The Third and Final Part of a Tale of Two Squares, or Throw Lenin from the Train

The famous Mockba Route

Yellow Blue Bus!  In case you didn't know, if you say that fast in English, it sounds like "I love you" in Russian.  And, in keeping with that cheerful start, we here at the Yellow River Chronicles love it that you are back for the Third and Final episode of "Tale of Two Squares, or Throw Lenin from the Train".

The Trans-Mongolian route travels through seven time zones and 7,865 miles to connect the two Great Capitols with Important Dead Guys in their Central Squares:  Moscow and Beijing.   Today, to finish the series, we are going to delve into the mysteries of "What Do You Do for Seven Days on a Train?"

So here we go!   As we piled on to the train, we were surprised to be greeted on the Russian train by...Chinese train attendants.  As it turns out, the staff of the Trans-Mongolian are Chinese.

Imagine that!  To fly 8,000 kilometers from China to find....Chinese.  We were chuckling to ourselves as we carried our own bags up the steep stairs and dragged them into the cabin.   The staff of the other two routes, the Trans-Manchurian and Trans-Siberian, are Russian.  The restaurant cars, which are changed as the train crosses into each country, are staffed by Russians, Mongolians and Chinese respectively, but the train staff were our old friends from the P.R.C.   We felt quite at home when they threw our blankets and sheets at us, nodded noncommittally to our questions and generally expected us to live honorably and independently for the rest of the journey.

Hey, imagine seeing YOU here!!

We here at the YRC do enjoy a life of romance and adventure.  Usually.  And we very much want to share the experience of the trip.  So, to help the beloved YRC readership understand the fundamentals of day to day life on the Trans-Mongolian, we have added a new feature to the YRC, an Einsteinian Mind Experiment!  GLHF!!

The Importance of Trans-Mongolian Relativity Theory:

Ready?  Let us suppose that there is a Tovarich standing on a train platform and a Tovarich on a train.  They are both wearing big fluffy hats and wave to each other cheerfully.  Now, if the train starts rolling through the station at 10 kph, the Tovarich on the train will appear to the Tovarich on the platform to be traveling at 10 kph, yes?  Yes.  There goes Ivan, rolling by!  See you, next week, Comrade!

Platform Tovarich and Train Tovarich at work

Part Two:   Let us imagine that the same two Tovarichs are at the same station, one on the same platform, and one on the same train.  This time, instead of standing still and waving to Platform Tovarich, the Train Tovarich decides to run forward on the train at 10kph.  To the Platform Tovarich, the Train Tovarich will be traveling away at 20 kph (10 for the train and 10 for the Train Tovarich's speed).

Hurtling Through the First-Class Cabin

In the perception of the Train Tovarich, relative to the train, he will be running down the train at 10 kph.  If he looks out the window, objects (like the Platform Tovarich) will be passing at 20kph.

So, inside the train he is traveling at 10kph, but outside he is traveling at 20 kph (his speed plus the train's speed).  He moves away from Platform Tovarich at 20 kph, correct?  Da!

Now, the third and final experiment.  Let us imagine that the Tovarich on the train runs towards the back of the train at 10Kph.  This means he stays exactly at the same place as the Tovarich on the platform even though the train is moving.  This is just like walking the wrong way on an escalator.  To the Platform Tovarich, the train is moving but his friend, the Train Tovarich, is not moving.  To the Train Tovarich, he is moving at 10 kph but the Platform Tovarich is right there on the platform.   This relative movement effect, dear readers, is at the heart of Trans-Mongolian relativity theory.

Why is any of this important, you may snarl as you spill your coffee on your banana pancakes.  Where are the snacks, you may ask.

Next stop, the Kyrgyz Steppes

This is to illustrate what happens on the Trans-Mongolian, dear readers.   You board in Moscow and leave near midnight.   You fall asleep in your cozy bunk watching the lights flicker outside the window and listening to the gentle click-clack of the wheels.  You dream of snow and wolves and Vladimir Ilyich Lenin in a bear suit.   When you wake up the next morning, you are rolling past Chuklominsky, 910 km from Moscow. You feast on Russian oatmeal and tea made with smokey water from the Samovar and you check the fluid levels in the vodka bottles. All is good and the western Russian countryside is rolling by.   You have your quiet little home rattling due east at a steady 57kph, headed to Udmurt country.

How many klicks to Ulan Bator?

The days progress but you no longer measure in time.  You measure in distance.  How far are we away from Moscow?  How far to the next platform packed with babushka with boiled potatoes with dill?  And, beer?

Then you have your moment of Trans-Mongolian Relativity.   Due to the harmony and peace of traveling on a train (and also that there is not much else to do)  you are actually having a zen moment.  You are perfectly still.  The steam from the tea cup rises before you.  Beams of sunlight drift across the table top.  You suddenly understand a fundamental truth:  You are actually not moving.  it is the countryside that is moving!  And you settle in to watch 8,000 kilometers of spectacular scenery.


We here at the YRC are used to traveling long distances to arrive in places where our time is 12 hours out of sync with local time.  In this case, we had traveled 8,000 kilometers away to return to time that was...the same...as our time??   By the time we got to Beijing, we had crossed seven time zones to end up back in the original time zone, creating some severe temporal issues, we will confess.  We still occasionally check our watches to see how far we are from Beijing but that's one of the hazards of life in the fast lane.

Two monks were watching a flag flapping in the wind. One said to the other, "The flag is moving."

The other replied, "The wind is moving."

Huineng overheard this. He said, "Not the flag, not the wind; mind is moving."

And so, we're going to keep moving here at the YRC and head out to San Francisco, the Castro, and Napa Valley!   Thanks for tuning in, and come back next week for the exciting "Wedding in Napa Valley!"

Part Two of The Tale of Two Squares or Throw Lenin from The Train....

Welcome back to Part Two of the Yellow River Chronicles' visit to seven-time zones:  Moscow, the Trans-Siberian Express and Beijing!

Any idiot can face a crisis, it is this day-to-day living that wears you out.
Anton Chekhov

Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

A Staff Historical Anecdote:  We at YRC recently visited the western bookend of the Communist Nation's Capitals, Moscow.  We did this for three particular reasons:

Reason the First:  You may not know, but as a young YRC staff members in training we had frequent contact with Russians.
Well, Soviets, really.

Truth! In September of 1962, part of the staff moved to West Berlin.  The Russians, anxious about our arrival, built the Berlin Wall between East and West Germany in August of 1962.

This meant we had to share Berlin with the French, the British, the West Berliners, the East Berliners and of course, the Russians.  At the time, they weren't known as the Russians, they were known as the Soviets.  The Soviets would cross the Wall into West Germany at Checkpoint Charlie, eat in the restaurants, go to the shows and stop to check if it was a good time to invade West Berlin and start WW3.  Luckily, they said, "Nah....maybe later" or the Russian equivalent.

Red Square, Kremlin, and Lenin's Refrigerator

Reason the Second:  We were delighted to get to the musty Sheremetye airport in Moscow because it meant we could hurl ourselves OFF of the Aeroflot Flight 528 from Shanghai.

In our haste to leave that accursed plane and its accursed staff and accursed seats, we accursed Aeroflot with energy and rage.  We ran down the exit ramp, shaking our fists and hurling curses of "May Rabid Dogs Drag Your Rotten Bones Through the Trailer parks of Hell" or "May Lenin Rise from the Dead to Haunt You with Proletariat Feriocity".  

It was also at the Moscow airport that we encountered the first of the Moscow Zombie cab drivers.   We do not mean to offend, but we actually did encounter many Zombies during our visit.  Zombie subway riders, Zombie ticket sellers, Zombie restaurant staff and Zombie store attendants.  Either that, or facial expressions are banned in Moscow.  We tended to go with the Zombie idea...it made more sense.

(Background:   Here's the link to the World's Rudest Cities article where Moscow came in number two.  They are very close to edging out Mumbai : Moscow Second Rudest City in World )

Reason the Third:   Yes, Moscow is ancient with a long and important history.  Yes, it is the largest northern city with nearly 11MM residents. Yes, it features artists, poets, philosophers, literary geniuses and the rise and fall of empires.  But in the highly impressionable minds of the YRC staff, Moscow was always the coolest city in the world.

Why?  You had Bond.  You had the KGB.  You had mystery....adventure and the only way you were going to get there was with a M-16 in your hand.

Busy but elegant, the Moscow subway station

Yes, Comrade, there are chandeliers

Or, you could take the subway!  Moscow has

an extensive and ornate subway system that is the second busiest in the world (after Tokyo).

According to Wikipedia:  The Moscow Metro was one of the USSR’s most extravagant productions. Stalin directly ordered the metro’s artists and architects to design a structure that embodied svet (radiance or brilliance) and svetloe budushchee (radiant future).^[15] With the use of reflective marble walls, high ceilings, and grandiose chandeliers many of the Moscow Metro stations are so resplendent that they are reminiscent of an “artificial underground sun”.^[16] This underground communist paradise.^[17] served as a constant reminder to passengers that Stalin and his party had delivered something awesome to the people in return for their sacrifices. Most importantly proletariat labor produced this svetloe budushchee.

So put that in your samovar and smoke it!    While the YRC would not classify Moscow as "tourist friendly" or even "tourist indifferent", there is and area of town where you can stock up on matryoska dolls and literary history. It is called the Arbat.

We're BAAAACCCKKKK!!!

As Moscow's oldest street, the Arbat has been settled by the aristocracy, invaded by Napoleon, resettled in succession by the intelligensia, the artist community, and then USSR high-ranking officials.  It is now is a pleasant pedestrian area with some excellent architectural details.

Unfortunately, similar to the destruction of temples during the Cultural Revolution in Beijing, Stalin used cultural change as a way to erase many churches and other "unsuitable for the proletariat" buildings but the Arbat retains its "old city" flavor.  And, you will be interested to know that the Orthodox faith is seeing a strong resurgence in Moscow as many churches are now being rebuilt and returned to religious use.

No trip to Moscow would be complete without a run to Red Square, the center of the city since the 13th century.   Red Square seems to stretch to the horizon line when you first enter and one can sense the history as you enter.  And it is this sense of history that seems to permeate the Russian culture.

The average Russian citizen has many reasons to be glum.  History has not served Mother Russia well.  In fact, the 20th century was disastrous for Russia.  First, there was World War I which cost 2 million lives.  Then, the overthrowing of the Tzars in the 1917 Revolution and the following Russian Civil War which cost 7 million lives.  Right after that was World War II which cost 26 million lives.  Then Stalin purged 20 million of his own people.  Then the rise and fall of communism and the sudden shift from Socialist Republic to despotic kleptocracy under the Putin KGB-derived regime.  And, they have to fly Aeroflot all the time.   Hand me the vodka, dorogaya!

Thanks for tuning in for the second of the Tale of Two Squares or Throw Lenin from the Train.   Next week....Life on the Train! What do you actually do on a train for seven days?   Come back next week and find out, here at the Yellow River Chronicles, your friends on the Other Side of the World.

Captain Ivan Danko on duty at Red Square

A Tale of Two Squares, or Throw Lenin from the Train....

This is the first YRC of a three-part series on the recent Moscow to Beijing trip.  There was simply too much material to fit into one column, so with enough filler we hope to stretch it out before we have to do any real work again.

The Adventure Begins:   Pack your noodle cups, a case or two of vodka and a copy of "Das Kapital" because it is time for this week's Yellow River Chronicles, Comrades!! All aboard for the Moscow to Beijing run as we visit the "bookends" of communism!  Budem zdorovy!

As you were forewarned in earlier editions, the staff of the YRC recently gambit-ed a +16,000 kilometer ride from Asia to Europe and back again.  "Why?" we were asked in Moscow by a cab driver (which gives you a shorthand view of the current state of mind in Moscow). Well, Tovarishch, we retorted, to take the famed Trans-Siberian railway!

The BackStory:   After months of research and martini tastings to determine the best way to celebrate a certain staff members' tragic entrance into Senior World, we made the following decision.  We would NOT visit the Vatican to visit the Pope again despite his offer of a really cool birthday party and a game of "Pin the Tail on the Cardinal".


Instead, we went for a new destination, one of the world's Great Journeys, the Trans-Siberian Railway.  For those of you not familiar with the route, here is one of the stalwart YRC FactMoments", courtesy of Wikitopia:

The Trans-Siberian Railway is often associated with the main transcontinental Russian line that connects hundreds of large and small cities of the European and Asian parts of Russia. At 9,259 kilometres (5,753 miles),^[1] spanning a record seven time zones and taking eight days to complete the journey, it is the third-longest single continuous service in the world, after the Moscow–Pyongyang (10,267 km, 6,380 mi)^[2] and the Kiev–Vladivostok (11,085 km, 6,888 mi)^[3] services, both of which also follow the Trans-Siberian for much of their routes.

A second primary route is the Trans-Manchurian, which coincides with the Trans-Siberian as far as Tarskaya (a stop 12 km east of Karymskaya, in Zabaykalsky Krai), about 1,000 km east of Lake Baikal. From Tarskaya the Trans-Manchurian heads southeast, via Harbin and Mudanjiang in China's Northeastern Provinces (from where a connection to Beijing is used by one of Moscow–Beijing trains), joining with the main route in Ussuriysk just north of Vladivostok. This is the shortest and the oldest railway route to Vladivostok.

The third primary route is the Trans-Mongolian Railway, which coincides with the Trans-Siberian as far as Ulan-Ude on Lake Baikal's eastern shore. From Ulan-Ude the Trans-Mongolian heads south to Ulaan-Baatar before making its way southeast to Beijing.

The Journey Starts Here...

Route, Schmooot:   We at the YRC opted for the Trans-Mongolian route, which dives south at Ulan Bator towards Beijing, thus linking the two great Communist countries, the former U.S.S. of R and the current largest communist nation, the P.R. of C.

This would also give us a chance to swing through Mongolia and the vast Gobi desert.  Our guide on the trip was the essential Trans-Siberian Handbook, by Bryn Thomas.  He uses kilometer markers as you progress on the journey.  For example, here's a staff favorite:

Km733 (W) (Mongolia):  Airag   The train doesn't usually stop at this small station, which is in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by scrap metal.

Ah hahaahahah!  We love that one!  If we could ask your patience, we will break from our horror of chronological travel narratives (Day one, we arrived at the...) and begin this missive at the beginning. It is good to get these matters out of the way and continue our conversation with a basic sense of optimism and good cheer, don't you think?

We will simply state that we here at the YRC neither support nor deny the notion of an afterlife, nor, a good place or bad place in the afterlife.  These matters are better left to philosophers and U.S. presidential candidates.  With that all said, we at the YRC want our readers to know that if there is a gateway to Hell, then AeroFlot flies there, right after the Shanghai/Moscow run.   Thank you, dear readers for letting us vent.

Kremlin, Red Square, Lenin's Tomb

Where Lenin and Mao Lay Sleeping.  The trip was book-ended by the two great communist squares: Red Square in Europe and Tiananmen Square in Asia.  They both have their stories to tell, but perhaps they are better told in the history books.  Well, at least more accurately.

Tianenmen Square and Mao

However, our observation and contribution to the literature is as follows.  Both squares are large, well maintained and perfectly suited for parades and the display of military hardware.

They are also both the centers of power and administration in the capital cities of their respective countries and they both have a waxed dead leader on display, Lenin in the West and Mao in the East.

Lenin has become a bit of an embarrassment for the Russians, so they are trying to find a delicate way to move him.  Mao seems content to stay where he is and with real estate prices going through the roof in Beijing, it would be hard to find a better location these days.

Both squares are extremely busy and are major tourist attractions packed with souvenir vendors and tour groups.  However, we discovered something truly significant:  there is an unusual lack of snacks at both sites.  Every PRC tourist site of any note is jammed with corncob and baozi vendors (and the sausages are never too far in Moscow) but in these two squares, no snacks were to be found.

The Snack Connection:  Between the two squares, however, there were many snacks to be found.  The train connecting them leaves famous Yaroslavsky station in Moscow around midnight.  From the moment we left Moscow until we stormed into Beijing seven days later, there was a tremendous selection of snacks to be found.  You will be pleased to know the train stopped at a station nearly every three or four hours and there was always a fine selection of local delicacies being sold on the platform.

The Pink People shop for tasty snacks

Our train mates were an eclectic mix of tour groups and individual travelers, primarily from Europe.  There was a Finnish group, a Swedish family, Spanish backpackers, many Germans, French college kids and a group of Pinks of unknown nationality (see photo).  We could all be relied upon to pile off the train at each stop and work our way up and down the platforms to resupply our rooms with beer, cucumbers, instant oatmeal and soup.

The beer complements the piroshki nicely

Elderly babuskas would offer boiled potatoes with dill, piroshki, truly great beers, cucumbers, tomatoes, baked chicken, sausages and all matter of other essential supplies for long distance train riding.

No dining car, you say?  While the train had a succession of Russian, Mongolian and Chinese restaurant cars, they tended to offer school cafeteria quality food and service at internationally painful prices.  Hence, they tended to serve only the tour groups with pre-paid meals.

The Implacable Samovar

Water was provided from the traditional Russian samovar.  The samovar is used for heating water for two purposes.  The first is to provide hot water for noodle cups, tea and coffee, but the far more important purpose is to provide boiled water for safe drinking purposes.

The samovar was heated with coal, so the water had an unusual smokey quality that made everything taste like it had been cooked over a campfire.

It may be traditional, but it seems odd that in the 21st century, a 20th century train traveling on 19th century tracks would use an 18th century heating system, but this is Russia, people....

The train travels at an average of 57 kph so we rolled through the Urals, western and eastern Siberia, Mongolia and then into China at the rate of around 1,000 km per day.   Kilometer markers along the track were matched with timetables to keep track of where we were, but over time we began to relax in the rhythm of the train and watch the world go by, one of the many benefits of train travel.  However, there was one great irony discovered, that we will share in the final column of the series.

Next week in the YRC we shall discover the wonders and magic of Moscow!  Gangsters!  KGB Headquarters and Khrushchev's Grave!  Thanks for tuning in and see you next week.

Lake Baikal at dawn

Welcome to Siberia, Comrade

Camels of the Gobi

Mongolian diesel at work

Zhangjiakou, PRC

A Visit to the Marriage Market.

Howdy, and thanks for coming back for more meaningful dialogue here at the YRC.   This week features a special bonus:  TWO columns.  The first column will feature the usual snappy dialogue and piercing commentary that you are surprised to find here at the YRC.  The bonus column is an update on the now famous "Scams" column, with news from the American Consulate in Shanghai and a special "Find the Fake Scam" puzzle.  So be sure to check it out.

Train 4, Moscow-Beijing.  Photo from The Man in Seat 61.

Before we go on, you may be pleased to know that there will be no column on Friday, September 9.  Yes, we are slacking off, but for good reason.  On that particular Friday, the staff of the YRC will be on the Trans-Siberian train number 4 from Moscow to Beijing.  Expect a full report in a future YRC.  Last week's column received good press for its gritty analysis on Counterfeit China.  Thanks for your comments and good luck spotting the Fake scam.

Shanghai Tunnel of Love

Romantic Resumes

This week, we continue our sanguine analysis of Chinese culture as we head to a key stop on the "Getting Lost in Shanghai" tour, the Marriage Market.

I've attached a great article on the MM from CNNgo at the end of the blog.  The articles has some real reporting and coherent information, not really the hallmarks of the YRC peppery style.

Back to the 'Hai!  To get to the market, we slithered our way through the vast beehive called the People's Square metro station, the busiest in all of China with 400,000 people rolling through it's 20 entrances/exits daily.  The huge underground complex contains shopping malls, shops, restaurants, a replica of a Shanghai street in the 1930's, three subway lines, and lots of thumb drive vendors.

For some reason, every exit has a street vendors who try to sell (what kind??  Anyone??  FAKE!!)  USB flash drives.  So, dodging them, too, you will scurry through the underground Wedding Gown market to arrive at exit 9, which leads to People's Park entrance number 5 and there you are.

Truth be told, the staff here at YRC spent several weekend afternoons searching for the Marriage Market. For some reason it eluded us.  We simply could not find the place.  We would read the information, head out at the proper time of 12-5 on Saturdays and Sundays, and...no Marriage Market.

We might find a large groups of Chinese package tour nomads piling off the bus and idly blocking the sidewalks.  We would find the mysterious kite vendors who haunt People's Park, or we would find groups of parents playing in the fountains with their kids right next to the "Stay Out of the Fountains With Your Kids" signs.  But the market eluded  us. It was as if they would pack up and hustle away like empty cabs in a rainstorm when they saw us coming,.  It may actually be some sort of an omen....

A marriage broker works a lead

Please Use Red Ink!

However, through a combination of dumb luck and better map reading, we pounced on it recently.  The market has are shelters built for all-weather marriage marketing.  There are places to hang resumes and places to distribute resumes.  Every candidate has a resume and every resume has the same information.

The resumes are arranged by age, so no trolling around the 20s section there, Comrade.  You belong over there in the "Former Friends of Mao" section!   Name, height, age, salary, car/apartment ownership are prominently displayed.

No pictures, usually.  None of this "likes walks in the park and cuddling by the fire" crap you get in the West. Nope. The children are usually not involved in the process.  Ma and Pa meet Ma and Pa in the park, a match is found, a deal is struck and you, the child, receive a call to meet Mister or Miss Perfectshorts at the Starbucks on Nanjing Lu this Thursday, 8:00 p.m. Sharp. This is economics, people. This is China, right?  And it seems to work if you use divorces per 1000 as a measure of success.

We would like to point out that this an area where the Chinese need to improve dramatically if they view themselves as future leaders of the world.  Frankly, they suck!  They are only number 17!   Even Finland is beating them.  Sad, really.  Poor little Finland kicking the crap out of mighty China. Even Tunisia has them beat.

But there is hope!  Western culture is blossoming in the next Chinese generation.  They are eating McDonalds and getting pudgy.  They are driving Buicks and washing them on weekends.  They wear Gap clothes and listen to Usher and Justin Whosispunkwhatever.  Happily, they are resisting the old ways and they are falling in love.  Young Chinese are asserting themselves and starting to choose their own partners!   And, slowly, the divorce rate in China is rising.

This trend is the key to assist the People's Republic to the requisite levels of ex-matrimony.   Maybe we should quit building aircraft carriers and instead send them...Barry White CDs.  And, Tequila!    You never know....it could work.  I just wonder though...maybe I'll start brokering a few dates for my kids...


The Article from CNNgo

 “My daughter studied in an Australian program for university,” says Chen Liande, holding out a photo for the small crowd to view. Someone compliments him. “She’s been to London, too. Now I’m helping her find a husband,” he adds.

With a large park, walking paths, greenery and two museums, People’s Square is the beating heart of a modern city. And on weekend afternoons that heart flutters and palpitates as doting parents hope to marry off their kids. Next to the modern art museum in People's Square Park, crowds of them jostle and chatter, the bushes around filled with papers advertising height and weight, salary and education. “28. Good job. Local resident. Have house have car. Contact for a meeting,” says one. 

Matchmaker Mr Fu site with his clients' profiles at the weekend People's Square marriage market.

This nuptial gathering is the famous Shanghai marriage market. It is match.com meets farmers’ market, and it is the last resort for many of Shanghai's young people, and their parents.

The parent trap

At the marriage market, parents, with or without their children’s consent, arrange meetings, dates and potential matches for their kids. Some children, often too busy working to devote time to meeting a soul mate, accept their parents' help. But its not easy even for a parent, and many also employ matchmakers.

Matchmakers broker meetings for numerous clients usually charging RMB 10-20 per pairing. “I’ve been a matchmaker for three years,” says Mr Zheng “There’s no large payment up front. If you get married, I expect a nice gift and maybe an invitation to attend the wedding. I already represent two American men. Interested?”

Even then, matching people long term, especially with the (in)famously strong-willed Shanghainese women, can be difficult.

“I’ve been here a long time,” muses Mr Fu, a local matchmaker. “Girls in Shanghai are strong these days. Although they don’t have as much trouble finding a man, there are still lots of unmarried girls’ names on my lists.”

But that could soon flip the other way, if a recent report is to be believed.

24 million unmarried men

28. Good job. Local resident. Have house have car. Contact for a meeting.

— Sign at the People's Square marriage market

According to a study from the University of Kent, in ten years China will have approximately 24 million unmarried Chinese men who cannot find wives. That's more than the current female populations of Taiwan and South Korea combined, to give it some context. 

“Sustained abnormal sex ratio at birth in China for nearly three decades, following China's launch of its one-child policy, clearly has a major impact on the Chinese marriage market,” explains Professor Wang Feng, Chair of the sociology department at University of California, Irvine and an expert in Chinese population demographics. 

But while that sounds like China's men will be running over themselves to find a wife come 2020, the news is not so bad for those in Shanghai. “Involuntary bachelorhood so far is largely confined to the poor," explains Professor Wang. "For men, especially those in Shanghai, finding a wife is still possible and marriage is still one of the primary markers of success in life.”

Hence the continued existence of the seemingly anachronistic Shanghai marriage market.

Read more: Shanghai's marriage market: Bridal bliss or marital mayhem? | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/play/sausage-fest-2020-future-shanghai-marriage-market-086672#ixzz1Wl8QY2sq    B

Howdy, and thanks for coming back for more meaningful dialogue here at the YRC.   This week features a special bonus round of TWO YRC columns.  This column will feature the usual snappy dialogue and piercing commentary you sometimes are surprised by here at the YRC.  The other is an update on our now famous "Scams" column with an update by the American Consulate in Shanghai and a special "Find the Fake Scam" opportunity.  So be sure to check it out.

Train 4, Moscow-Beijing.  Photo from The Man in Seat 61.

Before we go on,  You will be pleased to know that there will be no YRC on Friday, September 9.  Yes, we am slacking off, but for good reason.  On that particular Friday, the staff of the YRC will be on the Trans-Siberian train number 4 from Moscow to Beijing.  Expect a full report in a future YRC.

Shanghai Tunnel of Love

Last week's column got lots of good press for its gritty analysis on Counterfeit China, so thanks for your comments and good luck spotting the Fake Fake in this week's bonus column.

This week, we continue our sanguine analysis of Chinese culture as we blow past the Fake Market and head to a key stop on the "Getting Lost in Shanghai tour", the Shanghai Marriage Market.  I've attached a great article on the marriage market from CNNgo at the end of the blog so you can get some real reporting and coherent information, not really hallmarks of the YRC style.

Romantic Resumes

To get there, you fight your way through the vast People's Square metro station, the busiest in all of China with 400,000 people rolling through it's 20 entrances/exits daily.  The huge underground complex including shopping malls, restaurants, a replica of a Shanghai street in the 1930's, three subway lines, vendorsYou cut through the underground Wedding market to arrive at exit 9, which leads to People's Park entrance number 5 and there you are.



EP and spent a long time actually looking for the Marriage Market. For some reason, it eluded us. We would read the information, head out at the proper time of 12-5 on Saturdays and Sundays, and...no marriage market. We might find a large group of Chinese bus package tour people idly blocking the sidewalks, or the mysterious kite vendors who haunt Peoples Park, or groups of parents playing the fountains with their kids right next to the "Stay Out of the Fountains With Your Kids" signs displayed prominently. No, today we are going to use the marriage market as a springboard, or foil, or stalking horse, or ..well, you get the idea.   The staff here at YRC have a hypothesis that  we have been testing that the Westernization of the Chinese romantic system will eventually bring the entire civilization to ruin.




 “My daughter studied in an Australian program for university,” says Chen Liande, holding out a photo for the small crowd to view. Someone compliments him. “She’s been to London, too. Now I’m helping her find a husband,” he adds.

With a large park, walking paths, greenery and two museums, People’s Square is the beating heart of a modern city. And on weekend afternoons that heart flutters and palpitates as doting parents hope to marry off their kids. Next to the modern art museum in People's Square Park, crowds of them jostle and chatter, the bushes around filled with papers advertising height and weight, salary and education. “28. Good job. Local resident. Have house have car. Contact for a meeting,” says one. 

Matchmaker Mr Fu site with his clients' profiles at the weekend People's Square marriage market.

This nuptial gathering is the famous Shanghai marriage market. It is match.com meets farmers’ market, and it is the last resort for many of Shanghai's young people, and their parents.

The parent trap

At the marriage market, parents, with or without their children’s consent, arrange meetings, dates and potential matches for their kids. Some children, often too busy working to devote time to meeting a soul mate, accept their parents' help. But its not easy even for a parent, and many also employ matchmakers.

Matchmakers broker meetings for numerous clients usually charging RMB 10-20 per pairing. “I’ve been a matchmaker for three years,” says Mr Zheng “There’s no large payment up front. If you get married, I expect a nice gift and maybe an invitation to attend the wedding. I already represent two American men. Interested?”

Even then, matching people long term, especially with the (in)famously strong-willed Shanghainese women, can be difficult.

“I’ve been here a long time,” muses Mr Fu, a local matchmaker. “Girls in Shanghai are strong these days. Although they don’t have as much trouble finding a man, there are still lots of unmarried girls’ names on my lists.”

But that could soon flip the other way, if a recent report is to be believed.

24 million unmarried men

28. Good job. Local resident. Have house have car. Contact for a meeting.

— Sign at the People's Square marriage market

According to a study from the University of Kent, in ten years China will have approximately 24 million unmarried Chinese men who cannot find wives. That's more than the current female populations of Taiwan and South Korea combined, to give it some context. 

“Sustained abnormal sex ratio at birth in China for nearly three decades, following China's launch of its one-child policy, clearly has a major impact on the Chinese marriage market,” explains Professor Wang Feng, Chair of the sociology department at University of California, Irvine and an expert in Chinese population demographics. 

But while that sounds like China's men will be running over themselves to find a wife come 2020, the news is not so bad for those in Shanghai. “Involuntary bachelorhood so far is largely confined to the poor," explains Professor Wang. "For men, especially those in Shanghai, finding a wife is still possible and marriage is still one of the primary markers of success in life.”

Hence the continued existence of the seemingly anachronistic Shanghai marriage market.

Read more: Shanghai's marriage market: Bridal bliss or marital mayhem? | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/play/sausage-fest-2020-future-shanghai-marriage-market-086672#ixzz1Wl8QY2sq  

SPECIAL SEPTEMBER BONUS COLUMN.....

Though we at the YRC hope you have many reasons for being part of the YRC community, you may be pleased to know that the American Consulate in Shanghai is clearly an avid follower of the YRC.    As evidence, they STOLE our column on "scams" and have published a column of their own in the August issue of News for Americans.  In an attempt to bring much more levity to the rather dreary topic of scammage, we have introduced a special "Find the Fake Scam."  The YRC has published a column on fakes and a column on scams, so here it is, kids, the BONUS ROUND!! 

One of these scams is a fake.  Can you find it?  We'll publish the results in the next YRC!  Here's the article!  Have fun and always, always, count your change!!

Shanghai Consulate 

News for Americans                                                                    Issue 43 August, 2011

The American Citizen Services (ACS) unit is regularly contacted by Americans victimized by scams that take advantage of their generosity or ignorance of local norms and culture. While petty theft remains the most prevalent type of crime Westerners encounter in China, the diversity and sophistication of scams is increasing. While the following list is not meant to be all-encompassing it does forewarn and forearm you against the most common scams encountered by Americans in the Shanghai area:

“Art Show / Art Student” scam – “Hi, I’m an art major at a Chinese university (usually Xi’an). We are showing our work nearby and would love for you to have a look. Don’t worry, entrance is free and there’s no need to buy anything.” If you follow this “art student” you will be pressured to purchase expensive, low-grade art prints.

“Tea Ceremony / English student” scam – “Hi, we are English students at a local university. Would you mind helping us practice our English? In exchange, we will treat you to a traditional Chinese tea ceremony.” After ordering tea and snacks they will excuse themselves. Moments later the bill will arrive and very large men will force you to pay an exorbitant amount of money before allowing you to leave. Real English students will not mind going to a place of your choosing for a chance to practice their English for an 

hour.

“Bar tabs” - Better to pay as you go. Starting a tab makes it possible for a bartender to hand you a bar bill of $500. If you decline to pay you could be threatened with physical violence until you pay (usually by credit card), before being escorted out.

“Injured Relative / Arrested Relative” scam – “Hi, I’m a friend of your grandchild here in China and she was just seriously injured (usually in a traffic accident) and/or arrested. In order for her to receive medical care in China you must pay all fees upfront. The American Consulate won’t help. Please wire $2000 to my account so I can ensure your
granddaughter receives the necessary medical treatment.” Always best to try and contact
your relative directly, or call ACS to help you find out the facts, if someone tells you that
they are in trouble and need you to wire them money ASAP. In China medical facilities will usually contact the U.S. Consulate if an American citizen is admitted without anyone to assist. We will never refuse to assist American citizens in need.

“Please Hold the Line for the Police” – You receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from your bank or the police station and you are told that someone assumed your identity and used your credit card to commit credit card fraud, which is now under investigation by the Public Security Bureau (PSB). You are informed that the PSB requires your bank account information to complete their investigation. After providing your personally identifiable information over the phone that included your savings account information, your account is liquidated. You later find out that the person who called you was not from your bank or the police station. If you receive a call from the police asking for personal information you should ask them to wait, and contact your nearest police station to inquire into the situation in person.

“Business Deal” – You have been doing business with a Chinese company for some time and receive an email asking you to send the next wire transfer to a new account number. After wiring the money you are asked to resend the payment because it never arrived. After rewiring the payment you are again notified that the payment did not arrive and that you should try sending it to another account number. At which time you become extremely suspicious and discover the email address is slightly different from the company’s real e-mail address and/or the person who has been contacting you left the company a month before.

“IRS scam” – You received an email from the IRS claiming they cannot process your recent
tax return because you did not include a photocopy of your state or federal ID. The IRS does NOT generally initiate fax or emails to taxpayers, nor does the IRS discuss tax account matters with taxpayers via email or fax. Moreover, the IRS never requests security-related personal information, such as your SSN or PIN numbers.

“Diversity Visa” – You receive an email congratulating you because you’ve won a
Diversity Visa and although the Diversity Visa participation was free, U.S. law and regulations require every diversity visa winner to pay a visa processing fee of $819. The email goes on to state the fee must be paid using a Western Union money transfer and will be processed by the U.S. Embassy in the United Kingdom.” UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should money be sent to anyone to participate in the DV Lottery. The Department of State's Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) does not send email notifications to DV entrants informing them of their winning entries.

“Real Estate” scam – You sign a contract for an apartment you want to rent and hand
over the deposit and first few months rent to who you believe is the landlord. Everything
seems legitimate until you return home one night to discover the real landlord in the
apartment demanding to know who you are and why you have moved into his apartment.
You find that the person you signed the contract with has skipped town with your
money and the real estate agent has no recollection of you.

“Black Taxi” – “Where do you want to go?” or “Taxi?” If you get in, make no mistake,
you will be grossly over charged and potentially robbed in a secluded area by the
driver’s friends. The same goes for motorcycle and moped operators charging
for transportation.

“Fake Police” – You are stopped on the road (usually near an area frequented by
expats) and asked to show your passport to a person claiming to be a police officer.
When you cannot produce your passport, you are asked to pay an on-the-spot fine of
RMB500. First, if they are real police they will have no problem with showing you their
I.D. when requested. Furthermore, real police officers will go with you to their police
station where you will be issued a receipt for the fine.

“Pickpockets” – Typically, a single man or a pair of women with babies strapped to their
chests approach you from behind during your walk near a popular tourist area (Nanjing Rd). Unbeknownst to you, they unzip your bag and quickly steal everything
that looks expensive. Remember to keep your bags in front of you and do not place
valuables in your back pocket.

“Child Beggars and Flower Sellers” –“Money, money, money!” or “Flowers, Flowers, Flowers!” Money dropped into their cup will be taken by their adult handler (perhaps even their kidnapper) who is exploiting the child and your humanitarian 

nature. If you want to help, consider offering food instead.

"Fake Tailor Scam" -  In a popular tourist area (YuYuan Gardens) you are handed  a flyer advertising a tailor who will come to your hotel room, take your measurements and have your custom-tailored clothes ready in 24 hours.  A professional looking man comes with an assistant and a large selection of fabric swatches for you to select your colors and fabrics.  He gives you a detailed receipt for the 50% deposit he requires and then leaves.  The phone number and address on the receipt turn out to be fake and you never see your clothing or your deposit again.

“Buy a Car” scam – A Chinese based website states you can pay 30% of the total
cost of the car now through Western Union and the balance upon delivery. In the end you
never receive your car or see your money again.

“Black Money” - In order to prevent the theft of U.S. currency being shipped overseas, the U.S. government has a process to coat $100 bills with a special ink (usually black). I have intercepted one shipment but need your help purchasing a special solvent to “clean” the bills. I am happy to share the proceeds with you. Of course, the process is bogus, and you will lose whatever money you invest.

“Stolen Wallet” – "Hi, my wife and I (dressed nicely) are tourists and had our wallets stolen.  Could you please loan us RMB100? When we return home we will send you the money back." You will not receive any money back and have just been victimized by a con artist.

“Dropped Metro Card” scam – The taxi driver drops your transportation card as he 

attempts to hand it back to you in the backseat. The next time you go to use it you
find the card has a zero balance. What happened to your money? The taxi driver
saw that you had a lot of money on your card and dropped it by his feet to quickly switch it for an empty one. Circumvent this scam by placing a sticker or other clear identifying
marker on your transportation card to confirm the card handed back to you is
indeed your own.