Entries: John Paul

The Trip to Zhujiajiao

Some of us ventured outside of Shanghai for the first time since our arrival in China last week.  Sunday, we took a 45 minute bus trip west of Shanghai to a small river village called Zhujiajiao.  Our tour guide said it was about 60 km from Shanghai.  For the first time, many of us saw what rural China was like.  Zhoujiajiao is definitely not a big city like Shanghai.  At the same time, it was quite touristy as hundreds of visitors wandered through the narrow streets, little shops and walked on the bridges over the river and canals.  We all rode in Chinese boats on the canals and a few of us even ate eel during our lunch there. 

Wedding Day Clash

UI journalism students witnessed a wedding day clash in Shanghai Sunday.  While visiting the Xintandi area of Shanghai, the student journalists noticed a bride and her wedding party in a heated dispute with a Shanghai police officer.  The officer had given parking tickets to several members of the wedding party for leaving their cars in a no parking zone while wedding pictures were taken.  The bride, groom and several groomsmen argued vehemently with the officer that he should not hand out a ticket to the soon-to-be wedded couple, but the officer refused to budge.  It’s not a huge story, but an unforgettable slice of life in Shanghai.

UI Journalists Dine with Chancellor

The journalism students travelling in China dined with University of Illinois Chancellor Richard Herman Saturday night in Shanghai.  The dinner also included university alumni from Shanghai, members of Sinfonia da Camera, the professional chamber orchestra of the University of Illinois and dignitaries from the Shanghai Overseas Returned Scholars Association.

Negotiating for Shanghai Bargains

Shoppers looking for real bargains in Shanghai often end up in the Fenshine Fashion and Accessories Plaza in the central part of the city.  The four story shopping zone features hundreds of small booths where vendors offer inexpensive items with brand name labels, such as Chanel, Prada, Boss, Rolex, Converse, Oakley, Coach, jewelry, luggage, etc.  Most shoppers know the items are poor imitations of the real thing.  The quest for shoppers is bargaining with the shopkeepers for the absolute lowest price.  It is this art of negotiation that makes the shopping experience unique.  For example, a shopper looking for a Chanel bag, might hear an initial sale price of 1,200 yuan, but negotiate with the clerk or shopkeeper to lower the price to 150 yuan ($91 US to $11).  Listen to some of the negotiating below.

Audio of negotiation with shopkeeper:
Click to experience this media file | Right-click to download

Costing Out China

By American standards, China seems to be an inexpensive place to live.  The currency in China is called the yuan or RMB.  There are just under eight yuan to one U.S. dollar.  As the journalism group travels around Shanghai, we’ve noticed how inexpensive items appear to be based on what we see back home.  A breakfast value meal at McDonald’s in Shanghai runs about $1.50.  A taxi ride from central Shanghai to the downtown area, about 10-15 minutes, will cost 15-20 yuan, less than $2.00.  A bottle of Tsingtao beer in a bar or restaurant is about $3.00, but the same beer purchased at a small market is about 75-cents.  At the Nanjing Road pedestrian mall, Nike sports shoes were about $28 US.  At a mall, near our Shanghai restaurant, a polo or Izod golf shirt is more expensive at about $90.  Two nights ago, at a Chinese restaurant, our dinner featuring eight different dishes, cost $5.25 per person.  There’s no tipping anywhere in China—not at restaurants, at airports , taxis or other places.