US-Election

Obama's Biography - a hilarious version from J.Stewart's "The Daily Show"

Also check out this song although it's been already around for a while: http://www.dipdive.com/dip-politics/ywc/

I truely enjoy the Big Circus representing the US-Elections - even after having lived in the US for 8 years, I am still stunned by the huge shows they put on to elect their President (and that's supposed to be taken ironically) - you'll find me in front of TV watching the Conventions these days, no time to write.

SZ: Beijing:Shanghai

Beijing vs. Shanghai

Text: xifan-yang
Anlässlich des jetzt.de-Städteduells: Die Hauptstadt und das Wirtschaftszentrum im Vergleich. Beide mögen sich genauso wenig wie Berlin und München Wer als Chinese durch sein eigenes Land reist, glaubt zuweilen, sich auf einem fremden Kontinent wiederzufinden. Nicht nur versteht man seine Landsleute kaum (Mandarin und Sichuan-Dialekt verhält sich klanglich wie Bayrisch zu Holländisch), auch Gewohnheiten und Mentalitäten sind so unterschiedlich wie die von Finnen und Südsizilianern. So sagt man zum Beispiel, dass die Menschen im Süden Chinas umtriebig, clever und aufbrausend sind, chinesischen Nordlichtern dagegen wird ein bodenständiger und ruhiger Charakter angedichtet. Die Bewohner großer Metropolen haben naturgemäß den Ruf, besonders überheblich zu sein, und nicht anders ist es im Fall von Shanghai und Beijing. Der Depp aus der Provinz heißt auf Chinesisch Wai di ren, wörtlich: Mensch von draußen, und nicht anders werden sie meist behandelt. Aber auch untereinander können sich die Großen nicht unbedingt leiden. Hier beide im Vergleich:

Das bedeutet der Name:
Beijing: "Nördliche Hauptstadt"
Shanghai: "Der Höhere erreicht das Meer " oder alternativ "auf's Meer hinaus".

Einwohnerzahl:
Beijing: 15,6 Millionen
Shanghai: 18,4 Millionen

Fläche in km²:
Beijing: 16.807 (19 x Berlin)
Shanghai: 6.340 (20 x München)

U-Bahn-Netz: Doppelfladenform vs. Spinnenform

Taxipreis pro Kilometer:
Beijing: 2,50 RMB (25 Cent)
Shanghai: 3 RMB (30 Cent)

McDonald’s-Filialen:
Beijing: 95
Shanghai: 82

Wichtigste kulinarische Errungenschaft: Pekingente vs. Stinketofu

Beliebtheitsgrad:
Beijing: Kumpelig kommen Hauptstadtbewohner nicht daher, aber man begegnet Beijing mit sehr viel Respekt vor ihrer Geschichte und ihrem kulturellen Erbe. Den Bewohnern wird nachgesagt, dass sie gebildet und eloquent sind, bisweilen drifte das Schöngeistige aber in Geschwätzigkeit und Phrasendrescherei ab, heißt es.

Shanghai: Null bis Minusbereich. Shanghaier gelten in China als arrogant, oberflächlich und geldgeil, und angeblich ziehen sie immer eine Schleimspur hinter sich her. Die Missbilligung beruht auf Gegenseitigkeit. Trotzdem wollen alle zum arbeiten hin. Am ehesten mit dem Ruf Münchens innerhalb Deutschland vergleichbar.

Beliebteste Touri-Falle: Verbotene Stadt vs. The Bund

Das sagt Restchina:
„In Beijing merkt man erst, wie klein man wirklich ist.“
„In Shanghai merkt man erst, wie arm man wirklich ist."

Wer regiert? Macht vs. Geld

Deshalb gelten sie als eingebildet:
Beijing: Die Bewohner Beijings tragen seit mehr als 2000 Jahren einen ausgeprägten Hauptstadtstolz mit sich. Nicht nur die politischen Weichen werden hier gelegt, Beijing ist auch das kulturelle und intellektuelle Zentrum von China. Hier haben die beiden renommiertesten Universitäten (Beida und Qinghua) ihren Sitz, das Galerienviertel 798 entwickelt sich gerade zum internationalen Kunst-Hotspot. Bis heute fühlen sie sich insgeheim wie die kleinen Kaiser unter den Chinesen.

Shanghai: Aldous Huxley schrieb 1926, dass er „in keiner Stadt der Welt je einen solchen Eindruck von einem dichten Morast üppig verflochtenen Lebens“ bekommen hätte wie in Shanghai. Weil sie für Drogenkonsum, Parties und Prostitution bekannt war, wurde Shanghai zum Synonym für Sünde, Abenteurertum und Reichtum. Die Megacity am Huangpu ist heute die bevölkerungsreichste Stadt, Konsummekka und Wirtschaftszentrum des Landes (und halb Asiens). Nirgendwo anders schielt man mehr nach Europa und in die USA. Deshalb findet man sich hier ziemlich weltgewandt, zeitgeistig und total 21st Century. Shanghai - der Yuppie unter Chinas Metropolen.

Der Stolz der Stadt: Vogelnest vs. Transrapid

Das sagen die jeweils andern:
Shanghai: „Um sein Gesicht zu wahren, würde man in Beijing auch auf Geld verzichten.“
Beijing: „Für zehn RMB (ein Euro) würden Shanghaier jeden Gesichtsverlust in Kauf nehmen.“

In the Eye of Nuri

photo source: SCMP

Hi All! It's unbelievable but Hong Kong is tortured by a second typhoon within two weeks. We took a direct hit (for the first time since we're living here) from typhoon Nuri which is raging through our area since early this morning. All flights from and to Chek Lap Kok were cancelled until tomorrow morning and Michael was lucky he could change his return flight from the Mainland to a late night departure yesterday and therefore made it home by 1:30 am before the wind signal was risen to T #3. During the whole day we had the T #9 sign (out of 10) up which at present still remains. The squally wind gusts are between 70-100 km/h. I never experienced a direct hit of such a powerful storm before and it was somewhat exciting to observe that as soon as the eye of the taiphoon is right above the City, the winds die down and a ghostly silence spreads over the whole area. Already when the signal #8 is hoisted all public transportation (ferries, busses, tram) is put on hold except for our subway system called MTR. You are urged to stay at home and the streets are completely deserted until the signal is lowered back to #3. After a previous 3 hour lull the winds are picking up again right now and are forecast to rage throughout the night accompanied by heavy rainfall. Hopefully the devastation in Hong Kong won't be too bad, can't wait to examine this tomorrow, bye.

Did you know...?

...that the cuddly Fuwa Olympic mascots are called

* Beibei (fish)

* Jingjing (panda)

* Huanhuan (olympic flame)

* Yingying (tibetan tschiru)

* Nini (swallow)

- which means = Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni = "Beijing welcomes you"

when you put the abbreviated names together. I read this today somewhere - you can tell that I am not too eager to staying on top of my mandarin homework, otherwise I should have known already ;-)

Spooky Hong Kong

Hungry Ghost Festival - or Yue Lan Festival is the most important celebration of the year beside the Chinese New Year and is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month. A solemn holiday, the Ghost Festival represents the connections between the living and the dead, earth and heaven, body and soul. The entire seventh month of the Chinese calendar is called the Ghost Month, a month in which ghosts and spirits are believed to emerge out from the lower world to visit earth. The Ghost Festival is the climax of a series of the Ghost Month celebrations.
Activities of the festival include preparing ritual offerings of food, and burning ghost money (or paper money) to please the visiting ghosts and spirits as well as deities and ancestors. Other activities include burying and releasing miniature paper boats and lanterns on water, which signifies "giving directions to the lost ghosts."

The Ghost Festival has roots in the Buddhist festival of Ullambana, and also some from the Taoist culture. In the Tang Dynasty, Ullambana and traditional festivities were mixed and celebrated on one day. Thus, the Ghost Festival has special meaning for all Buddhists as one of their most important festivals.

The Buddhist origins of the festival can be traced back to a story that originally came from India, but later took on culturally Chinese overtones. This story, "Mu-lien Saves His Mother from Hell," is an account of a well-to-do merchant who gives up his trade to become a devout follower of Buddhism. After the merchant attains enlightenment, he thinks of his father and mother, and wonders what happens to them. He travels over the known Buddhist universe, and finds his father in heaven. However, his mother has been sent to hell, and has taken on the form of a hungry ghost--it cannot eat because its throat is very thin and no food can pass, yet it always hungers because it has such a large belly. His mother was greedy with the money he left her. He had instructed her to kindly host any Buddhist monks that ever came her way, but instead she withheld her kindness and her money. It was for this reason she was sent to hell. Mu-lien eventually saves her from this plight by battling various demons and entreating the help of the Buddha.

Buddhists instituted a day after the traditional summer retreat (the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar--usually mid-to-late August) as a day of prayer and offering in which monks can pray and make sacrifices on behalf of dead ancestors or hungry ghosts. The family members of the deceased essentially pay for this service, and thus their patronage is a form of charity. The deceased ancestors are pacified and hungry ghosts can eat (the sacrificial foods). The Mu-lien story ends with this festival and the rescue of his mother from hell. She ends up being reborn as a pet dog in a well-off household.

Opening Extravaganza

Think of it what you want, like gigantic group formations or not - without having any desire of getting into politics on the Opening Ceremony of these Olympics - I am still in awe of the perfection the Chinese executed this extravaganza, the first hour was all that I expected and much more. Their exciting introduction of the country's cultural background - the ancient elements of Peking Opera, The Silk Road, Calligraphy, Tai Chi, The "Four Great Inventions", etc. were really beautifully presented and while watching it with 3 of my Asian friends on TV we had goose bumps when the 2008 drummers performed their countdown and the giant laser scroll unfolded. Of course there was a lack of easy going humour in the show but I liked it just the way it was and the Chinese were proud of it. The pictures were very powerful and I leave it at that.

The Downside:

The picture-perfect young singer who enchanted viewers during the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony on Friday was lip-synching a song performed by another girl who had been dropped from appearing because she was adjudged not attractive enough.

picture source: SCMP