AIR QUALITY: D-
Air quality in China is one of the things that I, and many others are most worried about when they decide to settle in China. To be frank, it’s awful. The air quality leave a lot tO be desired, but that can be expected when 25 years of economic prosperity and growth has had no limits to hold it back. Everything in Shanghai must be bigger, better and brighter. There is a constant smog that lingers over the city like the grey sheet that hangs over your bed to give your blanket fort an effective dim. The smog acts as a biodome, holding in heat and creating a greenhouse effect that affects the entire city. These air pollutants effect's a plant's ability to undergo photosynthesis which affects agricultural production. Shanghai isn't at that level of danger yet though.
Air quality in China is one of the things that I, and many others are most worried about when they decide to settle in China. To be frank, it’s awful. The air quality leave a lot tO be desired, but that can be expected when 25 years of economic prosperity and growth has had no limits to hold it back. Everything in Shanghai must be bigger, better and brighter. There is a constant smog that lingers over the city like the grey sheet that hangs over your bed to give your blanket fort an effective dim. The smog acts as a biodome, holding in heat and creating a greenhouse effect that affects the entire city. These air pollutants effect's a plant's ability to undergo photosynthesis which affects agricultural production. Shanghai isn't at that level of danger yet though.
I’ve been told that Shanghai in the summer is a hellhole, where the ground is so hot it seeps through the soles of your shoes and it is possible to cook eggs from the heat of a manhole in the street. Men walk with their shirts up and off their bellies, and women walk with parasols in order to keep away from what sun trickles through.
Running is tough. I’m no marathon runner, but as a soon-to-be phys. ed. teacher I have been trying to increase my cardio output (aka I’ve been running more, I guess). Some runs are great, but on days with bad air I am left gasping from shortness of breath as I finish. I’m hoping that this effort translates into a 15 minute 10km back in fresh-aired Canada (while it lasts). It's best to stay on top of the air quality, and keep cardio exercise to days when it's lower. There's an app for that.
Walking to school isn’t so bad, but in the winter it is worse. Since winter has ended, the amount of face masks has decreased but we were fortunate to miss the worst part of the season. Winter is terrible because it gets cold and everyone (read: EVERYONE) in the city begins to run their electric heaters, using more energy and creating more pollution. The government advises people not to go out, closes schools and insists that citizens wear masks when outdoors. It’s the responsible thing to do.
Running is tough. I’m no marathon runner, but as a soon-to-be phys. ed. teacher I have been trying to increase my cardio output (aka I’ve been running more, I guess). Some runs are great, but on days with bad air I am left gasping from shortness of breath as I finish. I’m hoping that this effort translates into a 15 minute 10km back in fresh-aired Canada (while it lasts). It's best to stay on top of the air quality, and keep cardio exercise to days when it's lower. There's an app for that.
Walking to school isn’t so bad, but in the winter it is worse. Since winter has ended, the amount of face masks has decreased but we were fortunate to miss the worst part of the season. Winter is terrible because it gets cold and everyone (read: EVERYONE) in the city begins to run their electric heaters, using more energy and creating more pollution. The government advises people not to go out, closes schools and insists that citizens wear masks when outdoors. It’s the responsible thing to do.
The Chinese are acutely aware of their air quality problem. It stems from their reliability on their coal production, their economic growth in recent years, and the increased use of automobiles. They have recently made policies to take five million cars off the road and they recently passed legislation that would help reduce the speed of their impact on climate change.
China has a very, very uphill battle in order to improve their air quality, but late is better than never. Unfortunately I will be living in Beijing next year, which was the ground zero of what I assume is the world’s first “Airpocalypse”. Hopefully the last. Shanghai wasn't as bad as expected, we've had some very nice days and some rainy ones too.
FOOD: B
As I’ve mentioned before, the food tastes great and it’s healthy. The Chinese (see: Shanghainese) have a very balanced diet. Restaraunts in Shanghai are subject to a health inspection just like they are back in Canada, and their grade must be posted for display. They consist of:
China has a very, very uphill battle in order to improve their air quality, but late is better than never. Unfortunately I will be living in Beijing next year, which was the ground zero of what I assume is the world’s first “Airpocalypse”. Hopefully the last. Shanghai wasn't as bad as expected, we've had some very nice days and some rainy ones too.
FOOD: B
As I’ve mentioned before, the food tastes great and it’s healthy. The Chinese (see: Shanghainese) have a very balanced diet. Restaraunts in Shanghai are subject to a health inspection just like they are back in Canada, and their grade must be posted for display. They consist of:
All foreign restaurants get a happy face. Western fast food, places inside malls or anything remotely expensive will get the this happy little fella. The food is great and you can have no qualms while eating there. Healthiness can vary. Shanghai has some great vegetarian restaurants and vegetables and fruit stands are abundant. If you want deep fried crap, you can get that too.
Lots of places have this face. Even our local haunt was given a mellow yellow face. But we trust it with our lives. The Bacon Cheese burger is famous, after all. At many hole in the wall restaurants you will be greeted by the blank yellow stare of the "pass". You know what you’re getting.
Not good. Just like I teach my students, if you aren’t happy or fine, you are just “a-so-so”. I prefer to think of it as ‘needs improvement’. While this is officially the bottom of the barrel, we haven’t suffered many ill effects when eating at these places. We didn't realize they were red until we finished eating. If you get food poisoning, you should probably just suck it up. Most of us have had food poisoning multiple times, all from unknown sources. The worst thing that happens is… poor bowel control… get over it.
Street food (our usual diet) has no such regulations. Just because you cannot afford to rent a space doesn’t mean your food is unfit for consumption. If you want, you can set up shop wherever you see fit. Street food is the king.
We are loyal to “The Couple” or “The Old Dude”. They have never let us down for delicious street noodles, and despite them telling us their names multiple times and us not understanding we have a very healthy relationship. But I don’t think they have made us sick.
STREETS: C+
The streets of Shanghai are a Catch-22. The busier they are, the better they look. Looks can be deceiving however, because the cleaner they are the more people litter. This requires lots of sweepers.
A street sweeper is a legitimate career path. It’s not one that any of my students are aspiring to, but some of them may end up there. They will spend their days picking up after ungrateful office dwellers who walk to work, tossing their food wrappers and cigarette butts along the way.
We are loyal to “The Couple” or “The Old Dude”. They have never let us down for delicious street noodles, and despite them telling us their names multiple times and us not understanding we have a very healthy relationship. But I don’t think they have made us sick.
STREETS: C+
The streets of Shanghai are a Catch-22. The busier they are, the better they look. Looks can be deceiving however, because the cleaner they are the more people litter. This requires lots of sweepers.
A street sweeper is a legitimate career path. It’s not one that any of my students are aspiring to, but some of them may end up there. They will spend their days picking up after ungrateful office dwellers who walk to work, tossing their food wrappers and cigarette butts along the way.
Few things are as frustrating as when you are walking (or jogging) to work and are hit up with a big mouthful of cigarette smoke. Unlike in Canada, you can smoke pretty much wherever you want. It keeps your metabolism up and allow you to keep that hot Chinese bod. Have no fear for walking down the sidewalk hacking a dart because you are not alone and nobody will stop you. Sometimes people will smoke in the mall or in the subway too. My custodian “office”-mate will have a few smokes before taking his afternoon nap. I work in a primary school.
Crossing the street as I have mentioned many times before, is extremely dangerous. A.B.D., Always. Be. Diligent. If you need to seriously relieve yourself and there is no indoor toilet to use, feel free to use the sidewalk. This goes for adult men, dogs, or infants of any race, creed, gender or colour (but mostly Chinese). No need to be concerned with cleaning it up – someone gets paid (terribly) for that!
True story: I’ve seen multiple mothers holding their young children over a trash can so they can… relieve themselves. A lot of Chinese infants have onesie outfits that have a slit in the bum-bum for quick access. CLASSIC.
Crossing the street as I have mentioned many times before, is extremely dangerous. A.B.D., Always. Be. Diligent. If you need to seriously relieve yourself and there is no indoor toilet to use, feel free to use the sidewalk. This goes for adult men, dogs, or infants of any race, creed, gender or colour (but mostly Chinese). No need to be concerned with cleaning it up – someone gets paid (terribly) for that!
True story: I’ve seen multiple mothers holding their young children over a trash can so they can… relieve themselves. A lot of Chinese infants have onesie outfits that have a slit in the bum-bum for quick access. CLASSIC.
PERSONAL SAFETY: A-
Nobody in China has any interest in harming you. They are very welcoming. I may have a personal bias because I am male. I am six feet tall, have broad shoulders and a scruffy beard. I look hard as f*** compared to most around me. I have been approached about a few scams though.
“Watch? Bag? Massah-gee? Hot sex?” The offers increase fast and furious but it’s easy to ignore if you know some Chinese or keep walking. It’s important to be careful because those who think you are a true lao-wai from afar will try and sneak one past you. It usually happens on the street or at subway stops near tourist areas by young people disguised as “students” who just want to “practice their English” at a nearby “tea festival”. Don’t get pick-pocketed on the subway. Cameras are everywhere, so if something serious happens the police should have your back. Shanghai is safe.
INTERNET: B
Without a VPN, Chinese internet is a small place. The internet is heavily censored, with many of the most popular Western sites like Facebook and Youtube banned. There are Chinese equivalents but they are mostly in Chinese. China offers free P2P sharing, which makes music and movie downloading free and fast. Western music is available via iTunes, but it costs about $1 per song.
Most news sites and websites like reddit are unaffected. The internet can be dodgy at times, but overall I have few complaints after purchasing and using a VPN. A VPN allows me to set my location as Canada, UK, USA or virtually any country that I want. It’s nice being able to watch some USA-only videos that don’t work in Canada too. If you know how to use the internet, nothing really changes. I still torrent like a madman and since I’ve been here I’ve caught up on Band of Brothers and finally got around to the first season of The Sopranos. We also watch the Simpsons religiously with a USB stick in the back of our TV. Still.
PRIVACY: C+
Nobody really cares what you do, which gave this grade a bump. But there are camera’s everywhere and people are always watching you. This is 2014, so everybody has a smart phone or an iPhone. If someone is nonchalantly pointing theirs at you, there is a good chance they are taking a photo or a video. I have no idea what they would do with it. If they have been filming me, maybe there is a popular Baidu video (Chinese Google/YouTube equivalent) called “Funny looking laowei picks his nose in subway!!!” out there. Like a boss, though. There is no concept of a personal space bubble and people will look over your shoulder if you're using your phone, but I have nothing to hide so I don't care. Plus, it's in their second language.
If you do something illegal and get caught, there will be video evidence. I lost my wallet once and was hoping the camera caught someone picking it up but no luck. They took me to the back room to see for myself. I was surprised to see that those cameras are not just for show. They are recording everything. It is a very sophisticated system.
PUBLIC TOILETS: C-
There aren’t enough of them. Most small restaurants don’t have them. Most public places will have squatters instead of toilets. I know they are better for your health, but I don’t like them. If you want to sit down to use the washroom seek out hotel lobbys or shopping malls. To be safe, BYOTP. Bring your own toilet paper.
Nobody in China has any interest in harming you. They are very welcoming. I may have a personal bias because I am male. I am six feet tall, have broad shoulders and a scruffy beard. I look hard as f*** compared to most around me. I have been approached about a few scams though.
“Watch? Bag? Massah-gee? Hot sex?” The offers increase fast and furious but it’s easy to ignore if you know some Chinese or keep walking. It’s important to be careful because those who think you are a true lao-wai from afar will try and sneak one past you. It usually happens on the street or at subway stops near tourist areas by young people disguised as “students” who just want to “practice their English” at a nearby “tea festival”. Don’t get pick-pocketed on the subway. Cameras are everywhere, so if something serious happens the police should have your back. Shanghai is safe.
INTERNET: B
Without a VPN, Chinese internet is a small place. The internet is heavily censored, with many of the most popular Western sites like Facebook and Youtube banned. There are Chinese equivalents but they are mostly in Chinese. China offers free P2P sharing, which makes music and movie downloading free and fast. Western music is available via iTunes, but it costs about $1 per song.
Most news sites and websites like reddit are unaffected. The internet can be dodgy at times, but overall I have few complaints after purchasing and using a VPN. A VPN allows me to set my location as Canada, UK, USA or virtually any country that I want. It’s nice being able to watch some USA-only videos that don’t work in Canada too. If you know how to use the internet, nothing really changes. I still torrent like a madman and since I’ve been here I’ve caught up on Band of Brothers and finally got around to the first season of The Sopranos. We also watch the Simpsons religiously with a USB stick in the back of our TV. Still.
PRIVACY: C+
Nobody really cares what you do, which gave this grade a bump. But there are camera’s everywhere and people are always watching you. This is 2014, so everybody has a smart phone or an iPhone. If someone is nonchalantly pointing theirs at you, there is a good chance they are taking a photo or a video. I have no idea what they would do with it. If they have been filming me, maybe there is a popular Baidu video (Chinese Google/YouTube equivalent) called “Funny looking laowei picks his nose in subway!!!” out there. Like a boss, though. There is no concept of a personal space bubble and people will look over your shoulder if you're using your phone, but I have nothing to hide so I don't care. Plus, it's in their second language.
If you do something illegal and get caught, there will be video evidence. I lost my wallet once and was hoping the camera caught someone picking it up but no luck. They took me to the back room to see for myself. I was surprised to see that those cameras are not just for show. They are recording everything. It is a very sophisticated system.
PUBLIC TOILETS: C-
There aren’t enough of them. Most small restaurants don’t have them. Most public places will have squatters instead of toilets. I know they are better for your health, but I don’t like them. If you want to sit down to use the washroom seek out hotel lobbys or shopping malls. To be safe, BYOTP. Bring your own toilet paper.
TRANSIT: A
Clean. Abundant.
WATER: F
It’s no surprise that the water in Shanghai gets a failing grade. Rapid urbanization has caused increased pressure on infrastructure, which in turn causes mass pollution. 60% of all of China’s underground water is polluted and unfit for drinking. There have been little to no policies for environmental protection in favour of policies that increase economic growth. Dumping of industrial chemicals, agricultural waste, and urban wastewater has contaminated China’s water resources such that over half of all rivers in the country are unsafe for human contact.
Even my students know this. “What can you do in the summer?” “We can go for a swim.” “Where can you swim? Can you swim in a pool?” “Yes!” “Can you swim in the river?” “NO!!!” “Why not?” “Teacher, it is very dirty.”
Clean. Abundant.
WATER: F
It’s no surprise that the water in Shanghai gets a failing grade. Rapid urbanization has caused increased pressure on infrastructure, which in turn causes mass pollution. 60% of all of China’s underground water is polluted and unfit for drinking. There have been little to no policies for environmental protection in favour of policies that increase economic growth. Dumping of industrial chemicals, agricultural waste, and urban wastewater has contaminated China’s water resources such that over half of all rivers in the country are unsafe for human contact.
Even my students know this. “What can you do in the summer?” “We can go for a swim.” “Where can you swim? Can you swim in a pool?” “Yes!” “Can you swim in the river?” “NO!!!” “Why not?” “Teacher, it is very dirty.”
China has an extensive coastline, but due to the decentralization of the governing bodies that monitor them, environmental protection has suffered. China is also having growing water scarcity problems with ground and surface water both becoming more depleted.
The eye test for water is bad. You can clearly see garbage floating through, but this does not stop the locals from fishing. I don’t know what they are trying to catch. Tap water shouldn’t be drank, but it is fine for showering or brushing your teeth with. It comes out clear from the tap, but this shouldn’t mean you should take a drink no matter how drunk you are. Boiling water is fine, and the local Chinese prefer to drink water warm, in a hot tea or as a lightly flavored soup with their meal. My schools had water coolers that I took advantage of frequently.
Pollution in China is institutional and the Chinese government is aware of their problem. 71 of 74 cities failed to meet environmental standards in 2013. They are rolling out a much stricter Environmental Protection Law in 2015, the first revision to environmental legislation since 1989. (!!!!!!!!) Better late than never I guess? Previously, it was usually cheaper to pay the fine associated with breaking the laws than to pay to upgrade or fix the problem, but the government will now have no cap to fine law breakers in addition to seizing assets or holding guilty offenders in custody. For the first time in China’s history, economic development will be forced to compromise to ensure environmental protection.
The eye test for water is bad. You can clearly see garbage floating through, but this does not stop the locals from fishing. I don’t know what they are trying to catch. Tap water shouldn’t be drank, but it is fine for showering or brushing your teeth with. It comes out clear from the tap, but this shouldn’t mean you should take a drink no matter how drunk you are. Boiling water is fine, and the local Chinese prefer to drink water warm, in a hot tea or as a lightly flavored soup with their meal. My schools had water coolers that I took advantage of frequently.
Pollution in China is institutional and the Chinese government is aware of their problem. 71 of 74 cities failed to meet environmental standards in 2013. They are rolling out a much stricter Environmental Protection Law in 2015, the first revision to environmental legislation since 1989. (!!!!!!!!) Better late than never I guess? Previously, it was usually cheaper to pay the fine associated with breaking the laws than to pay to upgrade or fix the problem, but the government will now have no cap to fine law breakers in addition to seizing assets or holding guilty offenders in custody. For the first time in China’s history, economic development will be forced to compromise to ensure environmental protection.
If you are reading this from Canada thank your lucky stars you live in a country that provides every citizen access to clean drinking water and our embarrassing riches of fresh water to drink, swim and fish in. You should be more diligent in understanding what we can do to protect and preserve it. Canadians on average use 300 to 400 litres of water a day.
Unlike most industrialized countries, the Canadian federal government has been slashing environmental protection laws with no remorse. This can have dangerous implications and precedent for the future of our freshwater, of which Canada holds 20% of the world’s supply. Learn what you can do help preserve it. You can start by no longer drinking bottled water unless you really need it, as it usually has the same quality as Canadian tap water. Bring a refillable water bottle wherever you go. And please, please don’t drink Nestle bottled water, because Nestle is fucking evil.
Two days left.
1.
Unlike most industrialized countries, the Canadian federal government has been slashing environmental protection laws with no remorse. This can have dangerous implications and precedent for the future of our freshwater, of which Canada holds 20% of the world’s supply. Learn what you can do help preserve it. You can start by no longer drinking bottled water unless you really need it, as it usually has the same quality as Canadian tap water. Bring a refillable water bottle wherever you go. And please, please don’t drink Nestle bottled water, because Nestle is fucking evil.
Two days left.
1.