It’s Where You Are, not Where You’re From

It's Where You Are, not Where You're From

CATHERINE RIGOD (journalism) writes:
Tonight a group of us decided to go check out a local hangout, and we tried to experience a more mellow evening on the town (since the night before we had gone out to a club called the Paramount and stayed out until the wee hours dancing).

So, we went off to what we were told was the only dive bar in Shanghai, called Time Passage.

Time Passage is a cool little hole-in-the-wall located off a side street, Huashan Lu, in the French Concession district of Shanghai. As the night drew on, more and more people crammed into the little joint and things clearly pointed to the fact that this place was an ex-pat favorite.

At the bar, a group of us had the Chinese/European version of Western fare, consisting of hamburgers and chicken fingers served with steins of beer. The all-Chinese house band soon went on and began playing their best English versions of everything from Bob Marley to The Eagles.

Everyone in the bar was enjoying the entertainment until a guy from Long Beach, California decided to take a stab at singing for the crowd. He was a pretty large guy with a beanie and dreads, and when he started to make attempts to channel the band Sublime, it was an experience that could’ve been forgotten. And we weren't the only ones who felt that way. A group of guys sitting next to us who lived in Shanghai but hailed from such places as England, Germany, and Oregon, decided that it was time for the singer to step off the stage by booing him.

“What, you’re going to boo me, I’m from Long Beach m*$!*r f&%$*r !!,” said the singer to the rowdy crowd. “I don’t see you up on the stage. I’m from Long Beach!”

A few more words were exchanged and the singer eventually left the stage. The table of non-fans leaned over to us and explained that in Shanghai where you’re from has nothing to do with where you are.

Historically, Shanghai has been known as a city with an open-door policy, letting immigrants and refugees enter its gates for a better chance at a life free of persecution. With this idea of community comes a melting pot unique to the area, where cultures mix and where the country you were born in is simply a place on a map.

In fact, the ex-pat community is so large in Shanghai it's quite common to see Europeans who speak Mandarin better than they do English. And while many Westerners do come to Shanghai to teach English, some take up residency with local companies in order to gain a better life.

Our tour guide, Xhingyu Chen, explained that in Shanghai you might get a lower salary than in the States, but your money will go much further. Cheaper housing, food, and transportation, combined with a cosmopolitan way of life has made Shanghai a hotbed of Western traffic today, just as it might have been before the Revolution.

At the end of the night at Time Passage the singer eventually sat down with the booing table and made peace. I suppose that’s what it’s all about here: different nationalities coming together to form one community. It almost sounds idealistic, and believe me there are many problems here in Shanghai, but at least in this bar, segregation by nationalism isn’t one of them.

Catherine Rigod is a senior in journalism.

Comments

Cathy,

Nice to hear of your adventures in China. Did you do any biking? Does anyone ride fixies in china?