rice again

Natalia’s Mum and sister are in town so yesterday we did the obligatry trip down to Shanghai for the day to give them my famous “Shanghai in one day special”.

Having had numerous friends and family make fleeting trips to visit me recently after a near two year drought, I have become quite good at the one day Shanghai misson.

I had tried in vain to lure people to Shandong for a taste of what a what I’d considered to be the closest they would ever come to the real China they would ever get, in Jiangsu, being closer to Shanghai, i’m honoured with far more guests.

On this occassion, a Sunday, the honoured guests opted for the Shanghai Aquarium to start and I hadn’t been there so I was happy to oblige. Unfortunately it was far too busy to really enjoy it for what it was. A lot of pushing, shoving and yelling and a few startled laowais squinting at the exhibits from over the heaving masses. The Taiwanese mother in law got to see a carefree local hock a loogie on the carpet. I really look forward to getting back there at a time when the crowds aren’t so invasive.

After the aquarium we filled the day with a superficial smattering of some of the essentials:

Jin Mao or the busier and more 1980’s Oriental Pearl tower, The Bund at night and Nanjing Dong Lu, chasing that blurry but essential Shanghai night shot, (Watch, Bag. DVD! anyone?). Qipu Textile Market to experience China’s unique war on piracy, read fake brands galore, a walk around the French Concession and the Shanghai Old Town for pricey Xiao Long Bao, souviniers and Starbucks amid a yesteryear shanghai backdrop.

During the day we witnessed a hit and run on a dog outside a bank near Nanjing Lu, a crowd gathered and the bank security guard was yelling orders for people to clear the dog off the road. As we arrived the crowd continued to gather while the dog gasped and twitched on in the middle of the road. People took photo’s on their camera phones as the dog lay there dying. I wanted to believe that the photo’s were evidence against a careless driver but I doubt it.

It’s become a stupid reflex of mine, having lived just 3 years in China to avoid involving myself in China’s internal affairs. I have been conditioned against being the hero, even if the pick pocket has both hands, even his head in my neibours handbag. It’s perhaps for this reason, one of my clients 11th floor apartent was able to be gutted by fire without anyone from the other 100 apartments in the building, the thousand apartments in the compound or the 24/7 security service batting an eyelid to the smoke. It expalins the absolute shock and surprise on the face of a Suzhou theif when my Father clobbered him with a copy of the lonely planet, recovering his camera.

Though in this case, and I must credit my animal loving fiance, Natalia for applying pressure in the right places as I walked out into the street, blocking traffic to carry the mortally wounded animal from the road. I was both careful not to aggrivate his wounds and with a slight level of distrust of what the poor little barstard might do if I accidentally caused him any further pain.

Speaking from too much experience it’s a profound, moving and regrettable thing witnessing a young persons last breath and as a city boy and an animal lover I have to say this experience wasn’t totally devoid of the same sentiment. I can’t help but thinking had this been a human being how would the crowd have reacted? I can only hope I would have had the same if not more courage and compassion.