TianZiFang

Wow! I can't believe it's been nearly two weeks since I last posted! Coincidentally, I starting working two weeks ago. A lot has happened since then. In fact, so much has happened that one post won't suffice.

Work is good. My direct manager is still abroad on business (and has been ever since I started), so work has been pretty chill. That said, I have been busy. The hours are flexible, which is definitely a plus. But having to deal with people in the US and Europe all the time mean really early and really late conference calls, which I'm not a big fan of.

So my sister was right in telling me that "there's more to Shanghai than food." But only partially...

Over the weekend, I did get a chance to visit TianZiFang (田子方) again.

And rather than just walk around talking pictures like I did last time, I actually had dinner in one of the restaurants, looked around some of the shops, and bought a painting!

Here's a steak I had. Doesn't look that good, didn't taste that good either. TianZiFang is definitely a tourist trap. A good place to take a date and all that, but the prices are jacked pretty high up there.

The tiramisu cheesecake was a different story. Looked a lot better, and tasted a lot better, but still really pricey.

Contrary to popular opinion, you cannot bargain everywhere in Shanghai. I dare say this shop that sold random communist memorabilia is not very Shanghai...

One thing I did notice was that the shop was pretty much empty and the shelves were very well stocked. Know why? Cuz 90 RMB (that's about $13.50 USD) for a leather bound journal is NOT a steal... Especially if you can't bargain.

So this is the painting I got. I didn't know this when I got it, but it's actually a very famous painting by a very famous Chinese artist. As it happens, the original one has a blue background. But I think this one is much nicer.

And a funny thing about the price. Originally 500 RMB, I talked it down to 400 RMB and paid a 100 RMB deposit. On the day I went to go pick it up, I gave the guy 200 RMB and took the painting and left. Who needs haggling when you know how to swindle?!?