Dante’s Inferno and Uncle Chicom

I just blogged, and referenced Dante’s inferno. For me it was a walk down memory lane. I vaguely remember reading that story in High School and found it less than inspiring- a testament to my literary prowess? Anyway, in that post I made a quote which I pulled out of my butt- the BJ subway is equal to the 5th level of hell per Dante’s inferno. I then searched to make sure I had not made a mistake as I don’t recall the levels, how many there are and what they stand for. Lo and behold I guessed correctly… ok enough of my shameless self promotion. Here is my point … If you were Dante, or understood his hell and all the layers, where would uncle chicom go? As for me, I am torn between shoving him in either level 7 or 8, or maybe mornings in one and afternoons in the other. What do you think From here.... Levels of Hell Per Dante’s Inferno Level 7

Nosey in China- Why Do They Do That?

Chinese are not discreet, or let me rephrase that, Chinese have a different definition of discretion than those who inhabit civilization. The reason I say this, actually there are a myriad of reasons but I find myself becoming bored with this post, so will limit my observations to the following: On subways Chinese are quite nosy and indiscreet, they seem it fit to listen in on personal conversations, screech into phones held millimeters from their gaping maws, and last but not least, by reading others people’s text messages. Have you ever noticed this? Today I am in the 5th level of Dante’s inferno, better known as the Beijing subway, and i see some lady typing a text. So this guy to her side glues himself to her arm and with his mouth agape, proceeds to read her message. I’m sitting there like wtf? The lady gets kind of nervous like ‘do you mind’ and the clod doesn’t move, has his eyes glued to her screen. I don’t know about you guys, but somewhere in my life I was told such things are impolite or maybe I just figured it out by myself, but these guys have no clue. What I do when i find someone attempting to read my texts is either A) fill the screen with gibberish thus deflating their egos on all the cash they have wasted on lessons at Wall street English and the like, and B) by texting all that I find disagreeable about China. For instance, I may offer insight into Chinese quality and my recent purchases or the blind acceptance of what the party feeds them on the boob tube. The way I see it, they probably won’t understand anyway, and if they do then they really deserve it….

Funny Chinese Sign

The funny thing is that Chinese study English for their entire lives, and don’t get me wrong it is pretty cool that you can come here and not speak Chinese and get by. But you would think that when they are making signs and menus, they would hire someone who speaks the language so they don’t get things like this…. f from tripwow.tripadvisor.com

Dating and Qipaos in China

I have a friend who recently went on date in China. The guy is pretty normal, maybe a rebel, but in all other regards no different than you and me. He met a woman (actually this has happened twice to him) and they talked and decided to go on a date. The guy proceeds to don his western attire, doc martins, jeans and a shirt and he goes to meet the woman. For some reason the woman shows up in this… skyscrapercity.com Yeah she shows up in a Qiapo (pronounced Chee pow). Don’t get me wrong, in this photo the woman looks hot, kinda sexy and yeah draped over a chair like that, maybe she is. But my friend and his date are living in the present and went to a typical chinese place like this. corbisimages.com so they guy felt that maybe she had overdone it or that her attire was anachronistic. He explained that ya back in the day a qipao was sexy and even today the woman looked pretty good, but he was on a date, not signing an international peace accord and being with a woman who was dressed from the 20’s made him feel a little bit dumb. I told him he should have considered that it could have been worse, he asked how so and I really couldn’t think of anything. After all, what she did would be akin to you asking Lisa Marie Breadwater from down the street if she wants to grab a bite at the Sizzler and then take in a flick and when you arrive, she is waiting for you like this…. costume-shop.com

Typical Chinese Quality- Funny Chinese Translation

A new Chinese-Engcish dictionary. Engrish photo by Tim W painstaking.net

Funny Chinese Sign

From travelblog.org

Funny Chinese Sign

from http://www.phatfabes.com

WTF Do They Eat in China?-Funny Chinese Translations

.from manic.com.sg

Chinese Communists and Repression

From here The Party (Richard Mcgregor) The days when the Party automatically jails or even kills its critics are long gone. There are many more subtle, sophisticated ways for a media-savvy propaganda department to deal with problems. Troublemakers, as the Party likes to call its most dogged critics, as if they are naughty schoolchildren, can be removed from their jobs, silenced with quiet threats to their families, excluded from the media and shamed by being labelled unpatriotic. As a last resort, they can still be put in prison or forced into exile, where they invariably lose touch with the rhythms of local life and politics. The horrors of the ‘Great Leap Forward’ have been documented in the west and are familiar to any overseas student of recent Chinese history. The Party’s grip on the past in China ensures a very different story gets told at home, if it gets told at all.

China The Land of Knockoffs- Knockoff Vehicles

China is the land of knockoffs and what they knockoff doesn’t really matter. Here is a cheap Chinese knockoff of a design.. Daewoo Matiz vs Chery QQ(Chinese knockoff)