Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Happy Winter Break, Comrades!!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Fuzzy Logic Control and the Shanghai BigBox Shopping Experience....
Hello there and welcome back to yet another Yellow RIver Chronicles. Sections of this week's missive were written on the Shanghai/Kunming China Eastern Flight MU5805 in seat 40J. The YRC staff was returning from a brief sojourn in faire Kunming, capital of Yunnan province in the far south of the good old PR of C. They have some fine mushrooms there. Other sections were written in Anji, home of the bamboo groves, during an adventure to see the Lunar Eclipse (no, there was not another ditch episode). This and other details of the adventure will be reported in a future YRC.But first, something topical. RETAIL! As we enter the final laps leading into the Big Laowai Holidays, we thought that this week we would address the one of the more curious of all Shanghai experiences, shopping in a Chinese BigBig Box Store.
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| Typical Shopping Street |
As background, traditional Shanghai shopping is centered around commercial streets and markets that hum with activity. The streets specialize in a particular activity.
There is the street of musicians, famous Jinling Lu, the street of bookstore, Fuzhou Lu, the street of hairdressing equipment, and many others, including the street of buttons. It was on the street of buttons that a YRC staff member engaged in a legendary negotiation over the price of six buttons. The initial asking price of 6 yuan (about 90 cents) was fought down to 3 yuan in a tense, high stakes battle of wits. As we learned in an earlier YRC, sometimes you negotiate (most shops and stalls), sometimes you do not (temples, tea stores and new book stores).
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| Seafood Market, Hong Kong |
Of the markets, the most interesting tend to be the seafood markets, where the Hairy Crabs bubble, the fish flop and the eels….eel. This is because the Chinese will not buy seafood unless it is alive. So, the seafood markets have more of a resemblance to aquariums than they do stores.
On other hand, the most challenging of all are the fresh meat markets. Most Shanghaiese do not have refrigeration, nor do they like to buy their meat cold. So most meat markets look like one of the "Halloween" series of horror movies. Shopping for meat is NOT FOR THE WEAK!!
On other hand, the most challenging of all are the fresh meat markets. Most Shanghaiese do not have refrigeration, nor do they like to buy their meat cold. So most meat markets look like one of the "Halloween" series of horror movies. Shopping for meat is NOT FOR THE WEAK!!
Because of these lovely retail traditions, the big box store is a novelty to most Chinese. There are Wall Marts (haven't been) and there used to be Best Buys (all six stores closed without notice) but our story lies with two gems of Chinese retail adventuring, Carrefours and Ikea.
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| Shanghai Carrefours Checkout. Photo Courtesy of The Telegraph. |
We will start with Carrefours. Carrefours are French superstores, managed by Chinese. So they have the benefit of both French and Chinese organization. We will let you think about that a moment as we move on.
The first thing one notices on arriving at a Carrefours is the noise level. All business in a Carrefours is completed at full volume, in ALL CAPS!!! The television sets in electronics are playing a high volume, as are the stereos. The Chinese love to buy via demonstrations, so there are always half a dozen product demonstrations going on around the store, usually with a Carrefours Pixie or two drawing in the crowds by yelling over the background noise at full volume in their handheld microphones.
There are staff everywhere, usually stationed at about 3 or 4 to an aisle to assist you in your product browsing. For example, to buy a pack of AAA batteries, one goes to the battery aisle, where there are at least 30 brands, all with different pricing scenarios. As you stand there, attempting to decipher the pricing and find the right size, a Pixie will come, and begin to hand you batteries from the wall display. The longer you stay, the more attention you attract....you obviously don't know what the hell you are doing. As you hand them back politely and they hand you a new selection, you have to wait for a break in the rhythmic exchange of battery packs to dart to the wall, grab a pack and escape.
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| Rice Cooker Aisle. Note Pixie at End. Photo Courtesy of mcljava. |
The YRC staff purchase of a rice cooker is an excellent example. We had in mind a Japanese rice maker because the instructions are in English. As we approached the aisle, we realized there were approximately 3,000 different models of rice cookers. A highly popular item, that.
As we worked our way down the aisle, we attracted the attention of Pixie the Aisle Helper North, who went with us into the middle section where we picked up Pixie the Aisle Helper Middle and then the four of us went on to work with Pixie the Aisle Helper South. The five of us now were intently gazing at the Japanese rice makers
Fuzzy Logic and Rice Cookers
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| "Fuzzy the Cooker" |
Fuzzy-logic rice cookers have computer chips that direct their ability to make proper adjustments to cooking time and temperature. Unlike basic rice cookers, which complete tasks in a single-minded, mechanical manner, the process behind the fuzzy-logic rice cookers needs a bit more explanation. The fuzzy sets theory, first proposed by UC Berkeley professor Lotfi Zadeh in 1965, laid the groundwork for fuzzy logic, which he also put forward in 1973. Fuzzy sets theory has to do with mathematical sets, or groups of items known as elements. In most mathematical sets, an element either belongs to the set or it doesn't. For example, a sparrow would belong to a set of birds, but a bat wouldn't. In fuzzy logic, though, elements can belong to sets in varying degrees. So since a bat has wings, it might belong to a set of birds -- but only to a certain extent. Fuzzy logic is basically a way to program machines so they look at the world in a more human way, with degrees of truth. Instead of cold, hard parameters and strict data sets, fuzzy logic assumes a more practical approach. Using numbers, it incorporates non-definitive words like "slightly" or "almost" into its decision-making processes. As a result, the use of fuzzy logic in rice cookers helps to ensure properly cooked rice because it gives the appliances the ability to make judgment calls similar to those a person might make, albeit typically better than those a hungry, impatient person might make.
Defeated, but wiser, and starting to crack under the barrage of sound from the blender demonstration going on in the next aisle, we grabbed a "Fuzzy" from a stack at the end of the aisle and exited stage right. One member of the YRC staff has vowed to never return. But "Fuzzy" does a good job and always cooks perfect rice. And when things get slow, we can always "Gong the Pan".
Generally, the retail chaos extends to all elements in the shopping process at Carrefours. The aisles swarm with shopping citizens earnestly discussing the merits of different brands of dried plums. Shopping carts move about with destructive ferocity. Citizens will often stop their group discussions to inspect what the Laowai have in their shopping cart. A passing matron will reach in and sort through the items in the cart.
A standing Laowai who is studying an entire wall of instant soup noodles will often attract a crowd who will then stand and look in the same direction to see what is going on. Shopping is a full-contact sport, people, and not for the indecisive or weak. If you want that, go to Lawsons (topic for a future YRC).
A standing Laowai who is studying an entire wall of instant soup noodles will often attract a crowd who will then stand and look in the same direction to see what is going on. Shopping is a full-contact sport, people, and not for the indecisive or weak. If you want that, go to Lawsons (topic for a future YRC).
Another excellent example of the retail process is the WSJ article," IKEA is a Swede Place for Love". We have posted it as a separate blog post so WSJ gets the credit and so you can believe the veracity of the materials. We refer to it as the invasion of the "Silver Haired Chattering Love Birds" in the Shanghai IKEA. Truth be told, the article speaks for itself. Pay particular attention to the eggshells and orange peels.
So curl up at the IKEA in a chair, take a nap, or break out your mobile device to read next weeks YRC. We will learn about another bird, the siberian seagull when we hang out at the Hiker's Cafe in Kunming! See you next week and keep the coffee hot for us.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The Talking Dog and Other Adventures in Learning Mandarin...
Hello, greetings and welcome back to the almost legendary Yellow River Chronicles, distributed throughout the free world as a beacon of irritability and petulance in an otherwise content and harmonious globe.
This week, we shelve the promised "Run for the Crabs" report for an update on the climb up one of the world's steepest learning curves.....Mandarin. There are many articles on "Why Mandarin is Hard to Learn" and here is a link to a good one:
Great Article by David Moser on Why It's Soooo Hard.
So, there you have it. It is truly wonderful to have someone do our whining for us. Good work, Dave! With all that sorted out for us, we are now going to tackle the subject in the grand tradition of the YRC: with a total personal bias and general distortion of the facts. So here we GO!
Our experience has been that there are three (3) main reasons why the YRC staff smashes headfirst into the language barrier:
Reason the First: Most Chinese Would Prefer to Practice Their English Rather Than Listen to You Babbling Nonsense Like a Dental Patient. Some of the Chinese you meet in everyday life can not avoid helping you figure out how to order your noodles. (Wǒ yào miàntiáo. Shén me? Wǒ yào miàntiáo!)
In the same tradition of many cross-lingual interchanges, most Mandarin/English speaking exchanges result in the parties simply repeating the same words in their own language at a higher volume until someone gives up.
"I would like some noodles, please"
"Wo yao miantiao?"
"Noodles. I would LIKE some NOODLES!"
"Miantiao? MIANTIAO"?"
"NOODLES! LIKE HIM! NOODLES!"
However, in Shanghai, this tradition, like so many others, is rapidly changing as more and more Chinese begin to learn English. Here's a quick update from ABC News on the subject to provide some veracity the rest of the column...
For the adults, learning the language is more of a struggle but it doesn't deter them from trying. And many Chinese hope that more Americans do the same.
"I think that China is very important in the world," said one boy. "I wish that American people can speak, can study Chinese. I think that's very good for us to make friends with them."
Mandarin, Courtesy of LonelyPlanet.com
LonelyPlanet.com shared several Mandarin phrases with "World News with Diane Sawyer" as it broadcasts from China this week.
"Zhe dao cai zhenxiang" means I love this dish.
"Ganbei!" means Cheers!
"Ni neng bangwo jiao ge che ma?" means Can you call a taxi for me?
"Qingwen" means Excuse me, please?
"Wo jiao" means My name is ....
Example: A certain YRC staff member, who speaks rather good Mandarin and practices every day, recently called a restaurant to reserve a table. Mid-sentence, she was stopped by the hostess who simply said: "Why don't we just do this in English." A bit deflating, that, but a good example of Reason the First.
Reason the Second: Generally, a Mistake in Mandarin Will Create Some Very Odd Expressions and the Chinese Will Openly Point and Laugh at You Because You Sound Like a Total Idiot. As David mentioned earlier, Mandarin is a tonal language. That means that exact same word has four different meanings depending which of the four tones is used. Here's a quick review from About.com.
So, the means using the word "ma" can mean mother, hemp, horse or scold, or....(wait for it) it can also be a question, if the tone is neutral. So you can get, "How is your horse feeling?" "Is that handbag made of mother" and other tragedies of communication.
This extreme communication risk leads of a hesitancy in practicing Mandarin in public. There is always the worry that an attempt to negotiate a price on a rice steamer will end up in a situation similar to those childhood fear dreams.
You know, where an entire nation forms a ring around you and points and laughs because you are SUCH a DORK. And then there's the naked dreams and the wrestling a goldfish dreams, but we'll get back to you on that.
This week, we shelve the promised "Run for the Crabs" report for an update on the climb up one of the world's steepest learning curves.....Mandarin. There are many articles on "Why Mandarin is Hard to Learn" and here is a link to a good one:
Great Article by David Moser on Why It's Soooo Hard.
So, there you have it. It is truly wonderful to have someone do our whining for us. Good work, Dave! With all that sorted out for us, we are now going to tackle the subject in the grand tradition of the YRC: with a total personal bias and general distortion of the facts. So here we GO!
Our experience has been that there are three (3) main reasons why the YRC staff smashes headfirst into the language barrier:
Reason the First: Most Chinese Would Prefer to Practice Their English Rather Than Listen to You Babbling Nonsense Like a Dental Patient. Some of the Chinese you meet in everyday life can not avoid helping you figure out how to order your noodles. (Wǒ yào miàntiáo. Shén me? Wǒ yào miàntiáo!)
In the same tradition of many cross-lingual interchanges, most Mandarin/English speaking exchanges result in the parties simply repeating the same words in their own language at a higher volume until someone gives up.
"I would like some noodles, please"
"Wo yao miantiao?"
"Noodles. I would LIKE some NOODLES!"
"Miantiao? MIANTIAO"?"
"NOODLES! LIKE HIM! NOODLES!"
However, in Shanghai, this tradition, like so many others, is rapidly changing as more and more Chinese begin to learn English. Here's a quick update from ABC News on the subject to provide some veracity the rest of the column...
Ganbei!! China Embraces English Language
In an effort to promote internationalism, China is learning English.
In the next five years, all state employees younger than 40 will be required to master at least 1,000 English phrases, and all schools will begin teaching English in kindergarten. The government also is funding extensive teacher training programs to find new models for language learning and develop new textbooks.
Check the end of this story for a few phrases in Mandarin, courtesy of LonelyPlanet.
Parents who can afford to, are sending their children -- some as young as 2 -- to private language schools that are popping up all over the country. By the time they are 10, the children will be fluent.
"China is more open to the world," said one teacher. "We [the older generation] want our kids to open their eyes to get to know the world [and] look at China not only from standing in China but from outside of China as well."
State-run TV launched an "American Idol"-type of reality show where kids have to sell themselves in English to clinch the judges' votes.
Signs in not-quite-right English -- "Car Repairable," "Cosme Toulogy" and "Welcom Go Home" -- can be found across the country.
ABCNEWS.com
Diane Sits Down With Billionaire Jack Ma Watch Video
Working for the Future Watch Video
Stunning Economic Growth in ChinaWatch Video
For the adults, learning the language is more of a struggle but it doesn't deter them from trying. And many Chinese hope that more Americans do the same.
"I think that China is very important in the world," said one boy. "I wish that American people can speak, can study Chinese. I think that's very good for us to make friends with them."
Mandarin, Courtesy of LonelyPlanet.com
LonelyPlanet.com shared several Mandarin phrases with "World News with Diane Sawyer" as it broadcasts from China this week.
"Zhe dao cai zhenxiang" means I love this dish. "Ganbei!" means Cheers! "Ni neng bangwo jiao ge che ma?" means Can you call a taxi for me? "Qingwen" means Excuse me, please? "Wo jiao" means My name is ....Reason the Second: Generally, a Mistake in Mandarin Will Create Some Very Odd Expressions and the Chinese Will Openly Point and Laugh at You Because You Sound Like a Total Idiot. As David mentioned earlier, Mandarin is a tonal language. That means that exact same word has four different meanings depending which of the four tones is used. Here's a quick review from About.com.
The Four Tones of Mandarin
By Qiu Gui Su, About.com Guide
Mandarin uses four tones to clarify the meanings of words. Since many characters have the same sound, tones are used to differentiate words from each other.
The four tones in Mandarin are:
- high level – first tone
- rising – second tone
- falling rising – third tone
- falling – fourth tone
Pinyin uses either numbers or tone marks to indicate the tones. Here is the word ‘ma’ with tone marks:
- First tone: ma1 or mā
- Second tone: ma2 or má
- Third tone: ma3 or mǎ
- Fourth tone: ma4 or mà
The tones are used to determine the meaning of a Mandarin word. So mǎ (horse) is very different from mā (mother).
When learning new vocabulary you must practice both the pronunciation of the word and its tone. The wrong tones can change the meaning of your sentences.
The following table has sound clips which allow you to hear the tones. Listen to each tone and try to mimic it as closely as possible.
The Four Tones of Mandarin
| Pinyin | Chinese Character | Meaning | Sound Clip |
| mā | 媽 | mother | audio |
| má | 麻 | hemp | audio |
| mǎ | 馬 | horse | audio |
| mà | 罵 | scold | audio |
So, the means using the word "ma" can mean mother, hemp, horse or scold, or....(wait for it) it can also be a question, if the tone is neutral. So you can get, "How is your horse feeling?" "Is that handbag made of mother" and other tragedies of communication.
This extreme communication risk leads of a hesitancy in practicing Mandarin in public. There is always the worry that an attempt to negotiate a price on a rice steamer will end up in a situation similar to those childhood fear dreams.
You know, where an entire nation forms a ring around you and points and laughs because you are SUCH a DORK. And then there's the naked dreams and the wrestling a goldfish dreams, but we'll get back to you on that.
Example: One of the YRC staff (the one who is not nearly as fluent as the other one) was conversing with a doorman about the weather (Is it hot outside?) to which the doorman laughed and said "You're hungry?"
He walked away chortling and we were happy to have made his day. He probably still tells the story at his local club, the Laughing Doorman.
Reason the Third: You are a Talking Dog. Most gweizi are in Shanghai for a short period of time and don't have enough time to learn much Mandarin. This, along with the relative isolation of the expat community and the ability of many Shanghaiese to speak English, means that most foreigners in Shanghai start a conversation assuming that the other party will know enough English to keep things moving.
This, friends, creates the Talking Dog effect. Any attempt to speak Mandarin (Ignoring the first two reasons) that actually says the right thing at the right time creates a response similar to a dog suddenly making polite conversation.
Example: A common Mandarin greeting is "nǐ chī le ma" or, "have you eaten"? It is similar to "How Ya Doing?" or "S'up?" in American English. The phrase is not generally used by the expat population because we are taught the totally dorky and wrong greeting phrases to identify us as foreign dorkoids in language schools run by foreign Master Dorks.
The YRC staff accidentally used the correct phrase with the correct tones recently in a apartment elevator. The response was the look of someone who has just met...the Talking Dog in a Disney movie. "What did he just say?? He can talk!!" The crowd in the elevator collapsed in amazement and wonder as the Dog meditated on consequences of Reason the Third.
And, we hope you will have a Reason to come back next week when we discuss "Invasion of the Senior Lonely Hearts." Woof! WOOF!
He walked away chortling and we were happy to have made his day. He probably still tells the story at his local club, the Laughing Doorman.
Reason the Third: You are a Talking Dog. Most gweizi are in Shanghai for a short period of time and don't have enough time to learn much Mandarin. This, along with the relative isolation of the expat community and the ability of many Shanghaiese to speak English, means that most foreigners in Shanghai start a conversation assuming that the other party will know enough English to keep things moving.
This, friends, creates the Talking Dog effect. Any attempt to speak Mandarin (Ignoring the first two reasons) that actually says the right thing at the right time creates a response similar to a dog suddenly making polite conversation.
Example: A common Mandarin greeting is "nǐ chī le ma" or, "have you eaten"? It is similar to "How Ya Doing?" or "S'up?" in American English. The phrase is not generally used by the expat population because we are taught the totally dorky and wrong greeting phrases to identify us as foreign dorkoids in language schools run by foreign Master Dorks.
The YRC staff accidentally used the correct phrase with the correct tones recently in a apartment elevator. The response was the look of someone who has just met...the Talking Dog in a Disney movie. "What did he just say?? He can talk!!" The crowd in the elevator collapsed in amazement and wonder as the Dog meditated on consequences of Reason the Third.
And, we hope you will have a Reason to come back next week when we discuss "Invasion of the Senior Lonely Hearts." Woof! WOOF!
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