A Tale of Two Cities

Harbin is a hardy northern city forged in industry, extreme cold, and war. It has to be said that in Shanghai and, indeed, all over China, street names that aren't named after famous people (e.g. 中山北路 - Dr. Sun Yat-Sen North Road) or places (e.g. 乌鲁木齐路 - Urumqi Road), often have a rugged manly quality (e.g. 凯旋路 - Return Triumphant Road). However, Shanghainese men have a reputation for being whipped, and anecdotal evidence bears this out. I used to see plenty of men - their girlfriends striding aggressively ahead - struggling under the weight of dozens of bags of shopping. They would even carry their significant others' handbags, however pink and however fluffy. One one occasion, I even saw a young man sleeping on the subway on the shoulder of his other half, the girl looking around belligerently as if to say "Hands off! He's mine!" My theory has always been that this carrying of handbags, rather than being a sign of chivalry on the part of the male, is actually a way for the female to mark her territory, much in the same way as a house-cat pissing up against trees in the garden.

In Harbin, though, street names and places have an unbelievably virile and direct quality all of their own. The street I'm living on is called 公司街 (Corporation Road), and the Western half of the main thoroughfare running straight into town is called 西大直街 (West Big Straight Street). Beyond the town square, it becomes 东大直街 (East Big Straight Street), or you can head off to either side into 红军街 (Red Army Street). There's also an abundance of names relating to the 铁路 (railroad, or literally iron-road) probably because historically, Harbin was reliant on the opening of the railroad to Russia for survival. Thus, one can walk along Engineering Street or Railroad Street, and the local telecommunications company is called 铁通 Iron Communications.

There is also a difference in the use of word to describe roads. In Shanghai it was mostly 路 which is translated normally as 'road'. Here, it's almost entirely 街 which is usually rendered as 'street'. Apparently, though, there's no implication of 街 being any smaller than 路 and it's just a historical anachronism.

People up here are also much bigger than your average Chinese. I'm just over 180cm and that would make me tall down south. Here, it's unexceptional. Also, I used to face being called 胖 (fat, plump) or 壮 (robust, sturdy) down in Shanghai, almost on a daily basis. Here, there are a lot fewer skinny people and people seem to enjoy their food. I assume it's partly due to putting on insulation against the cold, but also I think there are fewer concessions to fashion here - people are fat because it suits them just fine, and nobody wearing tight jeans tucked into their knee-high moleskin boots; faux-thrift store t-shirts; or those tiny jackets that are pretty much all sleeve and nothing else is going to tell them any different. I fancy that, while in Shanghai the talk might gravitate toward politics or fashion. In Harbin it's all Guns! Girls! Meat! Cars! Explosions!