Claude Monet at K11 today with Sunshine and Bianca

Shopping centre and art exhibition on Huaihai Lu

Justly branded as an ‘art mall,’ this Hong Kong import displays local artists’ work at every turn. Even the architecture is creative, with an entrance that takes patrons into a glass dome suspended by tree sculptures and below ground.

The shopping at K11, which primarily includes high-end Western brands including Burberry and Valentino, is unremarkable compared to the one-of-a-kind art. Most of the storefronts, however, are still unoccupied or under construction.

The food options are definitely the highlight though, with some exciting new ventures from Shanghai stalwarts such as upmarket Latin lunch stop Azul Urbanfrom Edward Vargas, and Awfully Chocolate's first stab at cafe fare with Ninethirty. 

Tea Market! lunch at the Blue Frog- a horrible bus ride there………...

The City bus 547 was jinxed today. Vicky, Bianca and I  boarded when it arrived- at the start of it's route. Shouting  from the bus managers made the driver stop after a few feet. The rear door would not close. We were ordered off and boarded  a second 547 that was idling. This Bus driver was clearly on his break and yelled and made a fuss. So we were ordered to leave that bus and board a third 547 .This driver was also not clearly happy and drove at top speed down the road. He was a maniac.  When a taxi braked and stopped in the lane ahead of us, our bus driver stood on his breaks. We didn't hit, but everyone screamed and lurched ( screaming sounds the same in any language) and Vicky hit her mouth on the bar in front of her. Not good!

Driver got out, yelled at the taxi driver, got in and roared down the street again.

Many bus rides have been harrowing during my stay here, but this was the worst by far. Vicky's bottom lip was red, but not bleeding.

We arrived at the Tea Market 20 minutes later-shaken but happy to disembark.

 Bianca in front of the Tea Market.

 Endless selections of tea………...

 Four stories of tea and tea sets. Heaven!

 This is a shop where Vicky has purchased tea before and the shop keeper spoke a little bit of English. Bianca and Vicky in the foreground- our tea pourer in the background.

 You select  your tea from a catalogue with photos and she makes a pot and pours.

 The tea table where she makes and serves tea.

 I bought 500 grams of Pu-erh Tea. Good for health. Remember Pu-erh Tea in Beijing, Jo?

 The red seeds you add to tea for health

 We bought Tea  sets in this sweet little shop. Great prices!

 The Plaza surrounding the Tea Market is a favourite for touristsh. Lots of shopping and funky restaurants. I was so starved - we all were- by the time we ordered lunch at 2:30- I forgot to take pictures of our meals. Wonderful and reasonably priced.

 Here I am guarding the tea sets  while Vicky and Bianca "browse" after lunch

 My Pu-erh Tea and red seeds for tea.

 My Tea Set. I'm so very happy with it!

 A mug I bought with a lid.

Got back at 6 and then Bianca went off on a date and Vicky dyed my hair- trying to get it back to "normal". I like it, but will know better in the natural daylight tomorrow.
Girls Day out - love them!

Dress Code at Shanghai Foreign Languages School (SFLS)

It has taken 8 months and one encounter with a student on the weekend to figure out the OTHER rules of the Dress Code at SFLS
Here is a smattering of photos of my (female) students - can you guess?

I didn't recognize Fransiska last Saturday when she called my name. Then, when she spoke again "Mary, what are you doing here?" I realized who she was. "I live here- this is where I shop" I said. It was because her super-long hair was loose  and hanging around her face. It took me the weekend to figure it out. Then, on Monday I asked "Does the school make you tie your hair back?" "YES- and we think it's stupid"  If a female student has hair shorter than her shoulders, she can wear it "loose". All others have to tie it back. No earrings, no nail polish, no make-up.
Like a good Sociologist, I always "triangulate". So, I kept asking in different classes and got the same answer: "Because school officials think we will concentrate  on our looks, rather than on school"
I told them there are often MANY reasons and this is probably one. I told them it was for the MALE STUDENTS - so they don't get distracted from school.
My students also told me that in traditional Chinese culture, a "modest" unmarried woman always tied her hair back. Once she is married, she can wear it loose.
Wow- sometimes my eyes don't see.

Internet censorship, cocktails and Pyjamas in the street…………….

I love my Senior 2 students. They are the closest in age to the group I am used to teaching back home. When I allowed them to select their OWN topics for presentations in pairs of students, the class got super-interesting. ( Silly me - what was I thinking in the beginning…..?)

 Friday morning at 8 a.m I got a surprising and extremely interesting presentation on the Great Internet Firewall in this country. I knew a little about it, but HOW the censorship works was amazing!
Some interesting facts: key words are picked up by those listening and watching - BUT ONLY IN CHINESE ( so my students reported). Those same words in German, English, Japanese- whatever- are not blocked or censored. At which point, "Jerry" said-"So of course I have a Facebook account"

The  way the censors monitor Pornography sites is even more interesting. They cannot look at each photo, so they just estimate the amount of "flesh tone" in the picture and censor it if there is too much.

Yup, you guessed it. The pig farmers with web sites get really upset when their livestock gets censored. My students reported that recently one 40-year-old pornography censor of 25 years  asked for and received compensation from the Chinese government because his job left him "without any sexual desire". Who knows?

The second presentation of the morning was on cocktails and their history and origin and ingredients. These students claimed that is was part of their socialization when they go abroad to study to know the different types of cocktails students drink in the bars. They instructed us on eight: Martini, Sex on the  Beach, Mojito, White and Black Russians, Long Island Iced Tea, etc. I didn't have the heart to tell them that most students only have "beer money"

 Because I am still wary of randomly taking pictures of my "hosts" here in China - EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE A SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT TO STARE ME DOWN EVERYWHERE I GO-  I have taken these from the Internet, but they could very well have come from my camera.

I don't think it is with a sense of "irony" that middle-aged ( and sometimes younger) Chinese feel perfectly fine out on the street in pyjamas. With matching slippers, sometimes. I see this every day.

 The first time I saw and older woman shopping in her Pjs - way back in September- I thought she might be developmentally delayed- and that other Chinese were not staring out of politeness. I was wrong.

I have had to take a good hard look at myself to understand why people look at me and sometimes stare hard and long ( like the middle-aged business man on the bus in the seat in front of me, who turned around four times to look at me - like eight inches away!!!). I am a middle-aged woman (not a young non-Asian person- who is usually a student at an International University)- with streaks of YELLOW in my hair (after the botched dye job at a salon), who wears white blouses with black jackets ( just plain boring here in China - no polka dots with stripes for me and shiny cocktail 8-inch heels). I wear over-sized peacock blue glasses - not for fashion anymore- just to keep the constant dust from getting into my eyes and I carry a laptop bag- not a fake Gucci purse. Of course I am an oddity.

Dragon Festival Weekend!!!! Holiday Monday!!

As I drag my behind around on a Friday morning at 6 a.m, I am thrilled to remember that this is a long weekend- Dragon Festival!

Falling on the 5th day of the 5th month according to Chinese lunar calendar, the Dragon Boat Festival is one of great significance. It has been held annually for more than 2,000 years and is notable for its educational influence. The festival commemorates the patriotic poet Qu Yuan (340-278 BC), and also acts as a chance for Chinese people to build their bodies and dispel diseases. Many legends circulate around the festival but the most popular is the legend of Qu Yuan.

Many traditional customs and activities are held on the specified day by people in China and even by some people in neighbouring countries. Among these customs are dragon boat racing, eating zongzi, wearing a perfume pouch, tying five-colour silk thread and hanging mugwort leaves and calamus.

Mugwort leaves?????????????????????

Random pics…………………...

 ZongZi Dumplings and gifts in the shop for Dragon Festival

 A building I have walked by a thousand times, being torn down

 Senior 1s on a Wednesday afternoon

 Drawings in the Senior 1 classroom

 Good ole Salvatore