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Rolling Stones Hit the Great Wall

The Stones' next stop on their "A Bigger Bang" world tour is proving to be their most difficult. Unlike the freewheeling Brazilians (several of whom were sired by Mick) packing Copacabana Beach to hear them, the Chinese could care less about the band's upcoming concert in Shanghai.

First, Mick and Co. had to downgrade their venue from a 100,000 seat stadium to a 8,000 seat theatre, and they're still struggling to sell the remaining tickets all down the line. A simple economics lesson might help: tix are going for 300-3,000 yuan (37 to 370 dollars), and the average monthly salary in Shanghai is about, well, 1,700 yuan total.

The country's Ministry of Culture has already banned the Stones from playing many of their big hits with "raunchy lyrics". How oppressive! That would never happen in the U.S. Except, of course at this year's Super Bowl performance, when some of the lyrics to "Start Me Up" were bleeped.

Still, in a culture where rock n' roll is known as "spiritual pollution", the show must go on; the Stones take the stage on Saturday. As for the Chinese, don't they know that the Rolling Stones and capitalism go together like cereal and milk?

Related Stories:
·   No satisfaction for Stones in China [AFP]
·   The Rolling Stones talk about Shanghai (briefly) [Shanghaiist]

Travel News / → All Tags

Shanghai's Guide to Beggars

It seems like Shanghai's been all over the news lately...from its mixed up maps to its guide for suicide.

The latest is its newly published guide to avoid swindlers on the street. Called "Recognizing Phonies," it's designed to help visitors see scams ranging from women pretending they're pregnant to counterfeit monks to kids asking for school tuition.

Authorities say there is a "cadre of professional beggars who prey on the sympathies of citizens," and hope this will prevent them for getting more money. Shanghai has been trying to improve its homeless aid system and centers recently.

Related Stories:
·   Shanghai offers guide to avoid swindlers [Boston Globe]

Maps / Travel News / → All Tags

Shanghai's Counterfeit Maps

As if it's not already hard enough to get around Shanghai...apparently there's been a rash of counterfeit maps installed in cars' navigation systems as well. Many cab and car drivers in the city began to complain when they relied on their cars' GPS systems for directions and consistently ended up lost. The Shanghai Daily reports that tons of fake systems were installed in cars, as the average price of a real GPS is about $1,200 and a phony can be bought for a few hundred dollars. The number of phony systems in cars actually exceeds the number of genuine ones, according to the Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping.

So bring a paper map with you, or ask a local.
(image via BBC)

Related Stories:
·   Lost in Shanghai? Your map is counterfeit [AFP via Yahoo]
·   Counterfeit Maps a Roadblock for Shanghai Drivers
[Telematics Journal]
·   Fake Maps fox Shanghai Drivers [BBC]