Introducing Van McClean, the Australian Art Director who I’m currently staying with. Van is a fun and energetic old man He speaks good Cantonese and used to stay in Hong Kong for over 40 years. The only Chinese word that he know is “??” ~ (Coca Cola!)

Back to work…

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I was checking my designers work at her PC and I feel that the AutoCAD furniture template (we have a directory of furniture block, basically a pre-drawn furniture in plan and elevation to make our life easier) that she choose need to be changed. She’s doing a furniture layout with a Victorian concept but she pluged in a modern furniture! I’m trying to communicate with her ’bout this for 10 mins!

Althought I’m not a fluent speaker yet, but I expect I will be after a few months pass. It is not just fluent in Mandarin, but also being able to decipher the Mandarin that lurks below the thick Shanghai accents!

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I work @ Xu Jia Hui – one of the central business districts in Shanghai

Xujiahui is mainly a commercial district of downtown Shanghai. The main shopping district is centered around the intersection which is home to three supermarkets, six major shopping malls nice large-scale office towers and the famous Shanghai Jiaotong University. Everything from cosmetics to cars to cucumbers is available within five minutes, but the type of product that Xujiahui is most famous for is electronics. It is one of the biggest places for people to get electronic equipments – from cameras, to laptops, PSPs to phones and other game consoles as well.

Xujiahui was part of former “French Concession” of Shanghai. It’s a very busy area and you can hardly get a cab here. Xujiahui subway station is my choice if I want to go anywhere in Shanghai.

Somewhere near Zhong Shan Park, the place where I stay.

My accomodation that coast RMB11,000 a month.

Paris Spring located next to my condominium, and May Fair Hotel opposite.

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As a foreigner living and working in Shanghai, I am enjoying the benefits of being an expatriate of a country which is far wealtheir than the one in which I reside! I dine in expensive restaurants. I have a chauffeur who waits downstairs and fetch me to work every morning. I eat sushi at least once a week. I travel accross China. I call ah yi (maid) to clean my apartment up when it’s dirty. My life is nothing different from other thousands of foreigners in China. We all come here for the “China Experience” and still live our lives with the advantages of being a foreigner.

But what is it like to be one of the 6 million rich Chinese residents of Shanghai, especially those wealthy white collar? They bought several properties for investement. They invest in stock market. They buy car and paid in full CASH! Yes FULL CASH, and they paid for a cup of Starbucks coffe with credit cards! They bring their whole family to Milan for a vacation. They have chauffeured car. They wear real gold Rolex. The Chinese are rich especially those who can travel outside China. (most of the mainlanders never travel in a plane!) Trains and buses are widely use in China.

Working in China is challenging. Things like communication problem, different working style, presentation format, plans & drawings, … etc. That’s not the hardest…. IT’S IN CHINESE!!!!!!!!!! ALL stuff and the specifications are in CHINESE!!!!!! Can you imagine all architecture and design terms are in ChinESE!!!! Being new to this, I was obviously blown away by the various jargons… and ended up as confused as a hungry infant in a tittie bar.

Thank GOD that I have a team of designers and draftmen (with a translator of course)!

Granite = ???
Marble = ???
Stainless Steel = ???
Sections = ????
Display = ???
Air Conditional = ??

I got really MAD with all the building materials in Chinese terms!

There is never a proper office attire in China. People are way MORE casual when it comes to office attire, especially the ladies in my office who seem to have a completely free reign, it’s hard to determine if they are dressed for a friday’s night in a pub, or a day’s work in the office. Sleeveless blouse, tank-tops, mini skirts, some even wear running-shoes, hello-kitty tee and jeans. And for the guys, jeans and the old-fashion working pants are common, with RMB19.9 short sleeve shirts. (I’m not complaining or whatever, when I said a 19.9 short sleeve shirts, you’ve got the idea of which kind of shirt it is). For designers, t-shirts and jeans are acceptable as designers always need a more fashion or stylish attire.

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