Because I have a computer at work now, I <a href="http://bloglines.com/public/msittig" title="My Bloglines public subscriptions">resubscribed</a> to a bunch of Shanghai weblogs.  Here's a classic China moment from an entry called <a href="http://spaces.msn.com/chinawords/Blog/cns!458AD99F75DAB973!254.entry" title="Chinawords: China commentary, and a look at Shanghai from an outsiders perspective. Reflection, and politics.">Snow and Shanghai interiors</a>:

<quote>I'd always avoided the clinic here thinking it was probably sub standdard- the paint aroudn the door of the place peels off, the sign is weathered and tattered, and an old bicycle is rotting outside, never seemign to move. I only ever see old people shuffling in. But laziness got the better of me, and rather than make the hike to the hospital, I decided to brave the clinic.

Some sleety snow collected in my jacket as I avoided a car edging its way toward the gate. I followed an old guy in worker blue jacket through big heavy plastic strips that keep the hang down over the floor. I took sideways glance at the old rotting bicycle as I entered. Inside- floor paved with large new stoen tiles, so clean we could see our reflections in it, new office cubicle thigs that the doctor iperrated in, small sparklign pharmacy out the back, new holland blinds and shiny aluminuium interior window, fresh white paint and four staff and starched white uniforms and those funny old fashioned nurses hats.

This contrast between the interior and exterior is a thing thats often quiet striking in China, and in particular for me, in Shanghai. I think it perhaps has a lot to do with the ownership of property and the rather complex reltionships and patchwork of laws that govern ownership of buildings, which is is all rather new and often contradictory. </quote>

I like how he attributes the contrast to historical economic reasons, and calls them "complex".