Well, I guess its finally going to happen to me. I am going to be a father soon. This is the event that I have been avoiding for the longest time because I had other interests to pursue and things to see.
I think i just went through the most interesting 5 years of my life. To be able to have the courage to extricate myself from the daily grind that I found mundane and going down a very unusual path has been so fulfulling that my outlook on life is that anything is possible. Nothing seems unusual to me now, because there are always very simple reasons behind them. I am now able to empathize with people that I would have otherwise not understood. The great thing is that I have a partner in life who went down this path with me with the same outlook in mind.
Now that we are on the precipice of parenthood, I think I am as prepared as I can be to become a parent. I don't think the full impact of this has hit me yet, but I now feel absolutely ready to take on this drastic change in our life. There will be a new addition to continue on our very interesting journey.
Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The Pizza Tour: Epilogue
My recent pizza tour in New York was a really fun way to catch up with friends, visit various parts of the City and gorge myself on the best that pizza has to offer. Its funny how I never thought of doing these kinds of things when I was still living there. Now that I only go back once a year, there is incentive to think of creative ways to explore the city that I was raised and see the familiar as well as the changes. In some ways, I feel that the quality of the time I spend in those two weeks in NY as being better than while I was living there. This pizza tour was just one of the many wonderful experiences for me this time back.
Now, to summarize my findings over this pizza tour. My rankings of the 7 pizzerias that I visited:
1. Keste
2. Co.
3. Luzzo's
4. Grimaldi's
5. Veloce
6. Artichoke's
7. Posto
Considering that the number 1 pizzeria in my book prior to this tour was Grimaldi's and I discovered my top 3 pizzerias on this tour I would consider this was a very enlightening experience.
The only problem is now my standards has been raised, its back to Shanghai where Papa John's is considered good pizza. Oh, the pain....
Now, to summarize my findings over this pizza tour. My rankings of the 7 pizzerias that I visited:
1. Keste
2. Co.
3. Luzzo's
4. Grimaldi's
5. Veloce
6. Artichoke's
7. Posto
Considering that the number 1 pizzeria in my book prior to this tour was Grimaldi's and I discovered my top 3 pizzerias on this tour I would consider this was a very enlightening experience.
The only problem is now my standards has been raised, its back to Shanghai where Papa John's is considered good pizza. Oh, the pain....
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Where is home?
I recently went back to NY for a short visit. This visit like the one previously last Spring left me confused. The source of my confusion is that for the first time, I felt an urge to go back to Shanghai by the tail end of my visit. I don't think I would have ever thought I would feel that way about Shanghai. And maybe its not because its Shanghai, maybe its just my life has taken root in a certain place.
I no longer have a place of my own in NYC and for every visit, I have been staying with my parents. Even though it is the house I grew up in, I just don't have the same feeling about it anymore. Everything seems to a bit "off".
Now that I have been here in Shanghai for a couple of years, things have become routine. We have become accustomed to a certain lifestyle, gotten use to certain conveniences in life that were not realistically attainable in NYC. I never would have thought of it that way while living in Shanghai, but when I spend about a week or two in NYC, I become very aware it.
When we first arrived here, I would have never thought that we would ever settle here. At this point, that is actually within the realm of possibilty.
I no longer have a place of my own in NYC and for every visit, I have been staying with my parents. Even though it is the house I grew up in, I just don't have the same feeling about it anymore. Everything seems to a bit "off".
Now that I have been here in Shanghai for a couple of years, things have become routine. We have become accustomed to a certain lifestyle, gotten use to certain conveniences in life that were not realistically attainable in NYC. I never would have thought of it that way while living in Shanghai, but when I spend about a week or two in NYC, I become very aware it.
When we first arrived here, I would have never thought that we would ever settle here. At this point, that is actually within the realm of possibilty.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
haircut for life!!
I have been sporting a military style buzz cut for the past 2 years. This new hairstyle started during my backpacking trip in 2005. This was done with pure practicality in mind as it minimized the amount of grooming time during our trip to the third world. The other reason was to see how I would look without much hair since we have a history of male pattern baldness on both my maternal and paternal sides. After the trip I decided to keep the look because I was never a hairstyle kind of guy anyway.
I have been cutting my own hair with a pair of electric hair clippers since my hairstyle has uniform length on all sides. Before people start to draw conclusions to my thriftiness, I must tell my side of the story.
Barbershops, like many service industries here in China like to promote the pre-paid membership pricing strategy. What this means is that when you go for a haircut that costs about 15 RMB (around $2.20) including hair wash you have to endure sales pitches from nearly every person who services you. When the haircut is over and you are ready to pay, then you would typically get a hard sales pitch where you would have to reject the offer about 5 times before they retreat.
The deal typically goes like this: you prepay 1000RMB value for a prepaid/membership card and enjoy a 20% discount for all services at the store as long as you keep a prepaid balance on the card. The absurdity of the whole thing is that a prepaid 1000RMB card gets you monthly haircuts for 5 years before the value on the card is depleted. Of course, the typical barbershop offers many other services that the card can be used for such as that hair washing, back massage, earwax removal, etc.
This give some insight to the mentality of the Chinese consumer where they can be enticed into "buying in bulk" to enjoy discounts. To me, when you buy in bulk, you also tend to consume in bulk.
The high pressure sales pitch and a new outlook on my hairstyle are the top reasons that I now typically cut my own hair. Its funny but its true.
I have been cutting my own hair with a pair of electric hair clippers since my hairstyle has uniform length on all sides. Before people start to draw conclusions to my thriftiness, I must tell my side of the story.
Barbershops, like many service industries here in China like to promote the pre-paid membership pricing strategy. What this means is that when you go for a haircut that costs about 15 RMB (around $2.20) including hair wash you have to endure sales pitches from nearly every person who services you. When the haircut is over and you are ready to pay, then you would typically get a hard sales pitch where you would have to reject the offer about 5 times before they retreat.
The deal typically goes like this: you prepay 1000RMB value for a prepaid/membership card and enjoy a 20% discount for all services at the store as long as you keep a prepaid balance on the card. The absurdity of the whole thing is that a prepaid 1000RMB card gets you monthly haircuts for 5 years before the value on the card is depleted. Of course, the typical barbershop offers many other services that the card can be used for such as that hair washing, back massage, earwax removal, etc.
This give some insight to the mentality of the Chinese consumer where they can be enticed into "buying in bulk" to enjoy discounts. To me, when you buy in bulk, you also tend to consume in bulk.
The high pressure sales pitch and a new outlook on my hairstyle are the top reasons that I now typically cut my own hair. Its funny but its true.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Re-exploring Shanghai
Last weekend, one of my close friends Siu came to visit us in Shanghai from New York. It was one of those weekends of exploring Shanghai that I have not done in a while.
We have now lived in Shanghai for nearly 2 years and we have settled into our routines. So it has been a while since we have had a chance to explore the city that we are still newcomers to. We took Siu to some of the typical tourist areas such as Yu Yuan and Jin Mao Tower in Pudong. Since Siu was originally from Hong Kong he wanted to see some of the underbelly of Shanghai that a typical first time visitors to Shanghai might not be interested in seeing.
We took him to the Shanghai old street near Yu Yuan for some local fare. This is not an area where you will find tourists eating local food; this is where the locals, if not the newly minted Shanghai residents from other parts of China would eat. Here are some pictures:
The food stalls in these pictures are serving food from various parts of China and it reminded me that Shanghai has its parallels to New York in its diversity. Its just that in New York the diversity is on a global scale while in Shanghai the universe is within China. This also indicates that the influx of people from other parts of China has accelerated in recent times.
We also had a chance to visit an area called Taikang Lu. This is an area where the traditional houses in Shanghai known as Shikumen are still around. For a basic explanation of Shikumen please refer to this link:
http://www.answers.com/topic/shikumen?cat=travel
Taikang Lu is an area which has become a marriage of the old and new. Shikumen are traditional housing compounds for the local Shanghainese. On Taikang Lu, Shikumen are now being renovated to house cafes, bistros and small art galleries. It has a bit of a feel of Soho with a Chinese backdrop. The last time that I visited this area about a year ago there were only a few shops and galleries open, but now it has become a bustling area that caters to the expats and the younger generation of local Chinese.
I had a very good time showing Siu around Shanghai. It was especially interesting since Siu grew up in Hong Kong before moving to New York so there was a sense that he could relate and understand what we were showing him.
We have now lived in Shanghai for nearly 2 years and we have settled into our routines. So it has been a while since we have had a chance to explore the city that we are still newcomers to. We took Siu to some of the typical tourist areas such as Yu Yuan and Jin Mao Tower in Pudong. Since Siu was originally from Hong Kong he wanted to see some of the underbelly of Shanghai that a typical first time visitors to Shanghai might not be interested in seeing.
We took him to the Shanghai old street near Yu Yuan for some local fare. This is not an area where you will find tourists eating local food; this is where the locals, if not the newly minted Shanghai residents from other parts of China would eat. Here are some pictures:
The food stalls in these pictures are serving food from various parts of China and it reminded me that Shanghai has its parallels to New York in its diversity. Its just that in New York the diversity is on a global scale while in Shanghai the universe is within China. This also indicates that the influx of people from other parts of China has accelerated in recent times.
We also had a chance to visit an area called Taikang Lu. This is an area where the traditional houses in Shanghai known as Shikumen are still around. For a basic explanation of Shikumen please refer to this link:
http://www.answers.com/topic/shikumen?cat=travel
Taikang Lu is an area which has become a marriage of the old and new. Shikumen are traditional housing compounds for the local Shanghainese. On Taikang Lu, Shikumen are now being renovated to house cafes, bistros and small art galleries. It has a bit of a feel of Soho with a Chinese backdrop. The last time that I visited this area about a year ago there were only a few shops and galleries open, but now it has become a bustling area that caters to the expats and the younger generation of local Chinese.
I had a very good time showing Siu around Shanghai. It was especially interesting since Siu grew up in Hong Kong before moving to New York so there was a sense that he could relate and understand what we were showing him.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tobacco Road
Ask anyone who has traveled through China and I think one of the deepest impressions that will emerge is the prevalence of smoking. Smoking is very much a social activity as drinking is here in China. The vast majority of the smokers here in China are men.
There is very much a boys club in Chinese culture where men would gather socially. These gatherings could be among friends or business associates. Sometimes it is very hard to differentiate between friends and business associates. Smoking, like drinking is a bond that ties these social groups together. Offering another man cigarettes is a sign of friendship. It is common etiquette to see packs of zhong hua (中华)cigarettes place at each table of a Chinese wedding banquet. Zhong hua are the most expensive brand of cigarettes in China costing around 50 RMB (6.75USD) per pack compared to the common cigarettes costing between 3 to 7 RMB (.50USD-1.00USD). This is almost akin to men passing out cigars to friends to announce a child is expected in the family back in America.
Of course, once a man starts to smoke to get ahead socially he will carry that into his personal life. The result of that is you will see men smoking almost everywhere.
One of the most annoying thing for us here in China is the second hand smoke in restaurants. With very little laws that deals with smoking, restaurants are filled with smokers puffing away throughout their meal.
For the most part, the workplace is no sanctuary for a smoke free environment. In some offices like where my wife works, smoking is allowed after 5PM. She tells me that when she works overtime (which is often), over half of the office is puffing away.
I took the above picture in a men's room stall in an office building. As we can see China makes it very convenient for smokers to puff away even when they are in the crapper.
There is very much a boys club in Chinese culture where men would gather socially. These gatherings could be among friends or business associates. Sometimes it is very hard to differentiate between friends and business associates. Smoking, like drinking is a bond that ties these social groups together. Offering another man cigarettes is a sign of friendship. It is common etiquette to see packs of zhong hua (中华)cigarettes place at each table of a Chinese wedding banquet. Zhong hua are the most expensive brand of cigarettes in China costing around 50 RMB (6.75USD) per pack compared to the common cigarettes costing between 3 to 7 RMB (.50USD-1.00USD). This is almost akin to men passing out cigars to friends to announce a child is expected in the family back in America.
Of course, once a man starts to smoke to get ahead socially he will carry that into his personal life. The result of that is you will see men smoking almost everywhere.
One of the most annoying thing for us here in China is the second hand smoke in restaurants. With very little laws that deals with smoking, restaurants are filled with smokers puffing away throughout their meal.
For the most part, the workplace is no sanctuary for a smoke free environment. In some offices like where my wife works, smoking is allowed after 5PM. She tells me that when she works overtime (which is often), over half of the office is puffing away.
I took the above picture in a men's room stall in an office building. As we can see China makes it very convenient for smokers to puff away even when they are in the crapper.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
the road warrior
Two weeks ago, I met up with a former co-worker, John who was passing through Shanghai in the midst of an extended hiatus.
Me and John were co-workers at a prestigious investment bank's IT department on Wall Street. The culture at that firm was work, work and more work. Both me and John are about the same age and we both left the firm in the same year. We both had an extended hiatus traveling the world. In my case it was 5 months in Asia, for John it has been over 2 years and counting.
I think we have this in common because we are both in our mid 30's and it is a time where people like us have a good deal of work experience and many battle scars to show for it. It is a time in one's life where one is done proving oneself at the workplace. Some people get burned out and I guess we are in that group.
When I was traveling with my wife for those 5 months in Asia, it was the most liberating experience in my life. Just seeing parts of the world that are so unfamiliar from home was such an eye-opening experience. I don't think I view things in the same way ever since. In many ways that experience has continued here in Shanghai.
As for John, he is not done traveling after over 2 years. He plans to continue traveling for another year before settling down to "regular" life. It would be safe to say "regular" life would never be the same.
Me and my wife have talked about possibly taking another break after we get our fill of Shanghai sometime in our future. My belief is that since you only live once, you might as well get the most out of it.
Me and John were co-workers at a prestigious investment bank's IT department on Wall Street. The culture at that firm was work, work and more work. Both me and John are about the same age and we both left the firm in the same year. We both had an extended hiatus traveling the world. In my case it was 5 months in Asia, for John it has been over 2 years and counting.
I think we have this in common because we are both in our mid 30's and it is a time where people like us have a good deal of work experience and many battle scars to show for it. It is a time in one's life where one is done proving oneself at the workplace. Some people get burned out and I guess we are in that group.
When I was traveling with my wife for those 5 months in Asia, it was the most liberating experience in my life. Just seeing parts of the world that are so unfamiliar from home was such an eye-opening experience. I don't think I view things in the same way ever since. In many ways that experience has continued here in Shanghai.
As for John, he is not done traveling after over 2 years. He plans to continue traveling for another year before settling down to "regular" life. It would be safe to say "regular" life would never be the same.
Me and my wife have talked about possibly taking another break after we get our fill of Shanghai sometime in our future. My belief is that since you only live once, you might as well get the most out of it.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Westerization of Shanghai
Sure you expect to see Starbucks, McDonalds and even Pizza Hut over here in Shanghai, but Cold Stone Ice Cream?
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Tipping
One of the things that I have gotten use to very quickly in China is that when you dine at the restaurant, the price you pay is the price on the menu. No extra tax nor extras for tip. Now the opinions that I will espouse will probably offend some people in the food service industry in America or the personal services in general - but why do we in America reward individuals for doing their jobs?
I hear the excuses all of the time from Americans - "oh the waiters depend on the tips for their income". How is it now my responsibility as a patron of the restaurant to pay them if their employers decided that they can get away with paying them below minimum wage? Why don't the restaurant owners just pay the waiters their fair share and price them into the meal instead of giving us the bait and switch?
Here in China if you were to try to tip waiters in restaurants or at the hair salon you will get a confused response. They have no idea what you are trying to do. They don't expect anything more for doing their jobs. Most of the time they will not accept the tip.
As I made my way through early adulthood in America, I was never struck at how ridiculous tipping was until I purchased my first co-op apartment. As Christmas time came, I get this Christmas card from the co-op. It gave the name of every employee my apartment complex from the doorman, to the main super to the assistant super to the porter to the landscaper, etc. All in total about 25 names on the card. Now I am suppose to figure out how much to tip these people when I had only come in contact with the doorman that year. So is the idea that this is a threat where if you don't take care of the others this year that if something goes wrong in the future you will get sub-par service?
To me tipping is an elitist idea, but the funny thing is that some in America actually think that tipping is a way to help out the working class. I have no doubt that the waiter or the doorman does not make much money, but why don't their employers just pay them their just pay and be done with it? Tipping only causes the working class to give preferential treatment to the the rich who can afford to tip more. So if you really think about that then you realize what tipping is all about. If everyone stopped tipping waiters, don't you think the laws of supply and demand will kick in? Without that tip less people will want to be waiters and the restaurants owners would have to raise the salaries to entice people to the job. With this extra cost, restaurants will charge extra for the meals and everything finds its equilibrium again.
Sometime things are so simple and yet we make them so complicated.
I hear the excuses all of the time from Americans - "oh the waiters depend on the tips for their income". How is it now my responsibility as a patron of the restaurant to pay them if their employers decided that they can get away with paying them below minimum wage? Why don't the restaurant owners just pay the waiters their fair share and price them into the meal instead of giving us the bait and switch?
Here in China if you were to try to tip waiters in restaurants or at the hair salon you will get a confused response. They have no idea what you are trying to do. They don't expect anything more for doing their jobs. Most of the time they will not accept the tip.
As I made my way through early adulthood in America, I was never struck at how ridiculous tipping was until I purchased my first co-op apartment. As Christmas time came, I get this Christmas card from the co-op. It gave the name of every employee my apartment complex from the doorman, to the main super to the assistant super to the porter to the landscaper, etc. All in total about 25 names on the card. Now I am suppose to figure out how much to tip these people when I had only come in contact with the doorman that year. So is the idea that this is a threat where if you don't take care of the others this year that if something goes wrong in the future you will get sub-par service?
To me tipping is an elitist idea, but the funny thing is that some in America actually think that tipping is a way to help out the working class. I have no doubt that the waiter or the doorman does not make much money, but why don't their employers just pay them their just pay and be done with it? Tipping only causes the working class to give preferential treatment to the the rich who can afford to tip more. So if you really think about that then you realize what tipping is all about. If everyone stopped tipping waiters, don't you think the laws of supply and demand will kick in? Without that tip less people will want to be waiters and the restaurants owners would have to raise the salaries to entice people to the job. With this extra cost, restaurants will charge extra for the meals and everything finds its equilibrium again.
Sometime things are so simple and yet we make them so complicated.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The communications/information superhighway
The internet. I remember the days before that ubiquitous word. I remember the days of going to the library if you needed to do research. Times when you need to read a newspaper to get the news. Times when you have to actually pay bills with a stamp.
Since coming to Shanghai, the internet has impacted my life in a different way than the way it did when I as back in NY. Now I can stay in touch with family and friends via e-mail, IM or even be able to speak via messenger programs such as Skype or Yahoo Messenger. This does not take the place of actually physically meeting up friends and family but considering I am over 10000 miles away its not bad.
The biggest impact the internet had on my life here in China is that I am able to follow the news and happenings back in the States. It has become a double edge sword. While I am able to follow news about things the I am familiar with, it has in some ways inhibited me from really plunging myself into my new surroundings. I think sometimes I am not really in tuned with what is going on over here in China. While I am able to stay informed about national news here in China, I don't get to follow local news as often simply because they are not really covered in English. I also know less about events that are being held locally.
Despite some downside, I really feel that the internet has really enhanced my life during my time over here in China.
Since coming to Shanghai, the internet has impacted my life in a different way than the way it did when I as back in NY. Now I can stay in touch with family and friends via e-mail, IM or even be able to speak via messenger programs such as Skype or Yahoo Messenger. This does not take the place of actually physically meeting up friends and family but considering I am over 10000 miles away its not bad.
The biggest impact the internet had on my life here in China is that I am able to follow the news and happenings back in the States. It has become a double edge sword. While I am able to follow news about things the I am familiar with, it has in some ways inhibited me from really plunging myself into my new surroundings. I think sometimes I am not really in tuned with what is going on over here in China. While I am able to stay informed about national news here in China, I don't get to follow local news as often simply because they are not really covered in English. I also know less about events that are being held locally.
Despite some downside, I really feel that the internet has really enhanced my life during my time over here in China.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Different place, different pace
October 1, 1949 is the day the People's Republic of China was founded. So the Chinese celebrate this day by granting the entire week off for its citizens. Me and the wife took advantage of this period by returning to her hometown of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It just so coincides with the wedding of her brother.
As I am writing this entry in Malaysia, I am struck by how different the pace is between China and Malaysia. Malaysia is a tropical country near the equator where the population is primarily made up of 3 ethnicities - indigenous Malays, Chinese, and Indians.
During my travels, I have discovered that people who live in tropical areas tend to be more laid back about life than most. This is definitely the case here in Malaysia. This is really the first time that I have gone directly to Malaysia from China and I can feel the difference immediately. It is most evident when one is just doing normal everyday things like walking on the streets, shopping or eating out.
In Shanghai it is a controlled chaos. When you are out and about there are constant challenges facing you. After I have lived there for 1.5 years I am use to it, and it takes going to a place like Malaysia to remind you how tired you are of a place like Shanghai. There are no hordes of bicycles whizzing by you from all directions as you walk on the streets. There is no pesky salesperson following your every move when you enter a store. There isn't a sense where you are being rushed to do anything like there is in China with nearly everything that you do. This aspect is quite possibly the most annoying thing about living in China. For instance, when you are on queue paying for something in a store you can either be cut in line by some impatient soul who was not on line to begin with, or you could be cut by the person behind you if you are slow to present you items for payment when it is your turn. This is the case in all aspects of life in China. They take the saying "You snooze, you lose" to an exaggerated level. This mentality creates tension in nearly every thing that you do in China.
Well, I am going to enjoy my remaining 4 days relaxing over here before going back to the chaos that is Shanghai.
As I am writing this entry in Malaysia, I am struck by how different the pace is between China and Malaysia. Malaysia is a tropical country near the equator where the population is primarily made up of 3 ethnicities - indigenous Malays, Chinese, and Indians.
During my travels, I have discovered that people who live in tropical areas tend to be more laid back about life than most. This is definitely the case here in Malaysia. This is really the first time that I have gone directly to Malaysia from China and I can feel the difference immediately. It is most evident when one is just doing normal everyday things like walking on the streets, shopping or eating out.
In Shanghai it is a controlled chaos. When you are out and about there are constant challenges facing you. After I have lived there for 1.5 years I am use to it, and it takes going to a place like Malaysia to remind you how tired you are of a place like Shanghai. There are no hordes of bicycles whizzing by you from all directions as you walk on the streets. There is no pesky salesperson following your every move when you enter a store. There isn't a sense where you are being rushed to do anything like there is in China with nearly everything that you do. This aspect is quite possibly the most annoying thing about living in China. For instance, when you are on queue paying for something in a store you can either be cut in line by some impatient soul who was not on line to begin with, or you could be cut by the person behind you if you are slow to present you items for payment when it is your turn. This is the case in all aspects of life in China. They take the saying "You snooze, you lose" to an exaggerated level. This mentality creates tension in nearly every thing that you do in China.
Well, I am going to enjoy my remaining 4 days relaxing over here before going back to the chaos that is Shanghai.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Hip Hop Nation
Bet you never expected this out of the youth of Shanghai. Then again that is the beauty of being young, the willingness to do and try anything
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Cheap Labor
OK, enough about the negatives of living here in Shanghai. One of the best things about living here in Shanghai as an expatriate is the power of your money. When you are an American expat coming to China, you probably already have a decent amount of money saved up in the US (but in many American's case maybe not) . That sum is probably not enough to retire on the US, but in China that amount may very well be a fortune. Combined that with an expat income, you can live very well.
What this means is flexibility. You are able to do things in your life that you normally would not because the cost will be too prohibitive. It could mean being able to live in the middle of the city. These things also extend into small things in your everyday life. For instance if you don't want to do house work and want to hire domestic help it is very cheap. It costs between 7 to 10 RMB per hour for a maid (called ayi here in Shanghai), that is about .93-$1.30 per hour. For a live in maid or nanny it could only cost about 800-1200 RMB per month ($105 - $155). Rates depends on experience and believe it or not where the maid is from (maids from within Shanghai can command higher rates than the ones from outside of Shanghai; prejudice in China is another topic for another time).
Other things could be getting a massage on a regular basis. Getting a Chinese style message for 1 hour would cost about 50-60RMB ($6.60 - $8.00). This could be a foot massage or a back massage.
Tailor made clothes is another inexpensive indulgence. There is an area in the older part of Shanghai called Dongjiadu where one can buy fabric of your choice from textile vendors then bring them to a tailor who can do a pretty good job of producing a knock off of your choice. You can bring a sample for them to copy or even a picture of that Armani is good enough. Usually for a man's cotton shirt you can have tailor made for about 100 RMB ($13). For women's clothes the possibilities are only limited by the ability of the tailor. In general the quality of the clothes depends on the tailor. From my experience, the skill level is pretty decent.
The reason for the cheap labor is no secret. There are 1.3 billion people in this country who only around 30 years ago was under the iron grip of a totalitarian regime that for all intents and purposes stopped progress for about 30 years (1949-1979). Some could argue that China may have regressed during that period. 1.3 billion dwarfs the population of the US (300 million), and some believe that it is a low estimate. Some estimates have the actual population of China in the neighborhood of 1.5 -1.7 billion. Can you imagine the margin of error exceeds the population of the US!! When there is such fierce competition for everything including jobs, food and services it is very difficult for people in this environment to stand out. This keeps wages low and working conditions poor. The Chinese are also notoriously frugal which also keeps prices down. The Chinese are some of the most price sensitive consumers in the world.
My last story is about the time we moved from our first apartment in Shanghai to the one we currently reside at. We had an appointment with movers for a Sunday. Well, on that Saturday we realized that we were fully packed and were actually ready to go. I half joked but half seriously told my wife that we should just call the movers and see if they are free, after all it is China and for these types of blue collar workers they are willing to work at any time. We called, and sure enough the movers were free and could be at our apartment in 20 minutes. About two hours after that idea was hatched all of our stuff had made it to our new apartment. That will never happen in NY. If we even had the nerve to inquire with movers in NY of such an idea I am sure we would have been told that we were crazy. BTW, the final bill was 250 RMB ($33) for 4 movers.
Anyway, cheap labor is good from my perspective. However, when you look at it from the other angle things look quite grim.
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