“Cracking China”: Top secret Wrigley gum photo
Rod MacKenzie writes a wonderful blog for South Africa’s Mail & Guardian called “Cracking China,” which describes experiences that he and his wife have had as teachers of English in China over the last three years in Shanghai.
Late last week, he wrote about China’s efforts to step up security during the Olympics (and now the Paralympics) including a perhaps understandable prohibition of photography in some public places.
As MacKenzie discovered, that extended to his local Familymart, when he took his aforementioned top secret photo above. Here are the details from last week’s blog:
‘No no,’ the shop assistant wails in Chinese as I take a photo of a marvelously ambivalent Chinglish sign behind a tray of Wrigley’s chewing gum in our local convenience store. The sign ambivalently says, “Familymart’s plastic bag should be sold without for free”. China has recently passed a law that plastic shopping bags must be bought. “Why?” I mutter and theatrically get ready to take another picture, as I can be quite bolshy, especially when I can see no reason for not being allowed to do something. ”Noooo!!…” wail several shop assistants now, covering up the shop’s merchandise with their hands. One frantically points to a sign saying “No photos”, a warning issued by the police during the Olympic Games.Security in subways I can understand, but convenience stores? Way weird. But here you have it: my precious photo of “Top Secret Wrigley’s Chewing Gum”. Don’t tell a soul.