Expo 2010

During my short time here in China, I’ve had the opportunity to visit the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. And what a spectacle it is. This event is a showcase for the city of Shanghai, and for China and it’s people. It’s been a 8 year project for the city, and the work they’ve done to prepare for the show is evident all over the sprawling metro area.

Expo 2010 is a massive undertaking, covering over 5 square kilometers along both sides of the Pudong River that bisects the city. It has cost 2x what the Beijing Olympics cost (about $4 billion), and will generate billions in revenue for the city. Almost 200 countries have participated in some way, as have countless corporate sponsors and international organizations (UN, FedEx, Coke, etc).

I visited the site over a period of 5 days, going in the day times, and at night. It’s really impossible to see the whole site in one day, partly because of the oppressive heat, and also because of the sheer size of the place. I was primarily interested in the architecture of the buildings, more than I was with what was inside the pavilions. I enjoyed shooting the buildings at nighttime, when they were lit up nicely, but some buildings looked better in the daylight.

Some of the country pavilions were so popular, that people would line up for over 5 hours for the opportunity to view the interiors. I was not one of those people. I avoided any queue that lasted more than 30 minutes. Most of the smaller pavilions were not that exciting to view inside. I visited Canada’s pavilion, but was fairly disappointed. Many of the countries showed generic video footage of people looking happy to live there, and going about their happy daily existence. Most of the videos were interchangeable, and could be shown in any other pavilion.
Some advice, if you choose to go (it closes Oct 31, 2010):

- Spend most of your time there at night. Arrive in the mid afternoon (3pm or so), and stay until about 11 pm. The crowds will be smaller, and it will be cooler. If you arrive at 9 am, you will need to queue for up to an hour just to get into the park. Arriving later means a smooth sail into the park.

- If you’re keen to see the popular pavilions, be prepared to wait. There are long lines right up until closing. The big ticket countries (Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Saudi Arabia) won’t accept any new people in line past 9pm. Most pavilions take about 15 minutes to walk through, even if the queue is 5 hours.
- The China Pavilion is the crown jewel of Expo. Only 100,000 people per day are allowed in. If you wish to view the interior, you’ll need to line up about 6 am to obtain a ticket. The tickets will have a visit time (I believe).

Moving in...

Part of the process of setting roots in Beijing, is finding a place to live. And I’ve done that. It was not a fun process. I’ve chosen a place in Southeast Beijing, in a district called Pingguo, close to the subway.

The steps involved in finding this apartment where challenging. Every day, for a few weeks, I would scour the housing ads posted in the Beijing English websites. I contacted 5 different agents, but only one replied. The girl that contacted me spoke perfect English, although she believed she was bad. Perhaps the other agents didn’t reply to me, because my price range was too low, or they don’t like dealing with foreigners.

I looked at about 10 places, most of which where awful. I honestly don’t understand how people can live in such filth. All of the apartment owners promised to have the place cleaned if I chose to lease their property. After seeing several bad places, I told the agent that I only wanted to see clean places. It was clear though, that she and I have differing opinions on the definition of the word ‘clean’.

Once I finally selected an apartment, the leasing process was the next challenge. Beijing custom requires that tenants pay every 3 months, and pay a 1 month deposit. So, that’s 4 months up front. And I had to pay in cash for the first payment, so I arrived with a wad of cash that looked like I robbed a bank. Since the largest note in China is the 100 yuan note, and the rent was in the thousands, you can imagine how big the stack was for 4 months rent. Obtaining the money from the ATM seemed risky, with a long line up waiting for me to stuff the hundreds of notes into an envelope.

I am slowly learning the small details of renting an apartment. Today, my power went out. I found out that I had to pay for my electricity in advance using a smart card the Agent gave me, at a local convenience store. Once the smart card was reloaded, I inserted it into the electric meter, and flipped the breaker and my power was back on. How can I know this? Also, I have to pay for my Internet service for a full year, in advance. And even then, the Government protects me from ‘dangerous sites’ like youtube and facebook. Lucky me.

There is a nice park, just outside my building. This is still pretty rare in Beijing, where land is valuable for its’ 17 million people. Most apartments look out over other buildings and dirty streets, so it’s nice to have some greenery to look at out my window. There is a large mall, and a Carrefour a few minutes walk away, and dozens of restaurants and shops all over the neighborhood. I feel like an oddity here, though. I was told by the Agent that the buildings and neighborhood were popular with foreigners, but I’ve really only seen a few westerners around.

I'm back, finally.

I can write again!

It’s been too long. And I have so much to say.
I am now living in Beijing, China.

Yes, really, China.

And because it’s China, my ability to access websites that I typically use every day (like Facebook, Youtube, this blog, etc) are blocked by government censors. Even some sites that are completely innocent are blocked for some reason – like ‘digital-photography-school.com’ of all things. So, I have not been able to write about all my experiences in China, until now. I’ve found that there is a back-door access method that the majority of Chinese people use to view sites that are forbidden. That is why/how you’re reading my words now.

So, here I am in China. Again.
But this time it’s different. This time, I’ve taken steps that will anchor me here longer than all the previous times. I’ve taken a job, teaching photography at Beijing Center of Photography. And I’ve leased an apartment for a full year (the standard term here). And I’ve obtained a business Visa, so I can legally stay and work (never done that before).

When I think back almost 2 years ago, Beijing was not even something I had considered. But, in those 2 years, I’ve visited this city a few times, and quite like it. Though I know it will take some adjusting. I know I will miss Thailand, and the many friends I have there. And the same goes for Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. I am about as far from those places as I can be, and won’t have too many chances to visit them for a while.

I have a lot to do here in Beijing over the coming months. First, I need to ensure I make enough money to support myself (the teaching gig is part time). Second, I need to start learning some Mandarin, fast. And I want to get to know the city better. And now that I have access to my blog again, I need to get back to writing more often.