The visitors are outnumbered by staff, who are busy swiping Douyin. But of course, it’s only a rainy Thursday in Zhenjiang (镇江). What made me go here is Xinjindu (西津渡), an old navy harbor named after where the ferry would cross the Yangtze river, a long long time ago, connecting the southern Wu kingdom with […]
These days, the annual post-Double Eleven piles of deliveries can be seen on the streets again, although they’re less high as previous years. For the first time, Alibaba is not disclosing full sales results for the event. Before, each year a new sales record was boasted — which always felt political; the message to the […]
I think the value of photos changes as you age. In your twenties, a decade in the future is off the horizon, but in your thirties you can look ten years in both directions. The younger me saw life as an all-or-nothing state, but now I see it as a slow process. Time slowly consumes […]
I’m moving to Zhangjiang (张江) in Pudong soon, across the river — so I’m looking for a new apartment. Loads of different options but I’ll share three very different ones. The first apartment I looked at is also the cheapest. You also see a lot of these self-built (自建) houses in rural areas in Shanghai and […]
Bit of a Twitter crossroad today, a walk with Dan to 白林寺 in Yangpu after a tip from Ash. The place has an interesting name, because “White Forest Temple” isn’t a temple, but rather a remnant of the Japanese textile industry in Yangpu, Shanghai. Built in the 1920s, it was probably named after a temple […]
Understanding China (or actually; how not to misunderstand it)
In 2017 I decided I wanted to move to China and I started to prepare myself, trying to understand the culture and market. I had nobody to really guide me, so I read books from several categories; Online media on how to do marketing in China. Most of these books were kinda nonsense that didn’t […]
These tiny three-wheeled cars have become increasingly common in the last few years in Shanghai, but they also receive scorn. People in our xiaoqu complain they park in stupid places and block the road, or occupy parking spots for cars while they’re not paying any parking fees. They’re named 残疾车 (vehicle for people with disabilities) […]
Another trip to Laoximen today. The area of old Shanghai is under demolishment, and although it’s been a slow process of already five years now, some parts are already gone, others vacated, while other parts still have people living in them. The longer the demolition goes on, the less meaning Laoximen has — apart from […]
(This was my speech at GoEast‘s 10th anniversary, Saturday 22 October in Shanghai.) So if you are a bit like me you probably brush your teeth every day. Twice a day, maybe thrice. And the thing with brushing my teeth is, I don’t particularly like it. I don’t hate it either, I just do it […]
Yesterday on foot, today on wheels (still in Ninghai 宁海). First time using an electric sharing scooter. Works perfectly (but I think a ‘sharing helmet’ is a bit dirty). 10 RMB for an hour. It actually suddenly stopped. The scooter started speaking, and I got an automated call on my phone as well: “You’ve driven […]
I’m reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time and today in Ninghai (宁海) I felt much like Frodo (I’m even wearing a khotan jade ring (田玉) from Xi’an, albeit with a different purpose. Ninghai (宁海) is a small city in Zhejiang (not to be confused by Haining (海宁) in the same province), […]
