Jingshan Park in Zhuhai, Guangdong

I took a break today from Android stores and enjoyed the wonderful weather in Zhuhai. Instead of visiting Bailian Dong Park again, I hopped on a bus (not randomly this time) and went to Jingshan Park (景山公园). Weeks ago I noticed the park from afar because of a cart slide going down its main hill and put it on my to-do list. I will share some of my experiences today to provide a break here as well.

One of the first places I visited at the park was this temple within a set of large boulders:

After visiting the temple, instead of taking the chairlift up the hill:

I decided to take the stairs to help burn off a tiny bit of the weight I have gained while eating very well in Guangdong:

At the top I enjoyed the different views of Zhuhai such as this one:

And this boy even offered me a few moments of his paid time to look through the binoculars:

After spending time walking around the top of the hill, I made my way down as I had planned:

The design of these carts seem to be common for such slides in China. I have also ridden slides in Guiyang, Guizhou province; Shantou, Guangdong province; and Xuzhou, Jiangsu province. One advantage is they are attached to the track so you don't have to worry about going too fast (I think). I used to believe that was the case for all cart slides but as I painfully discovered at a slide in Lucerne, Switzerland many years ago it is definitely not true (maybe a story for another day). Anyway, all was fine today and the slide was decent enough.

So, a temple in boulders, a little exercise, great views, and a slide all made my trip to the park well worthwhile. But maybe even more enjoyable was the opportunity to briefly chat with a variety of people at the park. I will share some of that experience in an upcoming post.

Inside the Android Store in Zhuhai, China

Update below

Since there has been a bit of interest about the Android store I saw in Nanping, Zhuhai, I returned to the same location today to conduct some further explorations:

Pedestrian (mostly) street in Nanping

The friendly staff permitted me to take a few photos, so I will share a few. Here is someone trying out an iPad:

There were a broad variety of smartphones for sale. This HTC case:

included brands such as BBK, Huawei, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson. Oh, there was one HTC phone too.

This Android display:

The reflection adds a nice touch.

included a similar selection. At least the display cards for the Nokia phones did not indicate they ran Android and did not include the Android logo.

This Android display:

included a ZTE U880 running Android 2.2 on the left and a Lenovo A60 running Android 2.3 on the right.

I did not see any BlackBerry phones so I am not able to top the BlackBerry marketing with Barack Obama I saw at a mobile phone store in Chengdu. Also, all of the phones appeared to be legitimate brands. There were no copycat "creative-but-inspired-by-Apple" phones such as the one I saw which included a portion of the Apple logo and the phrase "I See Things a Little Differently". Regardless, this display of HTC phones especially caught my attention:

Outside of China, the second phone from the left is often described as the HTC Eternity. However, that is based on its code name and its official name is the HTC 凯旋 X310e. If your Chinese is rusty, 凯旋 could be translated as "Triumph" though another translation I have found is "Return Triumphant". But here is the really fun part: although many HTC phones run Android, the X310e is a Windows Phone that was just released for sale two day ago (so, I doubt it was there during my previous visit). In fact, the label mentions that it runs Windows Phone 7.5 just above the image of the Android logo. Between Google and Microsoft, who is now groaning most?

The visit also allowed me to better clarify another issue. The store's business cards list its name as the text "名流智能手机体验店" shown below "Android" on its sign. This is similar in practice to what I noticed for some of the "fake" Apple stores I recently saw in Guangdong province and Hunan province where they did not list "iPhone 4" (or whatever was prominently displayed on their sign) on their business cards but instead a more proper-sounding name. I do not want to share an image of the front of the card since it includes a helpful employee's name, personal mobile phone number, and QQ number (not uncommon in China). However, I am happy to share the backside:

I am not sure if they plan to update it with a Windows Phone logo.

Before commenting further, in an upcoming post (by Monday) I will share photos of some other nearby stores. They provide important context for understanding what is and is not unusual about the above store. The context will also be useful for my responses to some comments and questions I have received or have seen on some of the articles/posts now referencing my earlier post.

Here is just a small taste of what is on the way:

More soon.


UPDATE: See in what ways this Android store is not unique in the post "Nokia Stores Selling a Variety of Phones in Nanping, Zhuhai"


Disclosure: I previously worked as a user experience researcher in Microsoft China's Mobile Services China group. This exploration was not conducted as paid work nor at the request of any company.

Boiled Frog "Experiment"

I have long appreciated a series of posts by James Fallows where he refutes a common saying about frogs and boiling pots of water. As he explains, a frog in cool water will indeed try to jump out if the water's temperature is slowly raised to the boiling point. Last year, I added to the topic and shared my observations of Chinese Forest Frogs at a market in Dunhua, Jilin province which suggested that these frogs a) might not want to hang out for long even in a non-boiling pot of water and b) could not jump high enough to escape some pots regardless.

However, I have recently seen evidence that I found shocking and caused me to (momentarily) question my beliefs about frogs and boiling water. Watch for yourself a video of a meticulously executed "experiment":

You can come to your own conclusion whether Fallows needs to adjust his claim. Personally, I think once he reaches the end of the video any shock he may have felt like me will have subsided, and it is a mistake for the video to exist in YouTube's "Education" category.

On the side, I appreciate the desire to spare frogs. And I also appreciate the jolt the video gave me. But is there any better example of an experiment missing the most crucial part of its design? Unless it is subtle satire, the video may be providing material for an unintended metaphor. After all, Fallows has noted that "boiled-frogism is impervious to such forces as 'factual disproof.'"

Android Store in Zhuhai, China

Updates at end

An earlier post here provided an overview of the "fake" Apple stores, including iPhone stores, I saw in a number of cities in Southeast China. Another post shared photos of a variety of other mobile phone stores in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

Although I have included photos of a variety of stores, at least one company may feel left out. If so, Google can now perk up. I saw this Android Store after I took a random bus to Nanping in Zhuhai, Guangdong province:

Android store in Nanping, Zhuhai

"名流智能手机体验店", which is under the word "Android" on the store's sign, can be literally translated as "Celebrities Smartphone Experience Store". In short, if you want to be like a celebrity (or you are celebrity) this is presumably the place for you. The idea of an Android "experience store" reminded me that several months ago in Melbourne, Australia Google opened its first "Androidland". Mike Isaac on Wired described the store:

Created in collaboration with Android device manufacturers, “Androidland” showcases the many different devices that run Google’s operating system in a fun, Android-themed environment. And rather than merely hawking the devices, special displays and gaming kiosks aim to inform potential buyers about how Android works, and what devices may be best for them.

Perhaps the owner of the store in Nanping was inspired by Androidland. As far as I know, Google has not opened any official stores in China, so this could also be another opportunity for a foreign company to be inspired by local design (in this case "store design") in China. It could also be another opportunity for a trademark dispute. Whatever the case, I doubt Google would be thrilled with all of the choices made by this Android store owner. For example, in addition to a variety of Android-based mobile phones the store also sold Apple products such as iPhones, iPads, and computers (no ifads for sale, though).

Sign for iPhones and an iPhone accessory display case at the Android store

Maybe some celebrities in Zhuhai demand Apple products. However, Apple lists only one authorized retailer in Zhuhai. Of no surprise to me, its address is nowhere near the above store and it does not have "Android" in its name.

After scratching an Android store off my list, I will now keep my eyes open for another brand. After all, Windows Phone 7 officially launched in China today. That could mean some additional interesting stores are on the way.


UPDATE 1: More on this store in the more recent post "Inside the Android Store in Zhuhai, China".

UPDATE 2: See in what ways this Android store is not unique in the more recent post "Nokia Stores Selling a Variety of Phones in Nanping, Zhuhai"

UPDATE 3: See what I discover when I visit the store several months later in the post "The Fate of the Android Store in Zhuhai, China"

UPDATE 4: About a year and half after my first visit, much more had changed—see "The Fate of the Android Store in Zhuhai, China: Part II".



Disclosure: I previously worked as a user experience researcher in Microsoft China's Mobile Services China group. This exploration was not conducted as paid work nor at the request of any company.

Shopping District in Nanping, Zhuhai

After arriving in Nanping on a random bus and exploring areas with many older buildings, I noticed this street close to the bus stop:

North Street (北大街)

For a variety of reasons, I am interested in shopping districts so I was especially curious to see what I would find. I will share a video of what followed. Please disregard the shakiness and occasional lack of focus. The video will not win me any awards for its quality, but nonetheless it captures a side of everyday ordinary life that is reminiscent of many other scenes I have encountered in China.

Note: I recommend changing the default video quality to one of the HD settings. You can also watch the HD video here:
"North Road in Nanping, Zhuhai".

The following are a few photos of what I saw after taking the video. Some of them provide a contrast to the scenes in the video and also to the nearby buildings I shared in the earlier post. Several of the areas developed larger crowds later that Friday evening.

Games and prizes

Peng Tai Fashion City

Three shoppers in Peng Tai Fashion City who were eager to say hello

Dining alfresco

"O Santos": A Taste of Portugal in China

I plan to share more of what I found after taking a random bus that brought me to Nanping. However, it appears that a video I would like to use for the next post needs much more time to finish uploading. So, in the meantime I will share one of my recent experiences in nearby Macau.

Although Portugal no longer administers Macau, the Portuguese influence can still be found. A benefit of this is that I could have a "local" meal of Portuguese food today even though I was still in China. Since I was in Macau's Taipa Village, I stopped by this well-known restaurant for lunch:

"O Santos" Comida Portuguesa restaurant

After taking a seat I opened the menu with great delight. The first dish was an easy choice for me:

Octopus Salad

And for the main dish I stuck with the seafood theme:

Grilled fish and beans

Everyone else seemed to be finishing their meal with an expresso, so I decided to do the same with a little improvisation:

Espresso and chocolate mousse

One of the more remarkable moments of the meal occurred with a very simple item -- the free bread. As soon as I bit into it I realized it had been a long time since I had last enjoyed this style of bread -- the crust! I will not belabor my impressions of the food and will just say that I enjoyed every bite. The food, the house wine, the espresso, and the friendly people were just what I needed to make the more than 90 minutes needed to pass through immigration at the Macau border with mainland China seem like a distant memory and well worthwhile.

The owner heartily thanked me as I left the restaurant, and I tried my best to express that I should be the one doing the thanking.

So, again, "Muito obrigado!"

Inside of "O Santos" -- The owner is sitting in the center at the farthest table.

A Random Bus Trip to Zhuhai's Nanping

I have shared before how I enjoy using a variety of methods, sometimes even following helpful kids or dogs, to more fully explore the world. Yesterday afternoon in Zhuhai, I decided it was time for another semi-random exploration and applied one of my favorite methods. So, I went to this busy city bus stop:

A bus stop on Yingbin South Road

And boarded the next bus that arrived:

The bus filled up at the next stop.

I had no clue where it was going and quite happy about that. After I was seated, a woman approached asking me to pay the appropriate fare. I did not know the amount so she asked me where I was going. I told her I did not know and asked her where the bus was headed.

She paused for a moment and then told me we were on the way to Doumen. I had never heard of Doumen so I told her it sounded fine. She then asked for 4 yuan, or about US 60 cents. That was more than a typical bus fare and I then found out that Doumen was about 1 hour away. Given it was already late in the afternoon I did not want to go so far. So I asked her to recommend a closer stop. She suggested Nanping. Nanping sounded great. And it only cost 2 yuan to go there.

So, I hopped off the bus here in Nanping Village (南屏村) in Zhuhai's Xiangzhou district:

Bus heading onward to Doumen without me

I turned around and saw this:

After taking a peak inside the internet cafe on the 2nd floor of the nearby building, I headed down a small street that looked interesting to me:

In upcoming posts I will share some of the unexpected discoveries I made during just a few hours in Nanping. It felt like another world from where I had spent most of my previous time in Zhuhai.

For now, I will share just a few photos including older buildings. Such buildings are quickly disappearing in China, and many are full of history. As I will share in a later post, I discovered that some of the buildings even have a story to tell that connects to the 1800s in America's east coast. However, to me the photos are not special just because of the buildings but also because of some of the local life they capture.

The red sign says "New Homes for Rent"

Some small stores and a restaurant

Truckers, Romney, Breastfeeding, and "Chinese" Tattoos

Time for a semi-random assortment of links to material I think is interesting, but may not have time to discuss more deeply.

1. In her "Long Haul China Project" Rachel Katz hitchhiked over 8000 miles on long haul trucks. Katz explains why she chose this method to better understand China:

A personal lens. Long haul truckers in China are generally individuals from the countryside who have entered the highly volatile and increasingly competitive profession of long distance driving. Once in, most are stuck; they have virtually no opportunities to move up or away from their position. The instability and stuckness that characterize drivers’ lives represent similar conditions of a larger group of workers in China who run the country’s factories, construction crews, and restaurants. Getting to know truckers is a personal way to look at the lives of this large segment of China’s population.

A larger economic picture. Central China is in the midst of a development boom, partially as a result of new government policies aimed at curbing migration and the availability of cheap land and labor in the interior. As manufacturing and consumption in central China increase, the majority of the shipping burden falls on trucks, currently a chaotic and dirty transport alternative. China’s economic development and environmental wellbeing depend on the improvement of this industry.

A challenge in cross-cultural relationship building. As an American female, I am different from the trucking community in almost every way. Asking the favor of a ride and getting to know individuals in this group is a test of personal diplomacy.

You can find a slide show capturing some of what she observed here.

2. Previously, I shared a Taiwanese woman's perspective on an American political figure -- Michele Bachmann. In his blog, Evan Osnos of The New Yorker shares some of the perspectives from mainland China on the Republican Party presidential primaries in the U.S.:

Romney’s recurring silver-foot-in-the-mouth problem is perhaps the easiest for Chinese citizens to appreciate—their politicians make ours look like paupers—but they find the American love-hate relationship with Romney’s wealth to be confusing. “At least he got his fortune through proper means. Not much to explain. Can we say as much about Chinese leaders?” a commentator asked. As Roaring Shout put it, “Seems the way they do it is: get rich first, then become president. For us, the order is become a leader first, then….” Officialdom is less amused. With Romney using every campaign stop to reiterate his intention to declare China a currency manipulator, the Global Times pointed to an ostensible consensus that his “arrogant comments lack basic common sense.”

See the article for some brief viewpoints on Rick Santorum and Ron Paul as well.

3. In "Breast Feeding Rebels in China" on Danwei Sascha Mutuszak describes the amount of disinformation about breastfeeding in China on and the new advocacy groups forming there. Even with the increased efforts, many challenges remain in educating the public:

On December 4 2011, a new regulation was put forth by the Ministry of Health for public review. The regulation would prohibit formula companies from marketing in hospitals to parents of children less than six months of age. This regulation is one of the draft laws that could be approved during the current “Two Meetings” of China’s National People’s Congress. But whether the bill passes or not, enforcement, especially in smaller cities and rural areas, will be difficult to track.

“We love the ban, we support the ban,” said Dr. Robert Scherpbier, Chief of Health, Nutrition & WES UNICEF China, in an email interview. “But we would like to see the ban extended to children of two years of age, not just six months.”

However, resources for breastfeeding mothers are still scarce in a society dominated by infant formula and caesarean births. Even with the scandals that rocked the infant formula industry in 2005 and 2008, most Chinese mothers still regard formula as the best option — especially foreign formula.

4. Finally, examples of "Chinglish" can be very popular, particularly for native English speakers. However, there are also plenty of examples of non-Chinese using the Chinese language in "creative" forms as well. Victor Mair on the Language Log makes an earnest attempt to interpret what appears to be a Chinese tattoo gone awry:

I instantly recognized the first and last as two quite well-formed Chinese characters. After two or three seconds of puzzling, I realized that the third symbol is another Chinese character written upside down and backwards (how the tattoo artist achieved that is a bit of a mystery, especially since he / she got the first and fourth one in their correct orientation). The second character was more refractory.

Where to Find Vertical Innovations

Creativity and innovation are often seen as invaluable in a variety of fields, including architecture. So, where can you expect to find people producing award-winning architectural designs? Well, eVolo recently announced the winners of its 2012 Skyscraper Competition. eVolo is:

an architecture and design journal focused on technological advances, sustainability, and innovative design for the 21st Century. Our objective is to promote and discuss the most avant-garde ideas generated in schools and professional studios around the world.

According to eVolo the judges for the competition are leaders in the architecture and design fields and the competition:

... recognizes outstanding ideas that redefine skyscraper design through the use of new technologies, materials, programs, aesthetics, and spatial organizations, along with studies on globalization, flexibility, adaptability, and the digital revolution. This is also an investigation on the public and private space and the role of the individual and the collective in the creation of a dynamic and adaptive vertical community. The award seeks to discover young talent, whose ideas will change the way we understand architecture and its relationship with the natural and built environments.

Here is the 3rd place design:

"Monument to Civilization" (photo from eVolo)

Here is the 2nd place design:

"Mountain Band-Aid" (photo from eVolo)

And here is the winning design:

"Himalaya Water Tower" (photo from eVolo)

The designs have already received media attention (you can also see examples of some of the honorable mentions at TPM here). In addition to the visuals, the skyscrapers are interesting in the rationale for their design. Instead of describing them myself, I recommend reading more at eVolo about the designs "Vertical Landfill", "Mountain Band-Aid", and "Himalaya Water Tower".

That both the first and second place teams are from mainland China may come as a surprise (the third place team is from Taiwan, maybe a topic for another day). It is not uncommon for people, both Chinese and non-Chinese, to describe a relative lack of creativity and innovation in China. For a variety of reasons the results of this single competition may not strongly indicate otherwise (for example, I would be curious to learn more about the number and type of teams involved). Regardless, I believe these designs from young teams in China along with other evidence I have seen suggest that some further thinking may be required to best appreciate the issue of creativity in China.

More on this topic later.

Rubik's Cube and Cat Painting in Tianjin

One day over a year ago I was walking down a street with several art galleries in Tianjin, China. Most of them did not catch my attention but one had a painting that caused me to stop dead in my tracks. This painting seemed particularly... unique. Especially since it was so prominently displayed, I wondered if the painting was a sign of local "creativity" or something else. In some parts of China it can be relatively easy to find copies of famous and even less-than-famous paintings.

I was in a hurry so I just took a quick photograph before rushing off. I have yet to see anything similar to the painting in other art galleries or anywhere online. Several friends who have seen it have been equally stumped. So, I will share my photograph of the painting here. Maybe someone can recognize it or be more successful in finding a match.

Also, bonus points if you can explain its symbolism.

More on creativity in China in future posts. I assure you, though, that none of them will involve cats and Rubik's Cubes.

Apple's Trademark Challenges in China: EPADs and ifads

In case you are not already aware, Apple is in the midst of a legal battle over whether or not they own the "iPad" trademark in mainland China. A mainland Chinese court has ruled that it is now owned by the Chinese manufacturer Proview but a higher court has still not announced its ruling. For more details about a fascinating case I recommend some posts written by lawyers knowledgeable about China. Dan Harris on China Law Blog clearly described the overall issue here: "The Proview v. Apple China Trademark Dispute. Wanna Buy The Brooklyn Bridge?". And Stan Abrams on China Hearsay has been very regularly explaining and commenting on various aspects of the case as it evolves. His most recent post (at the time of publishing this post) is here: "The Natives Are Restless: Proview’s Latest iPad Threatdown".

Abrams also mentioned another Apple trademark legal case. Apple has filed a complaint over the Chinese luggage vendor EBox using the name "EPAD" on its products. Michael Kan on PCWorld shared a response by EBox that indicates it is fully aware of Apple's current trademark problem in China:

EBox opposes Apple's complaint and is preparing a formal response. "The iPad trademark is not Apple's, so now they want to take ours," said EBox's spokeswoman. "Apple has been a bully."

Abrams does not comment on the case specifically but does mention that:

...there are tons of “bad guys” out there using marks similar to “iPad” to flog their stuff.

Based on what I have seen, I am not surprised by the use of the word "tons". In fact, I have seen some items that may strike some as slightly more egregious than EPAD-labeled luggage. For example, in the city of Guangzhou, where I earlier observed the iPhone 4S grey market and a number of "fake" Apple stores, here is what I found in a large shopping mall several weeks ago:

Want one for your home?

Just like many similar-looking products offered by Apple, the rather large ifad had a touch screen and provided an interactive experience. I did not have much time to fully explore its functionality so I will refrain from providing a review. I will just say that it did allow one to find a variety of products listed for sale, such as these shoes:

If only it could automatically detect my shoe size and let me know if they are in stock.

I am not sure whether ifads are widespread, but this is my first and only time to notice one. And I assume that this is not an Apple product despite its name and remarkably familiar design.

So, it looks like Apple's lawyers still have plenty of work to keep them busy even if Apple successfully acquires ownership of the iPad and EPAD trademarks.

And no, I do not know if ifads are available in other colors.

Donuts China Style

I have commented before on how Western companies, such as McDonald's, KFC, and Dairy Queen, have localized their products for China's market. Writing for Reuters Eveline Danubrata reports about a another food localization:

Pork donuts may not be palatable to Americans or Europeans, but the parent company of Dunkin' Donuts and the Baskin-Robbins ice cream chains is catering to local tastes in China, where it aims to open another 100 stores in the next two to three years...

"Donuts are a very flexible product. You can do savory donuts, you can do donuts with shredded pork -- that's in China," Chief Executive Officer Nigel Travis told Reuters in an interview.

"We also have a range of other savory products that we have been testing and introducing country by country."

Danubrata also notes that pork donuts probably would not work well is Muslim countries due to religious rules forbidding the eating of pork. In that light, I suspect Dunkin' Donuts is not planning to introduce them in Israel as well.

In The Washington Post Keith B. Richburg also commented on donut localizations in his article about the "doughnut wars" in Shanghai:

...Chinese customers seem more interested in the drinks than the sugary doughnuts. And following the lessons of other American retailers, the doughnut shops are finding that some of their best-sellers would be barely recognizable back home, like Dunkin’s dried pork and seaweed doughnut, or the doughnut made with dried Bonito fish...

Dunkin’, like some of the other chains, is discovering that coffee and other drink offerings, including jasmine green tea and lichi green tea, are more popular than doughnuts.

Krispy Kreme, meanwhile, is offering its quarters, with easy chairs and quiet surroundings, as a place to relax, surf the Web and enjoy a huge variety of cream-filled doughnuts at a more leisurely pace.

“People stay a long time,” Lim said. Here in Shanghai, he said, “we position ourselves differently than in the West.”

However, he also questions whether donuts are a good fit for China:

But what isn’t at all clear is whether Chinese consumers particularly like doughnuts.

The average Chinese breakfast might consist of congee, or rice porridge, maybe some soybean milk, sometimes fried noodle, or perhaps a dry roll or bun. The idea of something as sweet as a glazed or cream-filled doughnut in the morning would seem an anathema to many local palates.

Based on my own food explorations I am not as skeptical about the future of donuts in China. Here is one reason why:

A pile of deliciousness

These tasty objects are called xián jiānbing (咸煎饼) and roughly equivalent to a large bagel in size. I am not aware of a English translation (and a literal character by character translation does not seem to do the trick) so I will call them Chinese donuts. They go especially well with a tasty bowl of congee (a Chinese rice porridge) but can be happily enjoyed on their own. The Chinese donuts cost less than US 50 cents each, are much denser than typical Western donuts, and are very filling. The ones above are from a simple but wonderful local restaurant -- Wuzhanji (伍湛记). I would list the restaurant as a must visit for foodies (they also have excellent steamed rice-flour rolls) and is perfect for a morning meal. Based on the crowds I regularly saw at Wuzhanji, they certainly have no problem selling plenty of Chinese donuts.

Of particular relevance is that these Chinese donuts are not very sweet and instead fit more in the "savory" category. Based on it and many other similar foods I have had in China, when I read about the localized products at Dunkin' Donuts I was not at all surprised (I have yet to try any of them though). I think the Chinese donuts provides a useful example of how understanding what is available in China can provide some hints to foreign companies about how they can best localize their offerings in China or how some offerings may not require any changes (see here for a similar discussion about mobile phones).

I should point out that you cannot find Wuzhanji and its special Chinese donuts in just any city in China. As far as I know it only exists around Guangzhou -- a city where the density of Western donut shops currently appears to be far less than Shanghai. But I suspect Wuzhanji and its Chinese donuts could fare well in Shanghai. If Wuzhanji opens branches in Shanghai there could be yet another twist in China's donut wars.