The game was banned in 1949 by Chairman Mao and no golf was played in China for the next 35 years.  Today there are about 400 courses in China compared to the 16,000 in the USA.  Construction of new courses was banned by the government in 2004 however many local developers have found ways to get around this restriction.  With demand high and supply short, golf is expensive, very expensive and to make matters worse, all of China’s golf courses seem to what to be the most expensive.  The leader is Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai with an initiation fee of $240,000, and a very long waitlist.  A round of golf at a semi private course will set you back anywhere from $100 (a cow pasture at best) to $250+ at some of the nicer courses if you can even get on.  Remember there are over 1.4 billion people who live in China (300 million in the USA) and although the average annual wage is only $1,800 per year – Yes I said per year.  There are a lot of people who want to play golf albeit mainly successful businessmen, politicians and expats.

When you arrive at the course you are often greeted by members of the caddie staff.

The vast majority of the caddies are women and they take their job very seriously.  They wear white glove and often large hats with big scarfs.  They do not want to be exposed to the sun.  They carry your bag, provide yardage and advice.  They even place your ball on the green and line up each and every put.  To keep them at their best most course require you to provide feed back.

My caddies have all been good to perfect.  I’m not sure what happens to the ones rated as Commonly or Differences.

Many of the courses, at least the ones that I play around Shanghai are built on swampy areas with narrow fairways lined by canals  and other obstacles.  They can be very frustrating for a high handicapper like myself.  I think my record is 9 lost balls.  Still and all its fun and  with the weather starting to cool down I’m looking forward to getting back out there.

There are millions of cars, cabs, buses, scooters and bikes in Shanghai.  Remarkable, considering it wasn’t until around 1992 that the masses starting purchasing and driving cars.  The trend caught on quickly and everyone has or wants a car now.   To control the number of cars on the road, the city of Shanghai only issues a limited amount of licenses plates each month and they don’t come cheep.  The going rate is fixed at $10,000.  That may seem like a lot until you find out that prior to 2012 they were auctioned off to the highest bidder.

As much as the car thing has taken off using a truck to delivery something has not.  The Chinese seem to love to transport things on bikes.  This guy is loaded down with plastic bottles.

They use bikes to deliver the mail, packages, and items from the local home improvement store. This man is delivering hardwood flooring.

And although no one seems to formally recycle here, people are always collecting cardboard, plastic and scrap metal.  Where it all goes, I have no idea.

You see small shops and food stands on bikes, people selling flowers and balloons on bikes.  This guy has a drill press mounted to the back of his bike.

I understand the number of cyclists in Shanghai has decreased over the past 15 to 20 years but the bike still appears to be the preferred method of delivery.

Each weekday morning I get my 10,000 steps by walking to a different area of the city.  Ohhhhh…… the things I have seen.  Let’s take the food markets for example.  They can often be found on a very narrow street lined with old apartment style dwellings that have survived the Shanghia city goverment ‘s demolition, at least thus far.

Quarters are very cramped and sanitation conditions leave more than a little to be desired.  It’s not uncommon for someone caring a potty pot to bump into you on their way to  dispose of the families “business” from that morning.  In door plumbing is not aways available and many families live in one room of an multi room apartment.  This is a local toilet.  A nice one I may add.

I digress.  Lets get back to the market.  Here is a great example of bird flu in the making.  I love how the live chicken looks on at his fallen comrades that were sacrificed for tonights dinner.

Not interested in chicken – how about some sea food.  I see this man every morning shelling oysters, scallops and clams.  I have never seen ice or any form of refrigration for that mater – the water source is a garden hose and yes he is doing this on the sidewalk.

If you are in the mood for duck.  It is easy to find one hanging around at your local butcher.

Oh and don’t forget the parts inside – 

Pork is a favorite here. Plywood, a few milk crates, a sharp knive and a pig is all you need to set up shop.  Touchingthe meat before you buy it seems to be encouraged.

As much as I loved shopping the local markets in Paris – I think I’m going to stick with the westernized grocery stores for now.

One of China’s most famous green teas is Long Jing (translated Dragon Well), and the renowned West Lake variety was just a day trip away. My journey began on a very modern high-speed train that dropped our group off at the Hangzhou rail station.  From there we pilled into a not so modern bus to the YangMeiLing tea village where Mr.Ying and his family welcomed us as honored guests.    We suitted up in our hats and grabbed our bakets and off we went to hike the terraces of the tea plantation.  We were only able to look – we were not skilled enough to pick.  It was interesting to note only the bud is picked from the bush in the spring time.  The season lasts a short 6 weeks or so.  The pickers , all women are paid the equivlatant of $15 a day to pick.  The work is hard and the days are long.

Once the green tea buds are pick, they are lightly dried by a primative looking machine and then finished by hand in something that kind of looks like a big wok.  This work is only done by men in the confort of their garage.  The tea is highly prized for is smooth flavor and medicinal qualities.  We tasted serval green teas that day and I must say this tea was exceptional.

If you were born in 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990 or, 2002 you are a horse. The first thing a horse must do in the new year is get your red underwear ready. Traditional Chinese believe that you must be cautious during the year as the spirits could take you from the earth. So to ward off any mishaps coming your way it helps to wear red all year-long. Underwear is the number one choice.

To help fund your undergarment purchases you may receive a red envelope. Red envelopes are generally given at social events like weddings and for the Chinese Lunar New Year. Everyone gets in on the action. The envelopes usually containing money are given to children, relatives, and close neighbors but you would also give one to your housekeeper, driver, laundress (yes, I have one – I don’t do laundry), gardener, hairdresser, you get the idea. The red color symbolizes good luck and is used to ward off evil spirits. The amount inside is also very important. Four is considered a very unlucky number (you will never see a 4th, 14th, 24th… floor in China) The number when pronounced sounds similar to the word for death. Eight is a very lucky number. 888 RMB would be a very nice gift.

Chinese New Year, or Spring festival, falls on January 31st this year and is considered the most important traditional chinese holiday. During this time people travel to be with their families and feast. During the first five days of the new year people eat long noodles to symbolize long life. On the 15th and final day of the celebration, round dumplings are shared as a sign of the family unit and of perfection. Fireworks are displayed each night and dragons made of silk, paper and bamboo dance through the streets. No one cleans on New Years day – you might sweep all the good fortune out the door. This is my kind of holiday.

If you happen to be a horse please note that the Chinese consider you popular, cheerful, skilled with money matters, hardworking, impatient, independent, intelligent and selfish.