Have you ever noticed that Chinese people would love to talk to a foreigner in English even though his English is broken or that foreigner can speak fluent Chinese or he’s not from an English speaking country? I just found out there is a term for that which is called English worship syndrome. Chinese education institution is keen on promoting English learning blindly. This foreign … Continue reading Cure the Disease of English Worship
We all have been there: a friend borrows $10 from us but never seems to have the cash available to pay you back. Weeks and weeks later, he buys a fancy car and shows it off in front of us. He has probably forgotten that $10 but the friendship has been damaged. By today’s standard, $10 is a small amount, but what if it … Continue reading Lending Money Ruins Friendship
As I was having dinner with a former classmate the other day, he passed me his new business card, featuring his new title: Chief Marketing Officer. My first thought was that he got promoted, but my friend quickly corrected me. “I’m just a small boss at a small company in charge of two people in a marketing department,” he said, laughing. All of sudden, he … Continue reading Title Matters
Supermarkets and convenient stores in Shanghai have run out of salt in the last several days as the rumor spreading that a portion of city’s salt that comes from the Sea of Japan would be contaminated by the country’s radiation leaks. The wave not only hit Shanghai, but also across provinces from eastern Zhejiang to southern Guangdong to western Sichuan. In the face of … Continue reading Loss of Credibility Leads to Salt Stripping
If you ask me what is the most common phenomenon in Shanghai, I would say queuing. With a population of 20 million, queues can be seen everywhere. It’s very likely that we will have to line up whenever we go to a supermarket, bank, hospital, let alone the shopping malls during sale season. Shanghai people are well-known for their love of joining the crowd. A … Continue reading Be Careful What You Queue for
When East Meets West 