Lacoste vs. Clio Coddle

I can fully understand the angst that clothing designers have over Chinese people. You can find virtually everything at a bargain price that is 50% to 90% similar to the genuine product. In fact I was shocked to find iPhone-like phones are already in the market sold for a tiny fraction of the original price. But this one is hilarious. If you are into branded product, you will recognize the Crocodile logo in the photo below belongs to the original label called Lacoste. In Shanghai, Lacoste has been transformed into the Mandarin-sounding label innovatively called Clio Coddle. The real Lacoste logo is a fierce-looking crocodile turning right with his jaw wide open, while Clio Coddle is rather sheepish. Can you spot the difference?

Starbucks rules Shanghai

I think it was not an outrageous claim to say that Shanghai has been taken over by Starbucks. It is everywhere! Perhaps there are as many Starbucks as dim sum restaurants. The best one I saw was the one in Yuyuan Garden. The photo below tells the stark contrast between the very traditional Chinese architecture and the modern culture revolution called Starbucks!


After strolling Yuyuan Garden in a very hot day filled with loud noise of the crowd talking, shouting, and spitting, entering the air-conditioned Starbucks and sitting on its plush couch sipping Ice Dark Mocha with soothing jazz music in the background provides a heavenly escape. That's how I felt. Here is a shot from inside Starbucks looking outside the window.

The Bund & Nanjing Road

The Bund is a famous waterfront spot that overlooks 52 architectural buildings on the other side of the Huang Pu River. The river can be crossed through an underground-and below-the-water cable car specially imported from France. Here is a photo of Shanghai city view I took from the 54th floor of the Jianmao Tower located in the the area.


Stretching for more than 5km to the Bund is the most important artery in Shanghai, and the most famous street, Nanjing Road. What amazed me was the sea of people I saw everywhere I turned, day and night. It looked like an annual gathering of ant colonies. The city of Shanghai boasted its population of more than 21 million people! That is the number of people in the entire country of Australia.




Suddenly I was reminded of missionaries who decided to minister to the lost in China. I mean, if your heart is all out for Jesus, you would not be unmoved by the sheer vision of the mass. That might be what was in the heart of the Lord, when Mark reported, “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Mark 9:36).

Back from Shanghai

I just returned from a business trip from Shanghai (plus a couple days off on annual leave) yesterday evening. And while I could access internet and email there from the hotel, the connection was not good enough. In fact, I couldn't get in to the blogspot. That explains why there are no entries in the blog during the last week. What I intend to do is to share a few highlights from Shanghai through the photos of the places of interest in Shanghai I had the chance to visit or pass by.