McDonald's Goes Wireless Ordering in Shenzhen

Last Saturday I was in the 东门 shopping area to buy some bootleg DVDs. It was actually the first time I’ve bought DVDs since I’ve lived in Shenzhen. Not only was it cheaper than in other places (it was 5RMB compared to 7RMB or 8RMB in the north), but there was really good selection as well. They even had Spiderman 3! I didn't even know that they finished filming that yet!

There has been greater regulation recently on the sale of fake DVDs in China. Many of the old shops that sold them were disbanded by the government and now run mobile, makeshift stores in the middle of nowhere. Although the market is still there, it is much harder to sell it in the open.

After buying the DVDs, I went to McDonald’s to grab some food for my friend, Jason, who had thrown up in my bathroom the previous night. The 东门 McDonald’s that I went to was actually the 1^st McDonald’s opened in China. There is a big plaque in the store. It’s kind of cool.

McDonald’s (and KFC) has been in the news lately regarding being cheap and not even following the Chinese minimum wage of 7.50RMB/hour for its workers. Capitalist pigs! Articles here, here and even CNN discussed this issue.

Well, I completely agree that McDonald’s and Yum Foods suck ass for not giving their workers even $1 per hour, especially for such a fast paced and demanding job their doing.

When I was standing in line, I saw something very interesting. There were tons of people in the restaurant that Sunday. All of the registers were overcapacity with more than 4 people in line. To deal with the huge demand, there were many McDonald’s employees walking around the back of the line to take people’s orders. What was beautiful was that this was done wirelessly through a handheld device!

Here’s how it went:

• Employees walked in the back of the lines to take the orders of people waiting in line.
• The used a wireless PDA-sized device and quickly entered their order into the touchpad buttons.
• At the end of their order, the employee wrote down a number for the customer to tell the cashier so that he/she could access what the person had ordered and receive payment.
• There were employees also walking around by the open seats to take orders as well. This is because since the restaurants are usually full, people often find seats before they order.

I looked it up online later and found the company called Infologix that provided this.

Infologix states that this wireless ordering system:

Increases sales by serving more drive-through customers (or waiting customers), improves McDonald's order accuracy, and makes everything more efficient."

I would agree. This is a innovative, thoughtful and much needed way for ordering in a lot of busy restaurants.

Has anyone else seen it?

Blogspot is back up! Is the Chinese gov't just Fucking with us.

Just a couple of days ago, I discovered that blogspot was not blocked anymore by the Chinese government (Xanga is still blocked). This means I can read more and write more without having to play around with the various proxies people have suggested.

This latest 2-week shutdown has been talked about everyone in the China blogging world. It has annoyed the hell out of not only people writing blogs in China (just ask the 1-year English teachers anywhere) but also the people reading blogs in China.

Why is this happening? Why did the Chinese government shut down blogspot for 2 weeks and then turn it back on? What the hell? As a good friend of mine said: The Chinese government is really pissing me off! I feel like that’s the sentiment of a lot of people.

Many people in the western media would answer these questions by talking about the crackdown of Chinese officials on blogging in general. Although China is seen to be a increasingly open society, the government still wants to keep control, and this is one way to do it. “Just look at how they are hampering the right to Freedom of Speech!!”

This argument would explain why some individual blogs or individual messages are filtered through the system. However, it wouldn't explain why they turn it off and on, back and forth.

Here are some of the other reasons I can think of (I’m assuming that there is a governmental office that is in charge of this):

• There is a constant change of leadership in the office. Since its not too great of a job to head this department, leaders are filtered in and out. It’s almost like Easy Company in the 7^th episode of Band of Brothers. After a few weeks to a few months, the new head of the department is done paying his due, and gets reassigned to somewhere else.
• There is a constant change of policy. I’m sure that people in this department have seen the interesting and valuable facets of blogging and the internet. I’m sure that many of them read specific blogs all the time, just as I read the Shanghaiist, Danwei and China Law Blog. This means there could be constant discourse and disagreement on white sites to block and which sites not to block. “Are we going to restrict access to the entire blogspot or will we target the specific ones we don't like?”
• This department realizes that their efforts are wasted due to proxies. Since there are ananomouse and scoobidoo out there, it is much more difficult for the department to have complete success blocking all of the sites. Although I have noticed that sometimes the proxies don't work, there are so many of them that any dedicated blogger will be able to access what he/she wants. The department knows that and doesn't want to bother anymore.
• They are just fucking with us. They have the power to control a lot of people’s enjoyment, entertainment and emotions by flipping on and off a switch. How fun would it to be just to fuck with people every once in a while when they’re bored. I think this is the best explination.

As a kid growing up in China (I was born here and moved to the US when I was 6), one of my favorite activities during the spring through fall, was to try and capture dragon-flies. My friends and I would buy or construct a big net and sweep through the grassy park, trying to catch as many as possible. After the thrill of catching them was over, we would fuck with them until they were dead. In the past 20 years, I wouldn't be surprised if the dragonfly in China was extinct.

When my grandfather was a little kid, he did something that was similar to my chasing of dragonflies. When he lived with my family in Columbus, Ohio, he revealed that he loved to go out at night and try to catch as many of those backyard flies (that look like a bee, but lights up instead of having the stinger) as he could. He would then put them in a jar and have them serve as a light. Since there were a lot of them flying around at night in Ohio, my grandfather and I had a great time catching them. The only thing is, they would die within a day. I have honestly never seen one of those flies in China. They probably got killed by all of the kids.

Here's the USA equivalent:

Ant City

Chinese people are sometimes very cruel. We like to fuck with insects, animals and other people without regard for anything. Just take the example of the bus driver who wouldn't let me off the bus in a traffic jam until I annoyed him to death, complaining. When Chinese people have authority, we like to use it…with disregard for others’ welfare. This nature is within the majority of the Chinese population, and I bet, within the department for internet censure as well.

Just wait for the next time blogspot is inaccessible. It will be caused by another bus-driver who doesn't want to open the door.

Shenzhen Development

I recently found a couple of YouTube videos showing Shenzhen development of the past and future.

This first one is an animation of the past 23 years (between 1980 and 2003) Google-earth style.



This one is a personal video shot at a display of what Shenzhen will look like in the future. The description of the video states that all of the buildings are currently under construction. I wouldn't be surprised.



Gotta love this city!!

Asian (Chinese) Discrimination

I met a girl. A cute girl.

I’ve been living in Shenzhen for a little more than 6 months now. I have a lot of extended family living here and I’ve made a bunch of friends. However, one part of my social life that has been lacking is girls…or atleast until recently.

2 weekends ago I met a girl named Mei Feng, or Scarlet, randomly at a club. We danced, chatted, hung out and played dice at her table. We had such a good time that I invited her to dinner a couple of days later.

Before arriving at the date, I was kind of nervous. I have the annoying habit of forgetting what people’s names when I’m drinking. Even worse, I usually have no recollection of what they look like either (bad times). When Scarlet finally arrived, however, I was relieved. She was cuter than I had remembered.

Not only did she have an tall, athletic and curvy body, but also tanned skin. She had nice big eyes, a gentle nose and really nice lips. Her smile filled up the room.

As we got to know each other better during our dinner conversation, I discovered a few interesting things about her (among others)

• She didn't have too much experience with dating because guys would always talk to her friends and rarely talk to her.
• She was made fun of as a child for being tall. Many of her cousins didn't like to walk with her down the street because of the disparity in height (she’s not that tall)
• She was made fun of as a child for having darker skin tone. That continues this day.
• When I complemented her on her smile and lips, she was surprised. No one had ever said anything nice about them. Everyone only said negative things.

I was very surprised by these things because, in my perspective, she was a very attractive girl. While I found all of her attributes sexy, the majority opinion in China sees her as average with unattractive features. The next weekend, I invited her to hang out with a few friends and me at a bar. All of my Chinese friends thought she was average. My boy, Jason, from the US agreed with my view.

In a recent post on China Law Blog, entitled China Has No Racial Discrimination, Dan Harris addressed a very interesting issue on racial discrimination in China that made me think about Scarlet.

The post this time is on an article I just read from Xinhua proclaiming that "all ethnic groups in China are equal and no racial discrimination exists.

As I learned in my Liberalism, Communitarianism and the Good class and my 1^st Amendment class at Columbia, it is important to dissect a statement and examine the all of the phrases and words. In this statement, the most important parts are China and racial. This statement only addresses ethnic Chinese people in China, not expats and foreigners in China. It also only addresses discrimination on the issue of race.

By getting to know Scarlet in the past couple of weeks, she can be a good guide in this discussion. She is from a poor family in 广西 province.

• Scarlet came from a poor family. She didn't go to college and dropped out of high school. She migrated to Shenzhen to find work, but had a difficult time finding it because of her educational background. After a lot of hard work and some luck, she’s a successful sales associate for Mary Kay cosmetics.
• Scarlet is a tall girl (around 1.70m). While this is considered a good trait to have in China, Scarlet experienced discrimination as a kid. Since she was taller than her just about everyone in her family, only her father would walk with her. None of female family members would walk with her due to the height disparity. Also, men are intimidated of her since she was young based on her height. Being taller myself (I’m 6’2” or about 1.91m), I have only gotten compliments.
• Scarlet has relatively big feet (size 37...i’m guessing a 6?). Everyone makes fun of her because of it and she can’t fit into the tiny high heels like everyone else can.
• Scarlet has big round eyes and a soft nose (good things) - and big lips and a big mouth (bad things). She gets complimented and made fun of for the respective traits
• Scarlet has dark skin. She feels it is a big drawback on her looks. As someone in the cosmetics industry, she understands how much “prettier” it is to have fair skin. However, she cant help it. I have really tan skin. I was actually just made fun of it 3x today from a couple of my colleagues and yesterday, from my aunt.
• Scarlet is from 广西 and spoke Cantonese growing up. Her Mandarin is fine, but needs improvement. She definitely has a slight accent. Although her friends give her slack for it, it doesn't effect her professional career.
• I have no clue what ethnic group Scarlet is in.

Scarlet's story can be redone for the entire Chinese population. My cousin is affluent and has fair skin, but isn’t as skinny and slim as the typical Chinese girl. I am tall and have an Ivy League education, but I have dark skin and can’t write Chinese characters that well (I’m still working on it). My friend is considered handsome and has a lot of street smarts but he’s shorter than average and didn't do well in school. It’s all the same: people are loved for their “accepted” attributes and discriminated against for their 缺点. That’s life in China.

From my experience living in China with Chinese friends and family, I have never known what ethnic group anyone was. My aunt on my father’s side is Manchu. I found that out last year when my mom told me. My grand-uncle on my father’s side is Mongul. A few of my colleagues are all minorities from small rural villages. No one has any clue until they are specifically told. That is the beauty of China: solely based on your skin color: You can be identified as maybe poorer, maybe a laborer, maybe a 花销 (Oversees Chinese). What you can’t see is your ethnic group.

Blackout Shenzhen? Felt Like it.

On August 14, 2003, I was relaxing on the Jersey shore with a friend. I had just come back from 4 week trip in China, and wanted to hang out on the beach instead of clubbing in NYC. Good choice. That day was the day of the NYC blackout. Amazing.

A power transformer had blown in a random power station somewhere in Pennsylvania. That small event led to the collapse of the entire northeast power grid. There was no power from Boston down to Washington and reaching all the way to Ohio.

Thousands of people were trapped in elevators throughout NYC. There were no subways and public transportation wasn't functioning. When I got back home, the news showed millions of New Yorkers commuting home…by foot.

Today I had a very similar experience as the New Yorkers that day…but half way around the world in Shenzhen, China.

6:05pm: I start my commute from the factory to my apartment. The commute usually lasts 25 minutes in the morning and 35 minutes at night (depending on traffic conditions). I’m hoping to get there around 6:45 for my meeting with my landlord.

6:13pm: Arrive at the 沙弯border crossing between Shenzhen suburbs and Shenzhen city limits. The bus is about to start down a 4 kilometer section of a one lane highway. This is usually the most traffic jam-prone stretch of the commute. Since the shoulder is non existent, 1 small fender-bender or one car breaking down creates a really annoying traffic jam.

6:23pm: Travel down the one lane highway is slow but consistent. There isn’t too much traffic and there are no unexpected traffic situations. I’m enjoying the ride since it gives me an opportunity to listen to the most recent Wharton Business School podcast.

6:30pm: We’ve passed the one-lane stretch of highway and have almost arrived at our next stop, 东湖宾馆 (there are no stops on the narrow highway). This 3 lane road is usually where the heavy traffic let’s up and the commute gets faster.

6:35pm: The东湖宾馆 stop is 100 feet in front of us. We’ve only moved 50 feet in the past 5 minutes. The driver refuses to let passengers off because we haven’t “officially” arrived at the stop yet. This is an understandable rule for public transportation to protect the safety of riders. No biggie.

6:38pm: We still haven’t moved. The driver finally relents and lets passengers off since there isn’t any real safety issue with just standing still. I relax in my seat and call my landlord to postpone our meeting until 7:15. I then start listening to an advanced lesson of ChinesePod.

6:38 – 6:45pm: We move 10 feet. I can see the traffic in front of me pretty well. They’re clogged up and not moving either. If people 2 km down the road are not moving, we’re not going to move in the foreseeable future. I’m getting annoyed. I organize my stuff and attempt to get off the bus. I figure that I could just take a cab home from here and still make my appointment.

6:48pm: The bus driver finally lets me off the bus after my repeated requests to open the door. After ignoring me for a bit and saying that I had missed my chance to get off the bus 50 feet ago, he gets annoyed at my complaining and lets me off.

This is the typical Chinese person of power who tries to maintain control over whoever he can. What’s the point of him keeping a passenger waiting on the bus for another 30 minutes without moving? I just don't get these people.

6:48 – 6:52pm: I walk to the closest intersection that flows away from the bottleneck. I try to get a couple of taxis but none of them would stop for me. I get even more annoyed and continue walking down the street to the next intersection.

6:58pm: I get to the next intersection, hoping to see an accident that is holding the traffic up. If I found the point of blockage, I could just walk to the nearest bus station in front of it and get on one of the 10 buses that arrive at my stop.

I don't find it. There’s just more traffic.

7:05pm: Unable to find the point of blockage, I start walking down an auxiliary street, again hoping to find a taxi to take me home. I run back and forth to and from at least 8 taxis, trying to get into one of them.

For some reason, again, none of them will take me. I keep walking.

7:10pm: I finally find a taxi and start trying to go around the traffic. Even though I missed my meeting, I still want to get home so I can relax and go to the gym.

7:12pm: After driving only one km, we are stuck in traffic again. The taxi driver crosses onto the other side of the street to try and ditch in line

All Chinese drivers love trying to get an advantage where there’s a jam by crossing the double yellow lines. The only problem is that this action rarely gives them any real advantage, but it results in the blocking of the entire traffic flow from the other direction. Just beautiful.

7:14pm: My driver turns on the traffic radio station. Interestingly enough, they’re talking about our area being really really bad. On top of that, the hosts couldn't give any reason for why the traffic was so bad today. They explained it as an anomaly where an excess amount of traffic that just converged at the same point. What they did say was to avoid this part of the city and stated how all the auxiliary roads were blocked as well since everyone was trying to find detours.

This was not just an ordinary traffic jam. This has become a systematic deterioration of the Shenzhen transportation system that has affected half of the city.

7:17pm: I cut my losses and get out of the taxi. I start walking again.

7:20pm: I arrive at the next major intersection. Traffic is completely clogged. It looks like what happens in the movies where the lights of an intersection suddenly all turn green. Bad news.

7:30pm: After looking around for a bit, I find another cab to take me down, what I think is an ok street.

7:33pm: I’m stuck again in traffic. This time I only went 0.7km. I guess I’ll never learn.

7:35pm: I get out of the taxi (again) and start walking (again). Screw it; I’m walking all the way home.

8:12pm: I finally get home. J

Quite a journey. I spent a total of 30 yuan and 2 hours and 7 minutes on a commute that should be 3 yuan and 35 minutes.

When I was walking home, I had a interesting time thinking about some of the issues going on:

• Damn you Random Chinese Roadside Construction! You were definitely an accomplice today.
  
• I wish I had a bike or motorcycle. Shenzhen has outlawed motorcycles and has discouraged bike use (by building a city without bike lanes). Even so, everyone with a bike got to where they wanted to go today.
  
• Chinese people are impatient in traffic. When I was walking home, I came across a bunch of bus stops. The people there were waiting patiently for buses that were never going to come.
  
• This is only going to get worse. As China continues to modernize and grow its middle class, more and more people will start buying cars. The abundant amount of new (and sucky) drivers on the same amount of urban roads is going to kill traffic.
  
• Although the situation today in Shenzhen wasn't as involved, it still shared many similarities as the NYC Blackout of 2003. It felt like chaos.
  
• Modern technology is of utmost importance in today’s culture. People are more dependent on technology than ever before. I don't know how I would live if I didn't have my cell phone for a week not to mention a city-wide or nation-wide blackout.
  
• I wonder if there would be real life examples of the world in Independence Day, Deep Impact or A Day After Tomorrow. Actually, there have already been many isolated examples of this. Look at hurricane Katrina’s effect on the New Orleans area, the carnage of the Asian Tsunami or the river poisoning of 松花江 last year that left Harbin, China (where I was born) waterless for more than a week. Human and nature-created disasters are here.

I had a bunch of friends who experienced the NYC Blackout. They said it wasn't too bad. I don't know…I just hope my elevator works when I wake up tomorrow for another commute.