusty set of chopsticks. I don’t find this website educational or witty and intelligent, its fucking retarted. I would think that being here for 10+ years would give you a better understanding of China. Fucking loosers.
Tom Says:
September 5th, 2005 at 2:29 pm
I think the word you’re looking for is “losers”.
Moron.
Dan Says:
September 7th, 2005 at 1:06 pm
I’m getting this post back on topic with this little tale that once again proves that BJ isn’t ready for the “big time”
There was a pig blocking traffic today. A pig. Did I mention that there was a farm animal on the road!?
Look, Shanghai sucks in many many ways but it’s so much better than BJ. Sure, BJ has sky and trees and the people aren’t nearly annoying (subhuman pig men are just too damn cute!) and the food isn’t so awful and…wait a minute. Dammit! They both suck.
Ok, fine. Here it is: Shanghai isn’t better than Beijing but Shanghai does suck less than Beijing. C’mon, you’ve got to agree with me on that.
kimmor Says:
September 9th, 2005 at 10:58 pm
Shanghai’s 2016 Olympic bid slogan: “We suck less than Beijing.”
I’m feeling it.
Dan Says:
September 10th, 2005 at 12:07 am
Yup, I think we’re onto something here. I guess it’s time for us to print up t-shirts and bumper stickers and start getting that message out!
yip Says:
September 19th, 2005 at 11:39 am
@Michael: I HATE Beijing people, and people from north China in general. The accent disgusts me.
Tom Says:
September 19th, 2005 at 4:29 pm
@Yip: Whereas I am disgusted by people named after the sound a small lapdog makes. Funny old world, innit? Not all people so named, of course. Just the ones who make sweeping derogatory statements about people based on where they live.
Di Says:
October 25th, 2005 at 6:03 am
i am a beijinger…it is my hometown, so now you know what would be my reaction after reading your post? i am a bit frustrated…
i’ve also visited several “big cities” incl. Hongkong, Shanghai, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, even Istanbul…etc…take istanbul for example, it is not as beautiful as it showed up on media (of course, every advertisement is not true), but i still say i love istanbul, because i see the positive aspect of the city. although i ‘ve also got the same embarrased moment when ppl said “nihao” or even “ko ni qi wa” (sometime they thought me was a japanese), the children even asked me for an autograph, i dont think it is a way of insulting foreigners, they are just curious about foreigners.
in addition, i can agree that beijing is not under same conditions comparing with those international cities, but it has been developing fast… talking about shanghai, the city has been taken over by “8 powers” during the war time, so it is rational that the city has exotic lifestyle, more comfortable for foreigners. but if you only see the physical infrastruction as a criteria for judging a city, you are not an “international” person. trying to be comprehensive, and respectful…that is the way i deal with people from outside china
Hunxue'er Says:
October 25th, 2005 at 4:33 pm
Wow. Powerful stuff indeed!
All I can say is you really should try good old Guangzhou. But let’s not let that cat out of the bag, ok? We have a low Lao Wai count (comparatively) and that’s what makes this place great, not to mention our proximity to HK and Macau for a quick getaway…
george Says:
October 26th, 2005 at 12:46 pm
Beijing has character. Sorry that you were offended by that.
Shanghai is an identikit metropolis, completely lacking in soul or things to do (beyond visit expensive bars where everyone is dressing in the emperor’s new clothes). Give me the laid-back, multi-cultiral, multi-ethnic, frustrating, challenging and more often than not annoying atmosphere of Beijing. You can keep the clean streets, money talks, lack of variety, nowhere to go on your day off and arrogant/pig ignorant shanghainese. Sounds fair to me
amanda Says:
October 28th, 2005 at 5:01 pm
I also find Beijing frustrating at times, well, most of the times. However, being the capitol of China for more than 500 years Beijing does have its charms. Yes, it may not be as international or vain as SH, but if you have come with respect for its culture and inhabitants, instead of the arrogance of thinking everything and everyone is inferior, you may start to understand and even like this place. After all, how much better can you do if you have been burdened with war and poverty the same way Chinese people have?
noname Says:
November 28th, 2005 at 12:25 pm
You want a suggestion? I’ve got one - stop plagiarizing the Onion.
DD Says:
November 28th, 2005 at 3:10 pm
@yesname:
yes, that’s what we do. when we want to write an article we dig up 5-year old Onion articles which we spend about 3 hours looking for and think to ourselves “surely no remembers Al Gore! we’ll just change the words around a bit and no one will notice”.
Morgan Says:
September 5th, 2005 at 2:18 pm
You guys are fucking bitches. I wish I knew who you were so I could stab you in the eye with a rusty set of chopsticks. I don’t find this website educational or witty and intelligent, its fucking retarted. I would think that being here for 10+ years would give you a better understanding of China. Fucking loosers.
这可能才是中国人写的作者: 盐在咖啡里舞蹈 时间: 2006-9-25 16:06
any SHren will tell you how ‘xiangbalao’ BJren are and I have to agree.
电脑前打字不腰疼.