Shanghai and Shanghainese seem to be different existences in the eyes of many Chinese people. The city and its citizens stand out with their unique urban cultural customs and are talked about. Mr. Ma Weidu has made many interesting comments about Shanghainese people, and his evaluation of Shanghai’s characteristics is also very insightful. 1. Shanghainese people are very "detailed" in what they say and do.
It is said that people from the north and the south are "rough in the south and fine in the north." The people in the north are generous and the people in the south are delicate. And when it comes to sophistication, Shanghainese are definitely the leaders. Mr. Ma Weidu commented that Shanghainese people are very "fine". The so-called fine means that every stitch and thread can be used to the last possible extent, and the price can be clearly marked on every millimeter. There is no better way to describe it than "Every penny counts".
Mr. Ma Weidu said that what impressed him most was the story of "Half a Liang of Food Stamps". In the north, there is almost no measurement unit like half a pound. Everyone buys things by the pound. Generally, they buy two or three pounds directly, and at least one pound is required. As for Shanghai, half a tael of food stamps can buy a lot of things - a small wonton, a small moon cake, etc. If a northerner goes to Shanghai and says to a restaurant, "Here's a pound of wontons," he will be served about twenty bowls of small wontons.
This interesting story also tells the details of Shanghai people. There is another thing that Mr. Ma Weidu has personally experienced. He said that when you use a public telephone booth in Shanghai to make a call, you will be close to people, especially the old lady. She will take it as soon as you hang up the phone. You can save yourself phone bills. Mr. Ma Weidu's humorous and vivid description brings the details of Shanghai people to life vividly on the page. 2. Mr. Ma Weidu believes that Shanghai is the city that best combines Eastern and Western cultures.
Regarding the argument that Shanghai is the best city that combines Eastern and Western cultures, Mr. Ma Weidu made a comparison with Tianjin and Beijing. Mr. Ma Weidu believes that Shanghai is the city that best combines Eastern and Western cultures, while Tianjin is the city that best combines local and foreign cultures, while Beijing also maintains its own consistent Eastern culture without integrating it with foreign countries.
Because Shanghai is a famous coastal city in China and one of the first cities to come into contact with Western culture, it is very good for the integration of Chinese and Western cultures. In modern times, Shanghai is world-famous as the Ten Mile Ocean Beach. At that time, the country would be opened. Shanghai was the first to accept the most advanced elements in the world, such as suits, telephones, cars, small foreign-style buildings, etc., which are all representatives.
To this day, Shanghai is still an internationally famous metropolis. The Western culture that was once left behind has been accepted by Shanghai and closely integrated with Eastern culture, forming the current Shanghai that integrates Chinese and Western cultures. From the Huangpu River on the Bund to Nanjing West Road and then to Huaihai Middle Road, buildings and decorations combining Chinese and Western styles can be seen everywhere. Shanghai is known as the "City of Constant Innovation", and innovation and development are what it flaunts. This international metropolis has its own unique charm, and can easily balance between the charm of the East and the strangeness of the West. 3. Shanghainese are very "rich"
To put it bluntly, Shanghainese are very rich. This is accepted and self-evident. How rich are Shanghainese people? To give a humorous analogy - if you want to buy an apartment in Shanghai, an ordinary citizen in an ordinary city may not be able to buy it even if you work for ten lifetimes, let alone work for ten lifetimes. This is not an exaggeration, Shanghai is indeed very expensive, and sky-high price sports cars can be seen everywhere on the streets of Shanghai.
The reason why Shanghai is so rich actually has a lot to do with the fact that it was the first to come into contact with the most advanced factors in the world mentioned above. The large inflow of foreign capital and industrial establishment in the early days were the basic wealth foundation of Shanghai. As an economic hub city, Shanghai should be rich as a matter of course. If you go to Shanghai and see those tall and magnificent buildings, you may think that they are historical sites, remaining private mansions, etc., but in fact they are most likely banks.
In this way, Shanghai people will naturally be wealthy because they have this capital. After having a rich material foundation, Shanghainese people have higher requirements for living standards. They want the best and most advanced food and clothing. Ordinary things cannot catch the eyes of Shanghainese people. Of course, the same is true for ordinary people in Shanghai. Many people say that Shanghainese are xenophobic. In fact, it is more like people materializing and widening the gap between their material bases.
In short, Mr. Ma Weidu’s evaluation of Shanghai and Shanghainese is particularly accurate. As a Shanghainese who has lived in Beijing all year round, I can feel that Shanghai is actually integrated into Mr. Ma Weidu’s body, just like how others describe Mr. Ma Weidu. That way - he saw himself being "insulted" when he saw the hairtail fish cut diagonally in a Shanghai restaurant. How could a true northerner care about this detail?