CURIOSITIES OF CHINESE LIFE: 2

I have come to the conclusion that somewhere in the darkest depths of the local government of Beijing there is a bureaucrat who is grossly under employed.

As we all know, any bureaucrat who finds himself with no real work to do, will quickly invent jobs for himself. There is some natural law about this, I just cant bring its name to mind just now.... but it has to do with the survival of this particular species (Bureaucraticus underemployedius).

Lately a number of local regulations have come into effect which are hard to explain using logic as a starting point. to wit:-

1. All taxi drivers now have to wear ochre shirts and rather startling striped ties.
2. No dogs taller than 25 cms at the shoulder may live within the part of Beijing defined by the fourth ring road.
3. All shops must have identical letter type and sized name boards above their shops.

Furthermore, a concerted attempt is being made to wipe out one of the most creative and enjoyable uses of English I have ever come across.... what we call Chinglish here. This is a sometimes too literal translation from Chinese to English that occurs here. For some reason the powers-that-be feel that this reflects badly on China. In my view it is quite the reverse, it shows such a refreshingly original approach to language that I am almost inclined to suggest it be encouraged, made the subject of university courses, and generally kept alive and healthy.

Who could resist such linguistic gems as the following examples of Chinglish (all genuine, I promise you). Spelling mistakes are in originals.

• Deformed man toilet (sign on a lavatory for handicaped men)
• Police tips; Avoid being stolen should be always remembered. Be prepared for danger in times of safety. (Police warning sign)
• Salute to the tourists who keep the public hygience.
• I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face (Keep off the grass sign)
• When old man's child go up hand ladder temporary need the family to accompany (sign at foot of stairs)
• Sham Poo Label on a bottle of ... shampoo
  

And so it goes on..... Blissful, poetic use of language... Long may it live on here in China.

POINT OF INTEREST FOR YOU ALL

I have just discovered that if you left mouse click twice on any pictures in this blog, they open in their original size - which in most cases is much larger than they appear to be in the blog itself...and much clearer too.

The building with the teddy Boy hair style is much better to look at that way...give it a try and you will see what I mean.

CHINESE URBAN TRANSPORT; 2

As promised, here is another post about modes of transport here, this model is to be found all over China, and is actually quite a modest one. I have seen these with loads strapped on that were at least 3 meters tall, wobbling down the street.

They come in basically two versions, one, as in this photo, are man-powered, the other model has a small two-stroke engine, and they sort of pobble along quietly and not very rapidly.

One interesting characteristic of them all is that the chain is incredibly loose for some reason, the lower run hanging down almost to the ground... beats me why though.

Anyhow, here it is. More to follow..

Here is one I photographed in the street near home... man powered

Here is another one of those tricycles, a closer view this time. This is one we use at work to transport amplifiers, speakers and other heavy tools of our trade, in this case it is a 1300 watt amplifier and a smoke machine.

In this view you can see how loose the chain is, this is standard practice, no idea why......

STRANGE BUILDINGS, NUMBER 1

I mentioned earlier that there are some truly odd buildings here in Beijing, well this extraordinary building must be one of the oddest, here or anywhere! Quite beyond me to understand why it has that weird sort of Teddy Boy hair cut at the top.... Very strange building. Any suggestions as to why it is like this would be most welcome.

There are actually rooms in that bit at the top... not sure I would wish to be in any of them however........

Another view of this odd building, as seen from the Olympic Green
If you double click on this picture, and look very hard, you will be able to see the rather wonderful swimming pool building... a sort of blue cube made up of polygons.

BEIJING BUILDINGS:PART 1

Beijing is a rather strange place architecturally, it is a strange mix of ultra modern glass and steel, strange buildings that look like pictures on the covers of '30's science fiction magazines, gruesome worker's flats and occasionally rather beautiful old buildings. These last are sadly disappearing very rapidly, unless they happen to be something that tourists might like to see, such as old temples and palaces.

There are also a number of completely insane buildings, which I will show you as I get the chance to photograph them, such as the CCTV towers built by a Dutch architect who appears to have been smoking too much Ned Weed when he made the designs. In any event, given the speed at which some of these buildings have gone up, it leaves me rather breathless as I wander around Beijing these days. As i think I mentioned in an earlier post, currently - owing to the Olympics - all building work has been put on hold, so Beijing is almost peaceful... no noise of scaffolding craashing around, no compressors roaring or screaming building workers... bliss!

Anyhow, here are some images of some of the buildings around here.... Sorry about the quality, I used a mobile to take them as I was going home in a taxi this evening.