The Fate of the Android Store in Zhuhai, China

Update at end

More than four months have passed since I first posted about the "Android store" I stumbled upon after I took a random bus trip in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. One issue some people raised was whether its days were numbered due to possible actions from Google. But I assumed that the store, like many unauthorized Apple stores in China, would not face any immediate interference.

Last week I happened to be in Zhuhai, so I returned to its Nanping district to checkup on the now semi-famous store. At first glance, it did not appear much had changed:

Still there

The inside of the store was also mostly the same as before. One difference was that there were no Apple computers for sale -- only iPads and iPhones were available (see here for earlier photos from inside the store). Another difference also caught my eye. The staff were wearing store shirts:

She was happy to have her photograph taken.

Sorry, the shirts are not available for purchase.

The Android robot is displayed on the front of the shirt, Apple's logo is on the right sleeve, and Android, Windows Phone, Symbian, and iOS are on the back of the shirt. Given the store's sign, it seems fitting that Android is the most prominently featured brand, even in the shirt's color. It is worth nothing that what appears to be the name of the store on the shirt is the same as the Chinese words which appear underneath the Android logos on the store's main sign.

Although finding that the store still existed did not surprise me, there was something else I was less sure about. Would the store inspire others?

I found the answer at another store just down the street. Here it is as I saw it several months ago:

One of the many stores in the area with a Nokia sign

But the store has since undergone a bit of a makeover:

The large Nokia sign on the outside of the store has been replaced with the Android robot and what is presumably the store's Chinese name (which is similar to the other store's Chinese name and also does not include the Chinese word for "android"). The Nokia sign on the inside of the store has been replaced with a Samsung sign. Another outside face of the store is now partly in the Apple style, but it curiously includes the Android logos on the middle column. However, this mix of Apple and Android may not be so surprising since this same store previously had an ad for the iPhone that included a singing Android robot.

I will refrain from any deep commentary. I simply wanted to share that not only does the original Android store remain, but it appears to have an imitator.

And now I wonder if more will soon appear.



UPDATE: A little over a year later, much had changed. See "The Fate of the Android Store in Zhuhai, China: Part II" for more.

Shark-Friendly Soup in Macau

Andrew Sullivan recently shared several pieces about shark fin sales covering topics ranging from the dispute over its ban in California to its strong market in Hong Kong. The eating of shark fins is an issue that has garnered much attention due to the practice of shark finning, where the fin is removed and then the shark is dumped back into the water still alive. However, not all shark fins are obtained through this process, and Sullivan mentions that "scientists and conservationists support managed fisheries over all-out legislative bans".

In a land rife with fake products, I have wondered how much of the shark fin soup sold in China actually includes genuine shark fin. So while walking around Macau last week this pot of soup sitting outside a restaurant caught my attention:

The value of advertising artificiality

Regardless of whether customers primarily order the soup due to concerns about the welfare of sharks or a desire not to pay the higher price for genuine shark fin soup, this seems to be yet another potential way to reduce shark finning.

Chickens may have some objections though.

Skies and Clouds in China

Something in all of the following scenes caught my attention earlier this week:

A-Ma Temple

Penha Church

Mandarin's House

Taipa Village

Apartments and a Coca-Cola sign

More colorful apartments

Narrow alley in Taipa Village

It was something that would not have caught my attention in the same way before my move to Shanghai 6 years ago. While living there I grew accustomed to only rarely seeing a type of sky that was far more typical where I had lived in the U.S. Regardless of whether Shanghai's common monotone grey skies were mainly due to the local climate or pollution, seeing blue skies with fluffy or wispy clouds seemed special in Shanghai.

However, during the summer of 2010 I noticed that Shanghai's sky appeared surprisingly "normal" on a regular basis. Was this due to a sudden change in climate? Doubtful. Instead, the dramatic change was due to government imposted measure intended to improve the air quality for the World Expo being held in Shanghai. The connection became "clearer" after the World Expo ended. High levels of pollution enveloped Shanghai and once more blotted out the sky. Yet again, everyone was paying a price for China's development. But at least more people knew what was possible.

While the Expo was open I commented to a Shanghainese friend that it was wonderful to see "normal" clouds in Shanghai. She laughed and said many of her Shanghainese friends were expressing confusion online about the "strange" clouds they were seeing. They were not used to such skies on a regular basis.

Their comments reminded me of a friend from nearby Nanjing. A few years earlier after she returned from Japan -- her first trip outside of China -- she told me she loved it there. I asked her, "Why?"

She quickly responded, "Because its sky is so blue!" When I later explained that the blue skies she saw were common in many cities outside of China she looked bewildered. She had assumed the type of sky she commonly saw in Shanghai was typical for cities everywhere.

So after my recent weeks in Shanghai it was with great joy I gazed upon the above scenes. But they are not from Shanghai. They are from one of China's two special administrative regions -- Macau:

Scene from Penha Hill

I am not sure that the air was truly healthy, but the bluish sky and its clouds were nonetheless welcome. And they made a wonderful day of exploring Macau all the better.

The weather has been noticeably hotter than some of the more comfortable days during my time here several months ago. But I do not mind, I have been distracted by the sky.

Scenes of China: For Sale on a Dachang Town Sidewalk

As part of a series on Shanghai's diversity, I have recently shared some scenes of less recently developed and more recently developed areas that can be found in Baoshan District's Dachang Town. This last set of photos from Dachang Town focuses on the sidewalk along the north side of Huanzhen North Road. Although the sidewalk includes some atypical designs, what most captured my eyes was what was the variety of items being sold on it:

Low overhead costs for sellers

Taking time to trim his toenails

Tea sets

Holes had been cut in the box to make it into a mask

Chinese-style fans

Assorted books

Items for kids

The man on the right seemed engrossed with his mobile phone

Clothes and perfume

More clothes

Scenes of China: Older Sections of Dachang Town, Shanghai

Previously, I shared photos of Dachang Town in Baoshan District, Shanghai, that captured some of what I saw there that was more recently developed. In this post I will share some contrasting scenes in Dachang Town from two neighborhoods with styles of architecture from Shanghai's past. Similar neighborhoods have been quickly disappearing in Shanghai, and the two I recently visited in Dachang Town are just small pockets remaining in the midst of more modern residential and commercial buildings. Walking around the small lanes made me feel like I was in another world from the scenes in the previous post despite being within walking distance.

The first area I stumbled upon appears to be part of (or at least near) an area called the Lu Family Residences (according to one Chinese map) in Dachang Town's Lianxi Village (联西村). As I discovered while there, it is just to the south of Shanghai University.

An island of homes in the midst of construction and demolition

At first I saw no obvious path to enter the area from the road that brought me there.

Shanghai's rural side

Public restroom

The building on the right with an awning has a small convenience store.

The shop's owners are a young couple. He is from nearby Jiangsu province and she is from Anhui province.

I can find no name for the second area I visited, but it can be found just northeast of the Changzhong Road Subway Station. And like the other neighborhood, I received some friendly attention and a few confused looks. I doubt many unfamiliar foreigners walk these lanes.

A typical lane

Advertising

Open air office

Some older buildings appear to have had more modern renovations.

Girl trying to put a ribbon on her cat

The friendly girl and her family were happy to chat.

Scenes of China: Dachang Town, Shanghai

To show more of Shanghai's diversity (earlier posts: an introduction; Xiaonanmen; Xuhui District; Jing'an District; Hongkou District; near the Huangpu River), I will share some photos from Dachang Town. In the south of Baoshan District (map) in northern Shanghai, Dachang Town covers over 27 square kilometers (over 10 square miles) and has a population of over 370,000 (overview of Dachang Town in Chinese)*. Looking at several maps it appears that most (if not all) of my walk was in Qian Creek Village -- just a small part of Dachang Town, which itself is just a part of Baoshan District.

In this post I will highlight some of the sections that appeared to be more recently developed in comparison to other sections that I will later share. The photos are presented in the order I first encountered the scenes.

Standing at one of the exits for the Changzhong Road Subway Station

Sitting under the tree in this housing development

Outdoor reading

Outdoor haircut

Apartments next to a creek

Vegetables for sale

Seafood section of a large indoor market

More vegetables for sale next to the market

Using a mobile phone next to some drying clothes

Ladder transportation

Auto-rickshaw

Sidewalk scene

This area included many larger stores and restaurants

Several public areas were in use for roller blading lessons

*The only map I could find showing Dachang Town's borders is in Chinese and from 2007.