Superstition

I am not a superstitious person by nature, however if I see a ladder I will walk around it just to be safe.  I steer clear of black cats because I am deathly allergic, and I don’t open umbrellas inside my apartment because I prefer to let them dry outside my door.  During my time in China, I am quickly learning how superstitious many folks can be.

Last Wednesday, I modeled how to complete a writing assignment to my fifth graders with the help of a document camera.  My script was not projecting well, so I grabbed a red pen and started to write my name at the top of the paper.  About 10 of my students screamed,

“AAAAAUUUUUUGGGHHHH!!!  MS. ANNE!!!  STOP!!!!!”   Completely startled, I sputtered,

“What?  What’s wrong?”

“MS. ANNE YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!!!!” they screamed.

“How in the world am I going to die?” I asked.

“YOU ARE WRITING YOUR NAME IN RED PEN!!!  IF YOU WRITE YOUR NAME IN RED YOU WILL DIE!!!”   

After 3 seconds of insanity, my students calmed down, handed me a black pen, and explained this superstition to me.   If someone writes their name in red in China, they will soon die.  Even more, if you write someone else’s name in red, you want them dead.  We then continued the lesson as usual.

On my cab ride home, I wondered how many times I had either unintentionally offended or hexed others or myself by breaking Chinese superstitions.  When I got home, I opened my laptop, researched superstitions, and verified these tales with my local people.  According to many Chinese old wives tales, I am looking for a death wish.  Here are some of the superstitions that say why:

1) Don’t sign your name or write any name in red ink.  If you do, the person whose name you write will die.

This may be because prisoners had to sign their names in red before they were executed.  It may also be because people wrote the names of the deceased on plaques or stones in red in the middle of towns. I can’t count the number of times I have done this.  Oh, and don’t put a square around your name either.  That means you are dead.

I never knew such a simple act would make so many people scream. 

2) Don’t clip your finger or toenails at night.

Ghosts will visit you.  That would explain the long pinkie nails on many a cab driver.

3) Beating someone with a broom will bring bad luck for years.

I wonder if this bad luck will stem from retaliation or prison.

4) Four is an extremely unlucky number.

If mispronounced it sounds like death.   

Like many others like it, my apartment building doesn't have a 4th, 14th or 24th floor.  It was constructed for Western tenants so there is no 13th floor too! 

5) Never put chopsticks vertically in your rice bowl.

Apparently vertical chopsticks in rice look like incense and disrespect the Chinese departed.

I can't tell you the number of times I have done this…especially in the States.  I really am not trying to disrespect the dead.  I just need a place to rest my chopsticks.

6) Don’t whistle at night.

Apparently They Might Be Giants had it wrong.  Evil spirits will find you and follow you into your home.

7)  Don’t have any mirrors facing your bed. 

Apparently the mirrors can steal your soul when you are sleeping.  Maybe our landlords have it out for us.

After showing this picture to my Chinese teacher, she said the mirror would not capture my soul because it isn't at the foot of our bed.  That's a relief!

8) Don’t ever give someone a clock as a gift.

The words for clock and funeral sound alike.  Watches are okay, but clocks mean you want to off someone.

I would love this clock, however my Chinese friends would think I was trying to kill them if I gave this as a gift.

9) When visiting someone in the hospital, don’t bring any red roses or red apples.

Some folks believe there is enough red with all the blood in the hospital.  If you bring someone red roses or apples, you are wishing them death.

While many Bachelors/ Bachelorettes want these roses, Chinese patients do not!

10) If a dog howls at night it means death is on the way.

I really hope this little girl isn’t trying to kill me.

I'm not trying to kill you.  I just want a treat.

The good news is one CAN undo this bad luck.  All you have to do is step in dog poop. 

I think I will take my chances and avoid piles. 

Good luck, dear readers!

Exploring Through The Lens

Shanghai is a massive, beautiful city that is jam packed with incredible photo opportunities.  One of my favorite ways to spend a sunny weekend is to grab my camera, explore, and shoot.  Knowing this, Chris gave us a Photo Walks: Stroll & See Photo Tour from Shanghai-Flaneur for Valentine’s Day. 

Our tour began in a small coffee shop near the Hongkou Football stadium.  The first half hour of the tour was a lecture on how to use different camera settings.  Our instructor, Yolanda, was quite knowledgeable about how to shoot with different settings.    Her talk was a great refresher of the course I took last semester.

Yolanda did a great job teaching us about camera settings.

After our mini lecture, it was time to take off and shoot.  Our first destination was a park next to the stadium.  We had a great time snapping the hustle and bustle of Saturday at the park!

Our tour started with shots of the bird cages in the park.

Many days, folks bring their song birds outside, and hang their cages on wires in parks.  The tweeting birds bring great joy to my walks.

We then walked to find a chorus of citizens singing the anthems of their people.  

The singers were accompanied by accordions, violins, and many other instruments.

The entire spectacle bordered on being magical.  These sing alongs happen quite frequently.  I highly recommend checking one out on a weekend morning. 

I then took a moment to capture the beauty of some nearby pink blossoms.

Folks were dancing all over the park.  Some people were ballroom dancing.

Other folks took the line dancing route. 

One day, I will learn their dances and join in the fun.

After the park, we headed for the streets of Hongkou to capture a bit of everyday life.

A tiny fruit market was one of our first stops.

These stands can be found in many Shanghainese alleys.

Many residents stepped out of their homes to watch foreigners take pictures. 

We then walked by some small restaurants.  Customers picked out ingredients to add to this large soup pot.  This soup is a classic winter street food.

We then took a break from shooting to have an impromptu lesson on fun with white balance.

We then ducked into a residential alley to shoot the daily happenings.

These two cuties were doing their homework outside.

I made sure to keep my eyes open when walking down the alleys.  People had a tendency to whiz by on their scooters.

It was such a privilege to capture everyday life.

If you are looking to see and shoot everyday Shanghai, I highly recommend this tour. The company provides tours in English, German, and Mandarin.  I am looking forward to taking a couple more tours with them!  For information about Flaneur, visit their website: 

http://www.shanghai-flaneur.com/index.php?id=6&L=1.

P.S.  I was not compensated by the company for this post.  The tours are that good.  Happy snapping!

The Yohan Visits Shanghai

Once upon a time there was a fabulous fellow named Stanley.  Stanley got smashed by his bulletin board and now is flat.  He takes his current situation in stride by circumnavigating the world and reporting the joys of visiting new cities and countries.   His cousin, Hobart Indiana native Yohan, is also in a similar predicament.  Yohan came to visit us in Shanghai thanks to Melanie!

Flat Yohan traveled 11,751 KM or 7301.73 miles to experience life in China!  While he was here, he had a great time!

When the Yohan arrived, he was greeted by two horses who were celebrating Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year.  He realized he needed some warm clothes!  

Thankfully, his new Terra Cotta Warrior friends hooked him up with a qipao!

While he was here, Yohan noticed many doors had red signs on them.  People put these signs on the door to scare away the monster who may visit during the Spring Festival.

Yohan also had a great time seeing the many lion statues that protect various buildings.

On a nice Spring day,  Yohan visited the Jing 'An temple!  The temple is a Buddhist temple.

He had a great time watching people make wishes and throwing coins in the large incense burner in the middle of the temple grounds. 

Yohan enjoyed smelling the pink blossoms in the park. 

He also had a great time line dancing and practicing tai chi in the park!

After tai chi, he wanted to take a ride on a boat!  For 2 RMB (30 cents) his dream came true!

All of the dancing, walking, and tai chi made him very hungry, so he gobbled a bowl of noodles and mushrooms!  He did a great job using chopsticks!

He also found a new favorite food, xiaolongbao.  Xiaolongbao are soup dumplings with meatballs in them!  Be careful to suck the soup out of the top of the dumpling before you chew them.  Otherwise you may make a mess!

Yohan also had a chance to meet some students at Shanghai Daning International Elementary School!  Notice how all of the students wear uniform coats?  This is because they don't turn on the heat in the classroom!  Brrrrrrr…

If Flat Yohan were to visit us again in the winter, he would need to bring a very heavy coat so he won’t freeze.  If he were to visit us in the summer, he would need to bring a swimming suit and shorts because it gets HOT!

Everything about Shanghai is exciting!  Especially the city at night!

This is downtown Shanghai at night!  Yohan loved Shanghai! 

I hope all is well in Hobart, Indiana!!  Thanks for the visit Yohan!