Oral history records of 52 immigrants to Shanghai

Author: Chen Yingfang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features:
Shanghai people value money very much; they are always busy, and they live a hard life. One of the main reasons I chose Shanghai is its rapid changes—I am amazed by these changes and even more eager to experience them. Now, being immersed in this transformation, while feeling the vitality it brings to Shanghai, I also sense the problems it creates. Material life has advanced rapidly, but people's thoughts and ideas have not changed as quickly. It's easy to build houses, but it's not easy to fill them with meaningful things. For example: In Taipei, if your glasses have a minor issue, the optician won't say much and will leave them to be fixed. When they return them, the problem is usually already solved, even if it isn't, they will return you a clean pair of glasses. But here, the optician will use Shanghai dialect to lecture you endlessly, then grab your glasses, glance at them carelessly, and tell you there's nothing wrong. Holding a pair of glasses with dirty fingerprints, you can do nothing but wonder—really, is there no problem at all?! The service attitude is poor, and things are handled carelessly. The crowded crowds in subways and buses, pedestrians jostling between moving vehicles, and shouting inappropriately—these incongruities stand out sharply in this rapidly developing city. The same beer can cost anywhere from 3 yuan to 100 yuan depending on the location, and spending a night in a bar on Huaihai Middle Road is enough to support a student from Huazhong Normal University for a month or even longer. The stark contrast between the crowded, dilapidated slums (actually, the dormitories at Huazhong Normal University aren't much better) and the luxurious villas with large gardens of imported and domestic properties is perhaps only found in Shanghai. Walking into Shanghai, you'll discover that there are many kinds of lives here.
I live in Shanghai like this. Over the past four months, I have been observing, discovering, thinking, adapting, and changing. I want to record the thoughts Shanghai has given me, exploring the city while learning about China. For the future, I haven't made clear plans yet. I will stay in Shanghai for a while to continue my exploration. Of course, I will also travel to many places in China during holidays. Later, I hope to become a Canadian diplomat in China or work for a non-governmental organization, going to the countryside in China—like Yunnan or Kunming. I probably won't get married. I want to focus on myself before turning 40, and after that, I might consider having a child. I might also consider returning to China for a while, but no matter what, my future will definitely be tied to China.
Lin: Do you understand what I'm saying? Actually, I started learning Chinese when I was in Japan, studying while working, mainly because I was interested in the language. I studied for three years, but it was intermittent. At first, I was "self-taught," ah, you call it "self-study," right. Later, I went to a private school, a class of four people, taught by a great Taiwanese teacher. We had one lesson a week, and if we missed even once, we couldn't keep up, so eventually, I stopped going. Learning Chinese is quite difficult. The Taiwanese teacher said that mastering pronunciation is 80% of learning the language well—(nodding) it's mainly about pronunciation.
Lin: Yes, I really enjoy calligraphy. Coming here, I also want to learn more about Chinese calligraphy. Ah, and