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Published: February 11th 2010
I wrote this blog a few days ago and then I shelved it. I got nervous about publishing it because I thought it might be taken as a criticism of my host country. It's not. It's just my observations and my reactions to a few topics. Also, I talk about some icky stuff so if you are easily offended, just close the window and go on about your business. You have been properly advised. I promise the next blog will be all things goodness and light. And maybe some rainbows. I am going to Bali to turn 40 after all.
Earlier this week, my friend Brian sent me an article he’d read about Shanghai’s crackdown on pajama wearing. Yes it’s true, and I’ve read about it here in the local news. The Chinese government is very invested in eliminating public pajama wearing in Shanghai in advance of the fast approaching 2010 World Expo. The official slogan is “No Pajamas in Public — Be Civilized for the Expo” has local residents working to urge pajama wearers to change into something less comfortable. I find this amusing and also hugely ironic considering the other public behaviors I’ve observed that are beyond the strange or questionable and are really, truly (in my opinion) uncivilized.
Yes, I am going to go there. I’m talking about public urination and yes, it’s true, public poopification (it’s a real word…at least in my family). I thankfully (?) have only seen the latter performed by wee tots (pun intended). But that doesn’t make it any less icky. Just the other day, we saw a toddler squatting in front of a restaurant and it brought to mind that old saying about not eating where you squat. Again, consider the fact that there are committees actively working on discouraging public pajama wearing. Where are the committees to discourage public potty going? There are more public restrooms in Shanghai (and in all large Chinese cities we have visited) than any other city I’ve visited in the world so it’s not a matter of having to go and having no place to go. I have seen men dressed in official uniforms peeing at the side of the road, in the bushes at the park, up against a wall in a busy urban area. Taxi drivers often pull over, jump out of their taxis and use one of the above mentioned methods to find relief mid-drive. I usually gasp and shriek with horror and avoid making the visual penile contact.
I have seen many a stream of yellow arching up and out and have been forced to cross many a street to avoid the potential spray or splash. Just yesterday, when Emily and I were on a walk in the park, we saw a sign for the “Ancient Cavern” and decided to investigate. We followed the path and found what appeared to be a cavern before us. Just as we were heading into it, we spied a man who was pulling up his pants. We did a quick about face and decided the cavern was not worth it. And then later that same evening, on our way to a fancy dinner at the Shangri-La in Pudong, we saw the dreaded yellow arch before us. I tried to take a picture (Nathan: “Mom! That is so gross! Nobody wants to see a picture of that!”) but it was dark and foggy and I was also a little scared I’d capture more than I wanted to; but regardless of all of that, the picture did not come out in the end. We turned away from the human fountain and kept on our way. Not the nicest visual before our dinner, but we quickly forgot about it.
It’s the week before Chinese New Year and people are partying. I can tell because there have been firecrackers going off at all hours—there’s a stand selling fireworks directly across from our apartment.
Also, I have had the misfortune of noticing another (hopefully short-term) trend in public behavior: public vomiting. It goes without saying that holidays bring out the party animal in many people. This Tiger year is no exception. The evidence can be seen on every street I stroll lately and it makes me want to go back inside and hide. Eww. Ick. Please no. it’s one of those situations where you have to watch where you are walking to avoid stepping in something but by doing so you are forced to see far more than you want to. The last two days I have noticed a horrifying number of these post party piles. PJs versus puke? No contest.
And finally, there’s the spitting, which I suppose after the above details sounds pretty tame. But that loogy hocking noise gets me every time. The worst part for me is that Emily tried it out herself the other night and declared it to be fun. We strongly discouraged her to ever do that again. The spitting is prevalent, it’s unsightly, it’s cooty-filled and it again is far more shocking and offensive than a silly old pair of fuzzy hello kitty or teddy bear pajamas.
To me, the pjs are a quaint and perfectly fine aspect of local culture. The article I read attributes public pj wearing to being a reflection of the lack of privacy many Chinese experience. The boundaries, therefore, between public and private attire are somewhat blurred. A New York Times article from a decade ago suggested that it is also considered (or maybe was considered in the past) a sign of affluence. If you can afford a pair of fancy pjs, you are going to let people know about it and wear those duds beyond the walls of your own home.
I did ask my tutor about all of this and she told me that there are fines for all the gross stuff (and there may be fines for pj wearing as well) but the fines are so small that they are neither effective nor regularly enforced.
References:
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/10/weekinreview/pajamas-for-shanghai-s-street-wise.html?pagewanted=1
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2009/10/29/public-pajamas-persist-in-shanghai/tab/article/
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Brian D
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Hey!
Hey! A shout out in the blog article! Thanks! I hope I get on a list...