Sunday, 28 December 2008

• In Shanghai, I Wasn't Chinese I Was Dollar Bills...

  Guest post submitted by Ms. Moca
  

  
  

  
  In Shanghai, I wasn't Chinese. I was dollar bills and sure enough, I acted like it. Dining at ritzy restaurants, dancing in decadent clubs, partying away pompously. I wasn't the only one. But that's no excuse. Those with Euros and dollars fling it like toilet paper. Like paying 100 kuai to get in the door of the hottest clubs.
  
  Don't forget about the drinks because in our minds that's about $14 USD or 9 Euros. Unlike the man who lives on 10 kuai a day, that's less than $2 USD or the 10-year-old boy hustling to feed his family and the L-shaped granny begging for money? What about that toddler who rattles his paper cup at you?
  
  There's the Western influence of fine dining, glamorous nightlife and a flamboyant wallet for the deep pockets. But down the street, it's a hard hustle at birth for those with no pockets. That's Shanghai in a nutshell.
  
  The haves and the have nots live in juxtaposition. It's a dog eat dog world. Pun intended. Shanghai, known as the New York City of the West. But wait, why do we need a cheap imitation when we have the original? Where is the authenticity? First fake goods and now fake cities? Tomorrow fake Chinese?
  
  Do you think cultures lose authenticity because of globalization? Why or why not?
  
  

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