THE SHANGHAI SURPRISE.
THE SHANGHAI SURPRISE.
Narrow small streets on which roll rickshaws, and from dark apertures
Doors swarty accessible maidens and gloomy boys look out from
The triads, entirely tattooed by dragons, - such is Shanghai, what it
It is remembered on a film "Shanghai surprise", where the bewitching Madonna and
Shon Penn struggled with the Chinese mafia for the happiness and riches.
Whether there was that, cine Shanghai actually? Probably, yes. But
Very much for a long time. Today Shanghai is...
Dark night. In streets - not a soul: already after ten evenings in
Inhabited files windows die away. We together go on searches of adventures
In the biggest city of China with the population of 16 million persons.
It is strange, that this weight to the people in any way does not prove in the afternoon on
Streets of a huge megacity where almost does not remain buildings
Constructions of 50-60th years, and everywhere equal numbers, as in
To popular computer toy high-rise buildings in stand "This City",
Modernist style. Pedestrians and in the daytime in the centre not
More than on Tver. Glass and concrete, huge pyramids
The business centres, standing, as pines in a pine forest - one to one,
In tens, and at the same time unlike against each other, everyone with
The unique design only slightly painted by the national
Crape.
Here is how Shanghai of 2001 looks. Numerous
Bicyclists on wide as New Arbat, streets it is faster
Tradition tribute (it is economic!), instead of a poverty sign. A bicycle
Fifty-fifty divides proezzhuju a part with numerous foreign cars "the new
Chineses "and cheap - 2 yuans for kilometre - a taxi. Dollar,
By the way, 8 yuans, and earnings of "the average Chinese" here follow in
Beijing - $200, in Shanghai - to 400. It is quite good. As
Products in shops in bulk, under the prices Moscow, and even
More low. A small bottle of local qualitative beer, for example, in
Supermarket costs only 2 yuans. To live it is possible.
Street of red lanterns.
"Generally in Shanghai easy, - our guide spoke to us. - the main thing
- Hold a pocket on the lock. Here in Beijing - there yes, there can take
On "gop-stop"; happens, and shoot in broad daylight in streets.
Banks plunder. And here - it is silent ".
And here, having relied on it is silent", we have dared, but already without
The guide to make excursion across night Shanghai in search of that
Illusive, but, appear, still existing somewhere nearby,
Here behind those vysotkami, here behind that skyscraper, - the Old City,
Where the beauty the Madonna floundered in networks of a mafia. Even in the afternoon, when
On a way to hotel behind windows of a minibus of an infinite broken line
Mountain ridge floated haughty pyramids of superoffices, which
Here more will be, than in New York, the small street, as has suddenly flashed
From this a film: narrow and dark, all sunk in the vertical
The advertising panels spotted with hieroglyphs, shrouded
Twilight where in depth mysteriously blinked red and yellow
Lanterns... And, having strayed hour ones and a half, already by midnight we have found
This dark, lush corner.
Yes, it was that "haunt of vice", which to us
Has dreamt during a day excursion trip. In the stuffy
The night air, illuminated from below the red Chinese
Small lamps, multi-coloured advertising panels intimately waved.
Here only near the tiny institutions-pieces of glass lasting
sploshnjakom along both parties of this mysterious small street, not
Stood, inviting clients, swarty beauties with the calling
Sexual tattoos, and bright dealers opium not
Tempted us with smoking tubes with a potion. From the nearest
Pieces of glass the bright Chinese, zabormotal the invariable has run out: "Hello -
Hello! "- a unique popular foreign word, which
Inhabitants Celestial have well acquired. "Hello-hello!" - shout
Dealers in the city ware markets, as like as two peas the similar
On our Moscow, for example in my native CHertanove. "Hello -
Hello! "- sellers of silk handbags and a watch shout to us with
The image of still popular Chairman, sellers of souvenirs
On known, as our Old Arbat, an open trading small street in
Beijing. "Hello-hello!" - waves a hand tightened in the ironed
Uniform (accuracy in clothes - style of a life of Chineses, and vagabonds
In Shanghai and Beijing you will not see at all) the seller of department of electronics
Prestigious five-floor department store...
And this Chinese from "street of red lanterns" too zazyvno repeated
"Hello!", inviting in the piece of glass. We have risked and
Have entered...
All pleasure - 500 yuans!
Its institution consisted of three closely put little tables and
Aquarium where live lobsters floundered about, eels, crabs and other
Sea living creatures. And all street has appeared not a brothel from
"The Shanghai surprise", and the long, absolutely innocent huge
Fish shop-restaurant, cut on cells separate,
Independent shops where at you caught at your choice
The strange big fish and there and then prepared on the intricate east
To the recipe. A shop private. The Owner-barin has torn off from us 500 yuans
($70 - eh to hold on to the following salary!), which we with mine
The companion, the editor of photodepartment "п п " Alexander Astafevym,
Have fairly scattered for two. But also "the damned capitalist" prepared on
Glory - fingers you will lick!
Just right was to reflect, sucking round at this time of night a juicy claw
svezhesvarennogo a lobster and washing down its extraordinary soft, gentle
The Chinese beer "Tsingtao", about artful designs of development of this
The mysterious country which have gone through only in past HH the century
Feudalism, Maoism, and now - under construction the accelerated rates
"Communistic capitalism". Old, romantic,
Patriarchal China with rickshaws, dzhonkami and later
Military peak-caps "a-lja Great Chinese revolution" remained in
Imagination of cinematographers and authors of fictions.
In a city preparing at the moment of our visit to celebrate
80th anniversary of a handheld computer, it was not noticed, how once at celebrating
Anniversaries of the CPSU, universal violence of red flags, and only on
Imperceptible building of a city town committee of party with bent, as at a pagoda,
Roof edges as it is necessary, had been hung out a red panel.
Communist Party, having saved the centralised control over economy and
Having released business reins, corrects an invisible hand,
Preferring to supervise and direct, instead of "to forbid and not
pushchat ".
Sex, night and cinemas.
"And what, whether there is in China a prostitution?" - I have asked on the following
Put the Chinese colleague, the journalist Put JUe, which, however,
Willingly responded to purely Russian name JUra. Put JUe fine
Knows Russian and even has voluntary translated for the Chinese
Film service our old Soviet masterpiece "Moscow does not believe tears",
Than very much is proud. About women of easy virtue has asked a question only because
During our way to "street of red lanterns" we did not notice,
As it is found in the centre of Moscow, the persuasive at times suffices
Sexual service. Only near a cinema near to ours
Hotels "Parks-hotels" (and it - in the centre) in enough
Late hour the group of girls, which there and then porhnuli missed
Away, for some reason zarobev - it is possible, at the sight of Europeans, which
Even in the centre of Shanghai while a rarity. There was a suspicion,
That cinemas in China are somehow connected with sex. So it and
It has appeared.
"Certainly, prostitution is forbidden, but it is", - has explained Put
JUe, there and then having told, that he has written the big in this occasion
Article for what even has struck up acquaintance (do not think bad -
Purely professional, certainly!) from one of the local currency
Girls. Therefore, not to get on a hook "lao a pas" - so here
Popularly, as at us - "cops", name in the people of policemen
(The one of whom always are afraid "is translated as"), - the girl not
Offers itself openly, and speaks to the potential client: "you not
Wish to reduce me at cinema?. "If that agrees" to go to cinema ",
That the price and engagement time is already a trick. For days
The girl takes to hundred "green", and in a month at good rasklade
Earns $800-1000 - approximately as much, how much
zakolachivaet the dealer - lotochnik in the Shanghai ware market,
Standing for 12 hours on 40 gradusnoj to heat.
And we go the by...
Standing on a viewing platform at the top Shanghai
Television towers - pride of a city, - it is strange to discuss crisis problems
Overproduction, purely capitalist phenomenon, in the country, where
On prisnopamjatnoj areas Tjananmen still imperiously looks
On walking public a portrait of chairman Mao - the founder and
Until now ruling Communist Party. But in it the modern also consists
Shanghai (Peking and in general - Chinese) a surprise. Not
Solved while secret of the Chinese economic miracle...
Already having returned to Russia, on road from "Sheremetyevo-2", -
Reflected. Why our customs officers - any grey, mjatye and
Shabby, and Chinese - ironed as on parade and in shape, in
Which a lot of white colour? Why Peking and Shanghai
The airports - twice more than our Moscow "Sheremetyevo" and
"Domodedovo", together taken?.
Why there moving paths and passport control - all
Only fleeting procedure, and at us - humiliating ekzekutsija near
Eight throughput booths from which two-three work only?
Perhaps because artful Chineses of all arriving and
Flying away force to pay the duty in 100 yuans: thanks, that
You have offered on airport reconstruction, the sir!
Or it is simple because ten with superfluous years back they have gone
The by, and we, as always, - the also have got into a mess in the best
The Russian traditions?
And at last, why native Moscow after gromadja Shanghai and
The Peking streets it seems lovely, silent, cosy, but such...
Small and backward?.
Alexander Morozov.
<$>
//* an information Source: the Moscow member of the Komsomol, 8.07.01
//* Reg. Nom. - 1110700089.10-------------------------------------------
|
