China-not a believer in over-achievement

So the sensibility in China really seems to be that there is no such thing as too much. Oh there's not enough-- you could have not achieved what you wanted to, that would be too bad. But there's really no such thing as going too far, achieving too much success. Did you get what you wanted? Then you did enough.

We started talking about this at the bird's nest Olympic stadium thinking about the Chinese Olympic bid in Beijing. And how a lot of the Western coverage, which never gets tired of trying to subtly tear china down, looked on things like the crazy over the top Olympic opening ceremony and stuff as a bit gauche, a bit nouveau riche. But in China of course there's none of this. There's like, yes we were planning that from ten years before we got it. And the land was cordoned from then, on the north south axis of the city where the forbidden city and all the major imperial sights are. Planned with their past and future in mind.

And you see it in like mentality as well, when people blandly say things like, yes well chinese children need to study during that time. Over-achievement? Not a thing.

And then we just saw it everywhere. So this guy is wearing a green matching short and shirt combo which has like gold medusa heads, four each on the chest and back and one each on the front and back of the leg. Too much? Nah, they are then all encircled with pink roses.

Or our hotel our last night. There was a gold bull standing on a fountain. Not quite enough, so surrounded with four Grecian maidens. But how will you see it at night you ask? Don't worry, there's a disco spotlight. Then someone thought of adding rainbow fade lights to the water. Too much? Nah, they tossed it on there.

Meals are served often on a lazy susan so they can just bring out infinite dishes and you can just keep spinning to what you want.

And of course the shanghai skyline. There are like three of the top 20 buildings in the world, all built in the last ten years. Enough? Hell no, they all light up at night. Just any lights? Rainbow fade yo. And then you found many buildings saying things like-- but then if in between the rainbow colours, should I flash up words and pictures. Too much? No way. What if I display a lightup panorama of other cool places on my building top. Too much? Not a chance. I've got all these lights, what if they flash on and off in a pattern. Too much? Don't worry about it baby.

We walked down a skyway, a walkway which to aid in crosswalks, they just build as an overpass. And it goes over one road and under three other roads which web between it. Then, get this, the posts all have ivy growing on them and blue track underlighting. Too much? Just enough.

My parasol has a pagoda top, a floral pattern and is made out of foil material. Does it also need a lace ruffle? Of course it does.

Now the effect of all this is not exactly what you'd call good taste, but it doesn't exactly feel like bad taste. It feels like just a rejection of the whole concept of understatement in favor of statement. This is not something they are doing through lack of understanding or trying to mimic someone else. This is a bold announcement that we are here, we are doing this. Especially strong in Shanghai. There is this overwhelming feeling of damn right I said it in everything that's there. Yes we need another flag, dancing cartoon character, neon light. Why wouldn't we. Are we here or not?