Fun with Chinglish

"Gained in translation" part 2

seen at Shanghai airport:

Disappointingly, they didn't sell pretty girls named Cate – just sugary sweet cakes...

When I sent some of my translation riddles to linguistically inclined friends they answered "Piece of Cate" :-)

Signs on Shanghai metro doors:

In contrast to crowded subways in Mexico, Turkey, Italy, or even Austria, it did not seem to me that women were threatened by pinching hands in China ;-)

Of course I'm generalizing – but the Chinese struck me as generally polite, educated, and civilized.

No wonder that even their parks are civilized:

I'll happily accept suggestions about what could be the idea behind it!

MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS

For the birdwatchers among you: can you spot the national bird of China?

1)      Solution see below

Where do wealthy Chinese people have celebrations, and tour groups get taken by their guides ?

A Chinese banquet hall, with a revolving glass plate in the middle of the tables:

Such a banquet will contain all kinds of Chinese food, carefully purged of any dishes that may offend Westerners, such as dog, cat, frog, snake, etc.

8 people at the table – food for at least 12...

Invariably, the banquet would include green tea (limitless), and 1 small glass of the following choice of drinks: Tsingtao beer, Coke/Pepsi, or Sprite (as you can see, all of them highly traditional Chinese beverages, especially the beer, since it was introduced by the Germans already in 1903 ;-)

After dinner, the yuppies will be found drinking coffee in Starbucks and enjoying Häagen Dazs icecream...

Ordinary Chinese people can't splurge on banquets more than once a year, I should think, and probably eat at home most of the time; when they eat fast food, however, you'll see them in the following establishments:

KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken, for you non-Americans) is ubiquitous in China –

I think there must be more of them than in the US (on a short walk of about 10 minutes around the Shanghai Railway Station Square I counted 9)!

Although scooters, mopeds, and motorbikes are becoming more and more widespread, bicycles are still very important.

repair shop

one of the many "bike kitchens"

There is "bike retail" for everything:

fruit

socks and stockings 

books                                            

ice delivery

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1) The crane, of course!