Premiums and discounts in Shanghai

I'm not really sure how applicable this is to all emerging markets, but there is definitely a distinctive character to consumerism in Shanghai which could very well be similar in other rapidly growing economies. Prices are easy to take notice of in Shanghai, every day you will notice how strange things are compared to the western world. Take today for example...

I went to a bar called Big Bamboo to watch Arsenal destroy Blackburn (6-2, oh yeah!). It's aimed at westerners so it is not the greatest example, but there's way more impact using a current affair! Anyway, the cheapest pint of beer costs 40RMB (£3.70 or so). This isn't cheap. The place is not swanky at all, it's not like drinking at a fine restaurant! The expat audience makes sense, but still... £3.70 for a pint of beer is not cheap by any means. As I walk home, I walk past a ton of different shops. Clothes shops are criminally expensive here. It's probably the expat label they've stuck on every item in the mall... but expats aren't stupid. It's more expensive to buy decent clothes in Shanghai than it is in London.

It is highly annoying, because the choice is so good here. There are brands I have never heard of here, that seem to be pretty big abroad. Every big name is concentrated in the area I live, so it's really cool to walk around and pretend you're rich. At least you can keep up to date with any fashion trends (not that I really dress according to trends, I'm totally unfashionable!). But the prices are just insane. Lacoste, a standard low-end luxury/high-end highstreet brand, is a great example. The price of a Lacoste polo shirt is around 500RMB in England (£47-50 or so). In China it's usually bordering the 900RMB mark. The clothes are made in China! You'd think moving to the source would reduce your expenses, but China has such a huge obsession with wasting money that it is more expensive to shop here!

What I mean by this "wasting money" is that there seems to be no concept of 'value for money' over here. The rich people can shop in the expensive places. But the types of people that are rich in China seem to have so much money that they don't care if they're paying 100% more for their items. It's like the staff can just choose a ridiculously high price for things and it will not effect demand one bit. Demand is very low, that's obvious to anyone who's walked around these derelict malls for more than 5 minutes, but I guess the demand they do have is completely inelastic.

So you can buy a designer shirt for 5000RMB (£500) or pay 2 month's rent in an area the equivalent of Oxford Street. You can a delicious meal at a reasonable chain restaurant (something like Wagamama's or Pizza Express) or you can buy an ice-cream sundae. It's weird!

It's also kind of sad. When you're in China as a western man, things seem pretty easy. At least compared to the UK. People automatically thing you're rich, you're educated, you have good manners, you're generous and attractive. Doesn't matter how horrific you are, if you have white skin you're going to attract some attention from the local Chinese girls. While it sounds like paradise, if you get to thinking about it.. it's thoroughly depressing. If you manage to actually charm a girl, something which I find to be challenging to say the least, you're going to constantly have the idea that maybe she doesn't actually like you. Maybe she's just attracted (or feigning attraction) because of the aforementioned reasons. In England you know where you stand, but in China everyone seems to have predetermined judgements about you. It's like positive racism. Of course there is negative racism, like people acting amazed when you speak the tiniest amount of Chinese (God it's patronizing). That's not exactly having to deal with the KKK or anything.

Going deep into the Chinese psyche is something that will probably take numerous blog posts. It really is an interesting culture in Shanghai, especially how it parallels with some English cultures. But for this short summary, there is definitely a positive/negative, ying/yang, premium/discount when living here. You might be spending more, but you generally don't have to earn a penny to impress people when you're from the west.

Blog about blogging

When I first arrived here, I wrote my blog pretty much every day. I was like "Oooh blogging is soooo easy, I'm gonna be able to do a daily blog if I want to!"

And here we are, with my posts averaging probably twice a month.

The problem with blogging you see is that you can come up with nice ideas for blogs or think of interesting stuff to say... but you're not at your computer (or you don't have time to write). Once you get home, the idea isn't fresh in your mind and you're tired from being out all day. Therefore a lot of 'blogs' I create, aren't actually typed out and published. If only we could control blogs with our brainwaves!

A few of my friends on Facebook enjoy reading my rants that I post once every few months (on average anyway, sometimes I'm in a ranting mood and post a few in a month.. other times I'm not pissed off for a long time!). The thing with rants is that I'm often writing as I'm thinking, I'm pretty passionate about the subject and it's actually enjoyable to write. At university this was possible, because I had unlimited free time and a lot of that was spent in front of a computer. Now I'm supposed to be working, nothing exciting is worth blogging about at work.. and when I get home I want to just chill out and watch TV.

So while I'd love to write some more blogs, I can't give a guarantee that it will happen. Being realistic here!

Instant noodles, instant visas and instant realizations

So on Wednesday at 00:01AM, I became an illegal immigrant in China. Yes my visa had run out but thankfully I was already on a train to Hong Kong to sort out my new one. Since I cannot get the F-visa I need to do my internship in China, I have to leave the country to do it. Here's what really bugs me, and the American dude in the waiting room at the visa agent was also of a similar opinion; I cannot get an F visa in China, even if I supply all the required documentation which confirms that I am legitimate and that a company is taking responsibility for me. But I can go to Hong Kong and they do not even require me to submit an invitation letter, let alone copies of the company business license and registration information. It's ridiculous! I just have to pay someone to do it for me, even if I'm just planning to piss about in the country and do nothing for a year.

They've started restricting F-visas recently, not handing them out like candy. I've heard the reason is because too many people are coming here as tourists and just enjoy the 3 month permission to hang around China. Also, people are using them to work proper jobs.. which is technically illegal. I'm sure that if they cracked down on HK visa agents and let people who can provide all the evidence that their application is bonafide, then they would benefit from less visa abuse. It would also save hundreds, if not thousands, of legitimate F-visa applicants the 20 hour train journey from Shanghai-Hong Kong. It makes no sense... unless the tri-monthly train fare is some form of government tax.

It annoys me so much because I am on an intern's budget. I'm living on peanuts at the moment and I cannot really afford the 1000RMB return trip, the 1700RMB visa charge and then the more expensive food and accommodation that entering a developed country brings. And while I went to watch a movie today, and had a Thai curry for dinner... I will be living on instant noodles for the next 48 hours. I predict that I will spend around 3700RMB on this trip... which is an ENTIRE month's salary for me. I think I might have a word with my boss and see if I can get some of that reimbursed, because I am really going out on a limb to intern for these guys.

So as I eat my instant ramen and wait for my instant visa (I applied at like 3pm and I can collect it tomorrow... insane!), I am thinking about Hong Kong and whether I like it or not. Last year I came here with my friend while we were traveling around China. There was the worst rainfall for 140 years, the humidity was intolerable and the nightlife was bar focused. One day I will write a huge rant about the reason for this, but that will take some time. I'd heard so many great things about HK but I could definitely skip living here for any period longer than a week. One thing you realize the second you arrive here, is that this is possibly the most consumerist city on earth. There are nothing but shops here. It's great if you're rich and can go shopping, but it's hell for an intern. You instantly understand that your entire stay will be gazing dreamily through shop windows and thinking twice before making any purchases.

Coming to HK alone is also really crappy. The problem with these glitzy places with 10 Gucci stores and hotel entrances that appear to compete with each other purely by building huge water fountains, is that you realize what a nobody you are! Hah, that sounds pretty depressing but run with me for a sec. It's not that you're worthless, it's just that you cannot get into the Hong Kong culture and life without having the minimum requirement of a fat wallet. In Shanghai you can go to places like this, where you feel people disapprove of you as soon as you set foot in the door. In fact, Shanghai is often worse for this.. sometimes it does feel incredibly elitist. Hong Kong has a similar feeling. The malls aren't empty here, some people can afford this stuff... or the people who can't are sick of peering in through the glass. It's nice to see that. But still you feel you're missing out on 'The best of HK'. I can imagine coming here when I'm super rich and really enjoying the place. As there is nothing else to do but shop, HK is kinda lost on me. Hong Kong feels like a place where money does buy happiness. It could be just that I'm a bit lonely here by myself, but it does seem like fame and fortune would be a LOT of fun out here.

It gives me something to aspire to. Although it's pretty low on my list of priorities. I think anyone whose goal is to be able to buy expensive clothes in HK needs to rethink their lives a bit!

Hmmm.. my ultimate goal in life is to get one of these watches though:

Platinum Les Cabinotiers watch by Vacheron Constantin

I think an exception can be made for that.