I have greatly enjoyed spotting all the quirky English store names around Shanghai, but it’s the copycat stores and products that I find most amusing. They are just so blatant! Tommy Hilfiger becomes Tommy Welai and the Nike swoosh gets turned upside down. There are also some unexpected surprises, like finding the Kodak store that […]
Shopping Guide
Shanghai’s Hilarious English Store Names
Shanghai is a shopper’s paradise, where the streets are lined with store after store after store. But unless you are a big-name Western brand (H&M, Zara – they’re everywhere), it can be challenging to differentiate yourself from your competitors. This is where English words can come in handy. The curvaceous Roman letters stand out from […]
The Avocado Lady: Where to Get Western Groceries Shanghai
When I first moved to Shanghai, I heard about this woman called the Avocado Lady. She has a popular shop at 274 Wulumuqi Lu that has reached almost mythical status. What differentiates her from the countless other fruit and vegetable stands that line the sidewalks? For starters, she has produce that foreigners actually want to […]
Exploring Nanjing Road and People’s Square
In addition to People’s Park and a plethora of museums, Renmin Guangchang (People’s Square) offers plenty to see and do. Once the premiere shopping street in all of Asia, historic East Nanjing Road is still a popular destination for tourists who want to walk under its old neon signs. Several big department stores operated here in the […]
Jing’an Villas: Entrepreneurial Spirit in Shanghai
In 1932, a Chinese tycoon named Zhang Jingjiang built a residential neighborhood in Shanghai which he modeled after the villas of Europe. The land for the housing development was formerly used as horse stables by the British, whose racecourse was just a few kilometers east. The lovely new Jing’an Villa soon became an enclave of […]