A Man Spa in China

Yesterday while walking down Honghuang Road in Chongqing, I saw a "Man Spa".

The cartoon character on the left side of the sign is a special touch. I did not visit this establishment nor can I say for sure what occurs there. Nonetheless, it brought to mind a recent article by James Palmer on ChinaFile:

Perhaps the spa in the small-town Shandong hotel where I was dining with a cluster of businessmen and officials was an entirely legitimate establishment, and I was misreading the nature of the invitation. But the neon sign outside advertising the “Health Body Center” (康体中心) had replaced the upper strokes in the character 心 with flashing red hearts.

“Health Body” is an approximation; I was sloshed on baijiu, the near-undrinkable spirit ubiquitous at social events, and my memory of the evening is dubious. I had been doing the rounds of provincial cities as my boss’ token foreigner for the whole summer, though, pitching training courses to the dim children of the rich so that they could study at foreign universities, and the routine of hard drinking followed by a group excursion to a brothel was becoming a familiar one. My status as a foreigner was enough to excuse me from the sex itself after only a light barrage of gay jokes from the others, but not from the social obligations around it.

For much more, read "The Bro Code — Booze, Sex, and the Dark Art of Dealmaking in China". It captures a very real side of China.

A Hillside Walk in Chongqing

An old man lower down the hill told me to turn left when I had a choice. It worked out pretty well.

"Made in the U.S.A." at a Walmart in Chongqing

In the U.S., Walmart is known for selling many "Made in China" products. Not surprisingly, many products at Walmarts in China are also manufactured in China. So I find it notable when I see a "Made in the U.S.A." product for sale at a Walmart in China.

Today at a Walmart in Chongqing, I noticed such a product.

Ocean Spray's Craisins were clearly marked as a U.S. product, although they are packaged in New Zealand — quite a trip. 16.8 yuan (about US $2.70) for 170 grams seemed like a fair deal in China. I bought a bag, since I hadn't had Craisins in a long time. But it turns out I didn't get as good of a deal as I could have if I had wanted a lot of Craisins.

Only online at Tmall, Costco currently sells a 1360 gram bag (HT Charles Liu) for 69 yuan, about 37% cheaper per gram. Costco began selling products on Tmall to people in mainland China last October. According to the Tmall page, Costco's Craisins first go through Taiwan before reaching anyone in mainland China. These are especially well-traveled American Craisins.

A View of a Massive City in China

During the past few weeks as I have seen more and more of Chongqing, I have struggled with how to best express its incredible size. Today I contemplated a view where haze obscured much, many tall buildings appeared deceptively small, and entire urban areas lay out of sight. Much seemed to be missing, but of all the views I have seen it most displayed Chongqing's immensity and density.

So below are a series of photos which show what you would see looking approximately northeast and then moving around in a counter-clockwise direction (towards the left side of the photos) atop the Kansheng Building* in Eling Park. Most of the photos overlap a small amount, with the largest gap existing between the sixth and seventh photos. As usual, all can be clicked for larger versions. In the future, I will "zoom in" on a few areas, in some cases highlighting how much more Chongqing plans to grow.

*Many online sites use the names "Liangjiang Pavilion" or "Kansheng Pavilion". Both the 5 yuan ticket I bought to go up to the top and the park's online map use "瞰胜楼". The map translates this as "Kansheng Building", which seems reasonable. 

Obama Sits Happily on a Bench in Chongqing

As I approached a restaurant which serves local-style food in Chongqing, I paused for a moment when I saw who was sitting in front of the restaurant's entrance.

A group of Chinese later left the restaurant exclaiming "Obama!". A few had their photos taken while sitting on the bench. A server at the restaurant identified the statue as President Barack Obama. She said it was not theirs but was owned by the touristy complex where the restaurant can be found.

Obama may be pleased by this. Not only did he once sit on a bench with Chinese President Xi Jinping and give it to him, but he may see the Chongqing bench as indicative of a type of influence the U.S. has in China that China has less of in the U.S.

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

A Nighttime Card Game in Chongqing

A Nighttime Chongqing Scene With Masks

Although not quite "good", yesterday had some of the clearest air during my recent time in Chongqing. Taken from across the Yangtze River last night, here is a photo of buildings in Yuzhong District with Jiefangbei's taller buildings in the background:

New Apple Store Opens in Chongqing Without Its Art

Saturday was the opening day for the new Apple Store at Jiefangbei in Chongqing, China. When I stopped by during the afternoon the store was crowded with people doing some of the things people do in a Apple Store.

None of this surprised me. What did surprise me, though, was the choice of artwork in the store.

Numerous examples of art made with Apple devices were on display, but there was no sign of the collaborative art Apple previously used to promote the store's opening. I had expected to see the original artwork, which a video shows is not as as large as the apparent copy once covering the stairway entrance. Even after contacting someone in marketing by phone, an Apple Store employee couldn't tell me its current location or why it wasn't on display inside the store.

Anyway, I can't speak to sales, but there was a regular stream of visitors while I was there. Maybe someday I will learn what happened to the art.

A Photographic Moment: One More Chongqing Trio

After I saw the "Two Chongqing Trios" in Chongqing's Dadukou district, I saw another trio, this one including young girls. I didn't include the moment because it wasn't as near in terms of time and location as the other two trios and is something I see far more often. It did occur on the same pedestrian street though. Here it is:

Later, I will share a more complete photo of the object of photographic interest behind the two posing girls and say more about it.

Police, Models, and a Violinist: Two Chongqing Trios

This afternoon near the New Century Department Store in Chongqing's Dadukou district I saw three People's Armed Police marching up and down a pedestrian street.

At least two appeared to be armed with large weapons.

Four minutes later, after stepping off an escalator inside the New Century Department Store I saw two models and a violinist performing music accompanied by a recording.

Presumably they were part of a fourth anniversary store promotion.

In some ways the two sights couldn't contrast more strongly, especially seeing them so close together. But both touch on themes in China I have noticed and pondered. And both brought to mind many similar things I have seen in China in the past.

They don't always come in trios though.

Prepared for a Riot at the Wanda Plaza

This is one of the entrances to the Chongqing Nanping Wanda Plaza shopping mall in Chongqing's Nan'an district:

This is one of the mall's riot control supply cabinets:

I saw two of these cabinets, one partially open, along hallways to restrooms. No signs displayed messages forbidding anyone from borrowing a helmet or a shield, both helpfully labeled with "riot control" in Chinese. I refrained from parading through the mall with riot control gear though.

I wondered what types of riots they think could occur someday. I don't remember seeing something like this before in a mall, including the Changsha Kaifu Wanda Plaza. Perhaps other malls store their riot control supplies more discreetly, or I have not happened to notice them.

Anyway, I can report I have seen many shoppers but no signs of riots inside the mall during my recent visits. At least now I know where I can get a helmet if one springs up.

Today's View of the Chongqing International E-commerce Industrial Park

If you have been hankering for a photo of the Chongqing International E-commerce Industrial Park, today is your lucky day:



An article posted on CQNEWS almost exactly a year ago mentioned the park:

As the competition for a domestic e-commerce platform is fierce, Chongqing plans to expand the competition worldwide, creating multinational e-commerce industries in the city and building 10 industrial parks. In 2014, Chongqing will support 500 to 800 middle and small-sized enterprises to perform e-commerce.

Chongqing has decided to create multinational e-commerce industries throughout the city and build 10 industrial parks. Chongqing International E-commerce Industrial Park, built in Nan’an District in 2013, is Chongqing’s first e-commerce industrial park involved in multinational trade and has introduced enterprises like basic operation, platform professional operation and e-commerce, perfected Chongqing’s multinational e-commerce system and promoted its development.

I assume "perfected" should be "perfecting". If they have indeed "perfected Chongqing’s multinational e-commerce system", I need to go back.