Two important gems of the city: night life and street food.

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Chinese night life puts the US to shame. Every night is filled with a fun dance party, a laid back pub or a free happy hour. In fact every Wednesday and Thursday the whole city is packed with ‘ladies night’ where ladies drink for free all night without a cover charge. Many of these free ladies nights are at swanky bars or dance clubs that have live performing gogo dancers and singers, so they are not skimping on the amenities! However, I do get the impression that all the people buying booths at these clubs for the night are extremely wealthy since they drink Hennessy all night, have personal attendants from the clubs to light their cigarettes and fill their drinks. The average cost for a booth per hour is about 1300 RMB (more then $200 an hour)!

It is easy to forget about the poverty in China when you are in a swanky club with live performances, flashing lights and people glugging back Hennessey but when you leave the club you are immediately reminded of where you are. This brings me to the next gem of China: Chinese street food. Street food is all around the streets of Shanghai. It is exactly what it sounds like: people with large grills and tables full of stir fry materials attached to their bicycles. They will fry you up some lo mein or fried rice right there on the spot, using only the ingredients you choose. Street food is also extremely cheap. I got a large plate of lo mein for about $1 USD, yum! Unfortunately, some people’s bodies don’t deal with street food too well but I’ve been fine so far!

Everyday I am in China it becomes more and more real to me but it is still such a different place. I have been pushed far outside of my comfort zone and found I kind of like it. Sure, it is frustrating to not be able to communicate with many people here (I know a little from my Chinese language classes but not enough to get by) but the culture is so interesting and rich that everyday becomes an adventure.

China, you’re alright!

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