Shaoxing: Old Story New Club, National Day Week, & Other Stories

Shaoxing is home.  The longer we're here, the more we learn, and the more comfortable we get.  Old shocks become old hat, and it's hard to remember why living here ever shocked us.

Sometimes, however, there are brief reminders of the culture shock.  For example, I saw a woman hold a toddler over a trashcan to poop while thousands of rush-hour commuters walked past them on a Shanghai metro platform (a public restroom steps away).  Or the time I saw two guys sniff a woman's underwear that were hung out to dry above a sidewalk.

Those moments of shock are fewer and less surprising these days, which makes living here easier and the risk of being China'd out less likely.  It does, however, serve as a reminder that we have a lot left to learn about living in this country.

Old Story of New Club

Late July, Xiao Tom and I found a new club called New Club.  It opened at the beginning of the month.

The club was busy and ostentatious.  People in Transformers and Iron Man costumes performed choreographed routines.  Bartenders served pyramids of champagne.

DinoBot outside New Club's opening

Pat, SB's new trainee, arrived in early September, two months after New Club opened.  We took him to the club his first weekend, but we were surprised; the doors were locked, windows shattered, and premises looted.  New Club closed after just two months!

Shuttered New Club

There's an entire district in Shaoxing where similar clubs, restaurants, and schools are shuttered, while the buildings and monuments are left to ruin.  It looks like someone designed the neighborhood a decade ago and modeled it after a European square, imitating the architecture, modern sculptures, and shops found in some cities.  Now, the neighborhood is a ghost town with few open businesses.

Flaking public sculpture

I don't know if these closures are related, or if it's a sign of greater economic or social issues.  What I do know, is that I wish these clubs, districts, and shops stayed open.  They would make Shaoxing more dynamic to live in and visit, like Shanghai.

Broken down plaza

Shanghai Districts

My appreciation for Shanghai grows with every trip, and we travel there a lot - about two to three times a month.  It's quickly becoming one of my favorite cities in the world.

Every time we visit, we discover new restaurants, shops, and neighborhoods.  My three favorite neighborhoods are the Old French Concession, Ferguson Alley, and the M50 studio district.

Pool at Camel Bar

The Old French Concession is our go-to spot.  On one block alone, there's a burger bistro, Mexican cantina, and Italian restaurant that rank in our top three eats.  Down the block, there's a British pub with pool tables, darts, and foosball!

The best establishment of the Old French Concession, for me, is the Liquid Laundry.  It's a hipster bar, but their beer (unlike hipster beers) is delicious!

Most of their tap options are brewed in-house, but they have a small selection of "guest" brews.  The latter beers are great, but the former beers are the real draw.  Pat had a tangerine wheat beer that tasted like Fruity Pebbles.  Wheat beers aren't my jam, but this one rocks.

If beers aren't your fancy, they also serve expertly prepared cocktails.  The bar is actually more of a lounge, with some couches and a few high tables.  We haven't had a meal there yet, but the beer alone is worth the trip.

Pat discovered Ferguson Alley with the help of a local Shanghainese girl he met online.  It's a small alley that's difficult to find, but once there, you feel transported out of the country.

There's a stellar brunch place called Coco Tree.  The patio seating is peaceful and not susceptible to heavy foot traffic, which is a deterrent of outdoor eating at most other Shanghai establishments.  Maybe it's because we don't get french toast, waffles, or pancakes much in Shaoxing, but the Coco Tree's dishes were satisfying and resplendent.  It also helps that despite being kinda decadent, the prices were on par with a brunch in the U.S.

Sunday brunch at Coco Tree

The M50 art district is a great way to round out a Shanghai Sunday.  The district is a few city blocks of studios and galleries dedicated to modern, Chinese art.  Some of artwork is perplexing, but a fair amount of it is beautiful and provides a very distinct Chinese perspective.

Xiao Tom doing an Ace Ventura Impression

My favorite studio space was dedicated to three different painter: one who did oil portraits of famous historical figures, another who painted vibrant sunsets over lotus filled lagoons using generous blots of oil paints to create a 3D effect, and the final who painted propaganda and communist figures in bright pink and with roses or pacifiers in their mouth.  I didn't try to read too much into the last artists work, but his were my favorite based on the color usage alone.

Book Her

SB getting booked

We found the M50 art district during a taxi ride to a forensic criminologist lab, where Sara Beth got finger printed.

SB wasn't in any trouble.  She needed to get finger printed for a Chinese work permit.

The taxi took us to an isolated police building near a trash processing plant.  It was a hot day, so it stank.  Once we got inside the lab, however, it was like stepping into another world.

Every surface was clean and tidy, and the only scent was of bureaucracy hard at work.  The finger printing process took about an hour as SB had to dip, re-dip, practice press n' roll, then officially press n' roll all ten digits on an official police document.

When she was done, we had to walk through a series of neighborhoods to even find a taxi back to downtown Shanghai.

National Day Week

We're currently in the middle of National Day week.  National Day is equivalent to American Independence Day, with displays of patriotism and military might.  The biggest difference, Chinese National Day is a week long.

Moss covered calligraphy in Fu Shan Park

Scott, a breakfast manager at Holiday Inn, told us that one of the National Day traditions is to climb a mountain and think of family.  I participated by going to Fu Shan Park.



The "climb" was more of a meandering, paved path around a fern covered hill.  It was relaxing.  The city noise died away, and the increased elevation brought a cooling breeze.  Someone, decades ago, carved characters into the hillside, and moss grew into them creating a cool effect.

It was difficult to think about family.  My Great Aunt Kathy passed away a few days prior, and my family was at the funeral that day.  Like I said in my last post, it's difficult to be away from family during these times.

In Fu Shan Park, there was a Fifth Century palace from the Yue State.  Like the hillside carvings, the temple was overgrown by vines, moss, and ferns.  The temple itself was beautiful, and the added foliage gave it a natural mysticism.  The place was empty, despite the holiday.

Palace at Fu Shan Park

The next day, Xiao Tom and I went to Kuaji Mountain, which was packed.  National Day is one of the two holidays that workers get vacation to travel home and spend time with family.  There were families all over the mountain.

At the base, there was a station where people could pay money to ring a giant bell.  Xiao Tom paid to ring it and nearly deafened everyone in the surrounding area.

Kuaji Mountain (Mount Xianglu), like the palace from Fu Shan Park, was from the Fifth Century Yue State.  There's a giant statue on top of the mountain, and we climbed the steep paved bath to the top.

My phone died at the top, so I couldn't take any pictures of the temples or other sites we visited that day.  Xiao Tom, however, is a videographer, and if he posts any videos of our day, I'll be sure to link them in a future post.

Xiao Tom, Videographer

New Friends at KTV and Phoebe

Fergie and her boyfriend

Pat and I met a group of local college students who were home for the National Day week.  Fergie, Monica, and Thea studied English in Shanghai and brought their English teacher Lacy home with them.

We played Liar's Dice, which we had to teach everyone at the table.  After we left the bar, we made plans to go to KTV the next day.

It was Pat's first KTV experience, and he handled it like a pro.  He's already musically inclined, so he took to the mic like a pro.  I've recently discovered that I prefer going to KTV with Chinese people, because the experience feels more authentic.  Even though I'm not familiar with Mandarin songs, it forces me to learn and listen to something new and different.  Plus, since KTV is so popular in China and oft practiced, the locals tend to be better singers/performers.

After KTV, we took the group to Phoebe, a club.  Much like most Chinese club experiences, there was loud music, live performances, a lot of smoking/drinking, and some hardcore dice playing.  We danced most of the night and had a great time getting to know our Chinese friends.

The holiday is almost over, and I'll miss them when they return to Shanghai.

It's about to get busy.  SB's work is going to start picking up.  Her parents visit in about two weeks.  Halloween weekend in Shanghai.  We want to visit Hangzhou, Beijing, and there's a visa trip we have to take in November.