A new shopping center, maze or jail?

Once I told you about supermarkets strategy in China.

A new shopping center opened in Changsha and I think it follows the supermarket "maze strategy": once you enter the supermarket, you should follow a one way path and go through all the supermarket in order to get out!

In this supermarket, customers use a elevator to reach the top floor.
In order to get out, they should walk down and follow a one way path in the shape of a spiral.

This strategy is commonly used by Ikea all over the world.
While many european customers will get fed up with it, Chinese customers love this. They can enjoy a walk in a nice shopping mall, with their family. In summer anyway it is too hot outside. In winter it is too cold. Also there are not that many parks and places to walk in China...

It is also a different way to consumme.
In France, many customers don't have time. They know what they need and don't want to waste time.
In China, many customers love to walk around. They can buy irrationnal more often! Customers like something, they see: they buy it!

In the case of this shopping center, on the top floor, you find all the restaurants. Customer will eat first. Then they will walk down and reach a cinema. Then they will walk down and shop, clothes, household products... Outside of the supermarket, you find some activies for kids and adults: skating, dancing...

The only way down is a spiral...

The entry elevator will lead you to the top floor.

And down you go!
You can use elevators to go down but they were powered off... better to follow the spiral path down.

A few lucky numbers in China

Remember once I told you how important numbers are in China.
I explained how different numbers have different positive or negative meanings.
Here are a few examples:


The more 8, you have in a phone number the best.
This company must pay a lot for this phone number!

Check the prices, they all finish by 0 or 8.
It is always like this in restaurant, supermarkets, shops...
Have you seen the promotion 8.8 This is very powerfull: two 8

 

Check the phone number on the new building, to sell appartments.
They will try to have 8 in the phone number.
If this is not possible, too expensive, they will have another number.
It is also very important to have similar digits. For instance two 8 or three 8 or 2 six, or even better 6 six, 5 five, 4 four, 8 eight... It matters for Chinese customers!

Photos from China, Changsha

In  the plane, this man is watching just for laugh, a Canadian prank show from Quebec.
Just for laugh is everywhere in China in buses, plane, airports... It shows foreigners pranks. It is funny and it gives a really positive image of foreigners.

In front of the restaurant, they wave at cars to stop and eat at their restaurant!

In China, all tree trunks are painted in white. This is some kind of medecine to protect the trees.

I told you about Gangnam style in China.

This is a new Korean restaurant. They use gangnam style to attract customers.

 

Korean Pizza.

It is very interesting: the pizza bread is thick Chinese type bread. The topping is a mixture of potatoes, bacon, cheese.

You will pour some liquid honey on the hot pizza... delicious and very special.

 



Some Korean spaghettis

The corn soup was very liquid and delicious

 

 

When eating in a restaurant you should wash your chopsticks, glass and bowls like this

Few old trees are left in Changsha.
This is a cinnamon tree!

 

Boxing and jogging in China

This is more a personnal article.
I try to train here in China and I would like to share a few tips that I learnt on the way:

Hoka shoes.
The best running shoes ever.
You can run on the road and you will feel as if you run on the beach!
It is a must to avoid injuries.
You should order them from abroad

Boxing shoes.
I was afraid this was a waste of money. In fact you can really train well with these. You can move better and practise the technics while punching.
You should order them from the Chinese internet.

 



I bought these bars in China to do pumps. It is very useful. It makes you work your back and abdominal muscles as well.
I try to do 50 pumps everyday.

I bought some New Balance running shoes. You should order them from abroad.
As compared to Hoka shoes, they are worth nothing... Still I use them when I run in the stadium around a track.
In China you have many running tracks in universities. I will show you some good spots... Some universities are less polluted. Many student go there to run or walk in the evening. Also running on a track is good for your joint, the ground is much softer, like some rubber... So if I use Hoka shoes altogether it will be too soft.

The bad aspect is that it is a little boring to run in circle around some track... but there are few good environment in Changsha.

I try to run 30 minutes, 5 days a week. I try to push myself no matter the weather. However I also keep it easy as I am afraid to injure myself if I push too hard.

A boxing timer.
This is a great tool for motivation and self discipline. I set it on 3minutes rounds with 1 minute pause.
I try to keep up punching my bag for 6 rounds.

5 meters strap
You will avoid injuries with these. I tried the 3 meters strap and injured myself. Better to have a longer one.

Boxing bag.
Thanks to the suckers, this bag won't bang on the floor and disturb the neighbours.
However it won't move back and forth. I have seen some similar models that move back and forth. Also the best is to attach a bag from the ceiling but this was not possible in my place.

I rarely use it as I do the push up with the above bars... It is enough for me ;-)



Unshaved, mustached: a new fashion in China?

This is Brad Pitt!
In China he keeps a small mustache!
You like it... or... not.

I find it a little bit weird as most Chinese people don't have many facial hair and usual shave well.
Is there a new fashion in China?

We can ask ourselves wether it is positive or negative not to shave, wear a beard, a mutache when you are a foreigner in China?
Personnaly I think that a foreigner is always seen as a foreigner by most Chinese people. This implies a number of positives or negatives clichés.
Thus you should play on this foreign image fully and forget to shave!

 

 

In China one bus can hide another bus

Why not? ;-)
A bus can pull another bus!

"American dreams in China": the movie of a generation!

I went to see this movie: "the American dreams in China".

It is the story of a Chinese who tries to go to america but fails to get his visa.
He then becomes a teacher and opens his own private school... a success story.

This movie is master piece:

It is the story of New Oriental School a success story
How three friends opened the biggest private english teaching group from all China.
Watching the movie, you can start to understand why this private school was a success: hundreds of Chinese students listening to one teacher making joke and teaching english words using phonics.
I already told you once that Chinese people like to play with words phonics in order to make joke.
Here the teacher will play with word to teach english for instance: Wo Men (we are) will become the english word Women.
Also as you know Chinese people like to listen and take note, or repeat.


The story takes place in the 1980's. It tells us about a time of illusion in China.
At that time all Chinese had many dreams. Everyone wanted to become a billionnaire, a businessman. All Chinese wanted to go to America. It was the the time of the American rush.
I once told you that I believe China went through its illusion era. When I first came to China in 1998, the illusion era was on going. After the Beijing Olympic games China entered its realistic era. It is kind of ironical by the way. In fact the Beijing Olympic were the symbol of illusion for all China. In fact they were the point that made China entered it realistic phase and the desillusion era is close by...
New Oriental School could benefit from this "American rush", while preparing student for visa interviews, toeffel exams, GRT...

The story shows that many Chinese who went to America came back as they didn't really found what they expected. While the one who can not get his visa and start his company manage so well...

This movie shows how hard Chinese student worked and underwent sacrifice in order to reach some personnal goal and dream. This state of mind is not the same today. Chinese people have no dream or simple dream: have a child, marry, be healthy... They have less motivation to study and work. And it is probably better this way in tomorrow sustainable society and world!

I can only recommand that you watch this movie.