People in Beijing seem to take advantage of the built in language skills to express their feelings in characters. I see more signs on Beijing streets than any other city that directly communicate with people passing by.
Remember this photo I posted before? I posted it in my Beijing Impression.
© Jian Shuo Wang. Taken on the opposite side of the China World Trade Center
It reads: I am not a public telephone; I am not a ATM either.
It is actually a information kiosk.
Here are more such signs.
Don’t Knock
© Jian Shuo Wang. Taken at 798 Factory
Just before I wanted to pull the door of a restaurant, I noticed this sign: “Don’t Knock!!! Pleasae use the side door to enter the restaurant”. Haha. What a conversation. It just like some young guy talking with you, using the typical Beijing accent.
Wait for Me
Look at this one: it is at a workshop of a artist at 798 factory.
© Jian Shuo Wang. Taken at 798 Factory
Therer are three-story stairs besides the door bell – yes, well match the architecture of the building – and a man (or woman) walking down from the top. The characters besides are:
The stairs are tall.
I walk slowly.
Please wait me for a while!!
I smiled when I see it and became quite interested in the owner of the workshop.
Pictures on the Wall
Besides characters, there are pictures.
© Jian Shuo Wang. Image in courtesy of artiest Zhang Da Li
I was shocked when I see this picture at Factory 798. I see about 10 of this kind of drawing there. It is the famous art of Zhang Da Li, named AK-47. (more pictures) He draw the same picturer everywhere in the city (or in the country). Art is closer to people in Beijing.
That is the reason I love Beijing.
Beijing should really be interesting! :D
Since Beijing is not so commuter-friendly, I am considering to buy a car here.
As I saw in some articles posted before, Wangjianshuo also ever considered to buy VW Polo and Toyota Vios. Anyone have comment about these 2 cars? the 2nd hand market (coz I won’t stay here permanently, i’ll sell it some time)? the maintenance costs? performance?
Thank you.
I enjoyed those pictures very much.
People in Beijing “ARE” More Expressive
When reading this blog and meeting most chinese students and working people in Singapore ( and those ordinary folks that appeared on various media) I thought chinese people were misunderstood by many overseas chinese descendants for rude, uncivilised and inconsiderate. I was proud for a moment for being a chinese, the race that would revive to greatness.
Today, I have encountered one of the worst people I’ve known. Queue cutting, inconsiderate, loud, rude folks on a group tour on a flight back from Bangkok to Singapore. I wonder is this the true picture of the present middle class. They certainly doesn’t have a Beijingnese , Shanghainese, Shenzenese accent. They sound more like Shan Dong accent.
Please Jian Shou, could u paint us a true picture of how a middle class is like in China?
Ginza, how long do you intend to stay here ??
In general, only professional drivers, and the crazy-and-rich people drive in China.
:-) Me and Jianshuo are some of them, you figure out the category of us by yourself.
Insurance is very bad, the police don’t show people how to drive (because they have very bad behaviour themselves in the traffic), streetwalkers crossing redlights and highways, road signs are very unsafe, no traffic education of the people, 100.000+ dead in the traffic every year, no available traffic law in english at all, ambulance service (if you get injured) are slower than taking a taxi…
Still want to try ?
Advice : Go by taxi.
fire88, good point. There is no way to paint the true picture of any class. The world is just too complicated and diversed, much more than we can tell, and much much more than we can imagine.
What I know is, we are pretty sure that someone named Mr. ABC acts this way at this moment, but to think the whole class, or the whole country behaves that way is wrong.
Hi, we’ve been quite enlightened by all your findings/pics etc.& all set to make our trip starting this evening…. Very helpfull…thks! Oliver