http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/ A website about Shanghai, China ... and lots of other stuff. Named Best Mainland China Blog in the 2004 Asia Blog Awards. en-us dan@danwashburn.com 2007-07-05T16:41:10+08:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/archives/2007/07/05/please_visit_my_new_personal_blog/ Here's the link: blog.danwashburn.com. And here is the new RSS feed: feeds.feedburner.com/danwashburn The new site is still a work in progress, but that is where I am posting things these days. I will no longer be updating Shanghai Diaries, which should have been pretty obvious to anyone who has bothered to check the site the past year or so. It was time for a change. So come and check me out.... 2036@http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/ Site News 2007-07-05T16:41:10+08:00 http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/archives/2007/04/26/live_near_atlanta_got_plans_this_weekend/ Why not head on out to a festival in a park? From the Mudan Boutique Blog: This Weekend: Visit Mudan in Atlanta's Inman Park! For the second year in a row, Mudan Boutique has been selected to participate in Atlanta’s biggest street market, the Inman Park Spring Festival on Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29. We will be showcasing a full array of Mudan pearl, jade, and handbag fashion accessories as well as several product lines not yet available on mudanboutique.com. (Looks like we are going to have some great weather, too.) The festival is from 11 am-6 pm... 1936@http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/ Site News 2007-04-26T11:41:42+08:00 http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/archives/2007/03/13/heres_to_china_johnnie_walker_tv_ad/ When the director said "We need to see a Caucasian more prominently," that was my ticket to stardom. Don't blink near the end. Filmed on a frigid December evening on the outdoor deck at Attica on the Bund.... 1723@http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/ Video 2007-03-13T21:04:10+08:00 http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/archives/2007/03/13/ozzie_tux_jump_around/ Representin' the 021.... 1722@http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/ Video 2007-03-13T20:39:40+08:00 http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/archives/2007/03/13/instant_replay/ China’s latest crackdown on DVD pirates looks familiar—and fake This story originally appeared in the October 9, 2006 edition of Business China, published by The Economist. Download a PDF version of this story here. by DAN WASHBURN In September when six major international studios joined forces to launch court proceedings against two Beijing retailers accused of selling pirated versions of their films, some observers said the move signified a forceful shift in Hollywood’s intellectual-property-rights (IPR) campaign in China. But the legal action was not a first—the Motion Picture Association (MPA) says in 2002 and 2003 it initiated ten such civil... 1655@http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/ Stories 2007-03-13T17:25:52+08:00 http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/archives/2006/10/24/ok_now_were_really_married/ On September 30, 2006, in Koh Samui, Thailand, Bliss and I were married in a beautiful beach ceremony at sunset. It was exactly what we wanted. It was perfect. We highly recommend the people who pulled it all together. Same goes for Tongsai Bay, the place where we stayed -- the venue, the service and food were all phenomenal. It wasn't easy to leave. I may write more about this when I have time, but for now feel free to view our wedding photos and our other photos from Thailand. Because Bliss and I just love getting married, the fun... 1649@http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/ Diary 2006-10-24T20:45:42+08:00 http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/archives/2006/08/16/surprise_were_married/ And no two people were more surprised than us. Here's what I wrote over at Flickr, where you can see photos from the first of what will be several wedding celebrations: When most people wake up on their wedding day, they know they will be getting married. Not us. We thought we were going to the Shanghai Marriage Service Center to fill out some initial paperwork. We thought we'd then have to go to a hospital for tests and then return at a later date for more paperwork -- at least that's what all the websites told us. Well, they... 1643@http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/ Diary 2006-08-16T13:38:27+08:00 http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/archives/2006/08/16/chinese_drivers_license_and_shanghai_dog_licenses/ For no particular reason, I have scanned and uploaded images of my driver's license and Ozzie's dog license and immunization certificate. The driver's license was actually much easier to acquire than the other two. I have only used it once, when we rented a car and drove to Moganshan in March. If you'd like to learn how to get your own Chinese driver's license, the is some more info over at Shanghaiist. The dog licenses were the result of a long, frustrating process that I haven't felt like writing about yet. It's actually not that difficult once you find the... 1642@http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/ Diary 2006-08-16T13:18:24+08:00 http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/archives/2006/07/20/the_five_best_albums_of_2006_so_far/ The Starlight Mints, Drowaton: I got a weird look at the gym the other day because of this album. So I was singing on the elliptical machine -- what's wrong with that? This is infectious, catchy orchestral pop from the first place you think of when you hear the phrase "infectious, catchy orchestral pop" -- that's right, Oklahoma.Tapes 'n Tapes, The Loon: I am going to try very hard not to say this debut album out of Minneapolis sounds like Pavement for the 21st century. Whew. Glad I didn't say that. Listening to this album makes me wish I was... 1639@http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/ Music 2006-07-20T10:44:53+08:00 http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/archives/2006/07/17/i_am_a_media_whore/ Or at least lately it seems that way. I promise I haven't sought out any of this recent trickle of media attention -- I can't even read most of it -- it's just that with two websites (make that three) I am very easy to get ahold of. So if the Chinese media need a toothy laowai to fill up their pages, why not email the editor of Shanghaiist? That's what local weekly glossy Modern Weekly did recently, and I ended up being their American voice for a feature called "Foreigner's Map of Shanghai," although all the restaurants I recommended... 1637@http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/ Diary 2006-07-17T22:34:58+08:00 http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/archives/2006/07/13/my_shanghai_story_in_budget_travel_magazine/ A few weeks ago, the July/August edition of Budget Travel magazine hit newsstands across America and, I'm assuming, some other countries, as well. Page 66 featured a full page, color photo of a 32-year-old American sometime-journalist/marginally-informative-blogger/handbag-entrepreneur. A random reader emailed the guy in the photo and said the "pic struck me as nice" and told him "don't ever stop smiling!" Meanwhile, an immediate family member told the guy his smile made him look "beaver like." Well, you can't win them all. So anyway, I have an eight-page story in the current issue of Budget Travel. And yes, there is a... 1635@http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/ Stories 2006-07-13T22:19:05+08:00 http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/archives/2006/07/11/introducing_mudan_boutique/ I have hinted at it a couple times on this site, and now I am finally ready to go public with my latest project. It's a bit of a departure for me, but something I am really excited about. It's an online store called Mudan Boutique. To start, we are featuring affordable pearls and jade and a variety of handbags, fashion accessories and gift items -- all of which embody an Asian aesthetic. (We're offering free worldwide shipping until July 17, too.) Most exciting to me right now are the partnerships we are forging with local Shanghai designers, like Fiona Peng of Punk Pilgrim and Christine Tsui of Christine Tsui's Fashion Club on Xinle Lu. That duo is responsible for Mudan Boutique's current crop of handbags and clutches. And we're currently working on adding more items from different local designers to the store -- products and designs that until now were only available in small stores and boutiques in Shanghai. Surprised by this? Yeah, me too. But something about Shanghai turns almost everyone into an entrepreneur. Ask most people what they do here, and their answer usually begins with, "Well, that's a good question ..." Most people I know have a few irons in the fire here. Maybe that's why some people are calling Shanghai the new city of dreams. So, I invite you to take a look at Mudan Boutique. I am really proud of the way the shop looks right now, and I really like the products we have been able to find thus far. We're a small "company" -- just a couple of us here in Shanghai and couple of my oldest friends back in the States -- but we have big plans and high expectations. Expect our product lines to grow in the very near future. Mudan Boutique welcomes your input about anything. We have a boutique blog, a newsletter and you can always reach us by email: info at mudanboutique.com. If you are a China-based designer or artist and you think your work would be a good fit for Mudan Boutique, please email me directly at dan at mudanboutique.com. You might also like to know that Mudan Boutique contributes five percent of net proceeds from each purchase to CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. So there you have it, my new baby Mudan Boutique. Please have a look and tell me what you think. Perhaps it (and Shanghaiist, celebrating its one-year anniversary today) offer some excuse for why I have been so out of reach and this site has been so neglected for, oh, I don't know, the past year or so. I sure am busy for an unemployed guy. Mudan Boutique's online store was designed by the great team at Rockbeatspaper and the product photography was taken by Brad at Shanghai Streets. 1633@http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/ Site News 2006-07-11T12:44:35+08:00 http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/archives/2006/06/20/how_to_catch_a_pirate/ The fight against global trade in fake goods is not just China’s problem This story originally appeared in the February 27, 2006 edition of Business China, published by The Economist. Download a PDF version of this story here. by DAN WASHBURN In January when the Shanghai municipal government announced its plans to shut down Xiangyang Market—known simply as the “fake market” to locals—officials trumpeted the decision as a major victory in China’s battle against the rampant trade in pirated goods. Vice Mayor Zhou Taitong emphasised that the market was not just being “removed” but was being “abolished”. And the state... 1631@http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/ Stories 2006-06-20T10:02:56+08:00 http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/archives/2006/06/20/help_offered/ In a country with no tradition of classified advertising, eBay sees a bright future for an online version of it This story originally appeared in the October 24, 2005 edition of Business China, published by The Economist. Download a PDF version of this story here. by DAN WASHBURN Already a multi-billion-dollar industry in the US, Internet classified advertising has arrived in China, courtesy of online-auction giant eBay. But China has no history of classifieds, online or offline. So it begs the question: can online classifieds in China make money? According to the people behind Kijiji.com, eBay’s entry into the international... 1630@http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/ Stories 2006-06-20T09:37:57+08:00 http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/archives/2006/06/20/still_in_the_rough/ The success of golf tournaments in China belies the tepid state of the country’s golf business This story originally appeared in the November 21, 2005 edition of Business China, published by The Economist. Download a PDF version of this story here. by DAN WASHBURN Tiger Woods played in an official international golf tournament in China for the first time this month. It was a big one—the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai, the richest golf event ever held in Asia with a US$5m purse. This coupling of cash and the world’s top player brought the buzz surrounding the growth of golf... 1629@http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/ Stories 2006-06-20T03:30:13+08:00