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Local newspapers are a great place to get an insight into a place’s culture. 新民晚报 is a newspaper that comes out every day in Shanghai.

Of most use to learners of Chinese is that section called “建议与呼声” (Suggestions and Opinions). The pieces in this section are very short, have useful vocabulary and tell an intruiging story. Here’s something from today’s paper:

• 围墙成了小便处：臭气冲天熏路人 - 读者王女士来电：漕东三路漕东支路附近有一幢没有厕所的公房，里面住着一些外来人员，他们经常在马路对面的围墙边“方便”，臭气冲天弄脏周边环境。
  （From Mrs Wong, a reader: Near Cao Dong supplementary road, off Cao Dong Road Three, there is a public housing estate without a toilet, where various outsiders live. They often “relive themselves” on the wall opposite, and the stink fills the air and dirties the surrounding area.

My apologies for starting with the dirty one first. From reading this short article, you can learn words like 公房/gōng fáng/public estate, 对面/duì miàn/opposite, 马路/mǎ lù/road, the “polite” way to refer to urinating, 方便/fāng biàn (yes, it literally means “convenient”) and on top of it all, these words all fit nicely together into a short “story”. Here’s another.

• 无证小贩进小区，吵吵闹闹烦煞人 - 读者吴女士来电：金汤路1781弄真光七街坊内，每天早上5时起，就有小摊贩摆摊，讨价还价声吵醒四邻。居民多次向有关部门反映，问题就是不能解决。这个“弄堂菜场“不知何时才能取缔。 (From a reader, Mrs Wu: Inside the living complex at Division seven of lane 1781 of Jin Tang Rd, every morning from five o’clock, residents are woken by the sound of street sellers plying their wares and bargaining. Residents have complained to relevant authorities, but the problem can’t be fixed. It is unclear when this kind of “laneway vegetable market” will be outlawed.

This passage gives the Chinese reader some great words. Many of them we don’t really have in English. I have translated ‘小摊贩’ as “street sellers” but I don’t think that’s such a good translation. Maybe “Hawkers?” Anyway, we don’t have enough of them in English speaking countries to have a proper word. And I’ve also used “plying their wares”, which is kind of an old expression but is basically a specialised verb for what street sellers do. “Hock their stuff” might be a better word.

Anyway, here are some other words that might help you understand.

每天早上5时起：Every day from five in the morning. This is just a fancy newspaper way of saying 每天早上从五点钟. Times are usually expressed in spoken Chinese as <something>点钟, the <something>时 pattern is usually reserved for newspapers, newsreaders, official documents etc.

问题就是不能解决：问题/wèn tí = problem. 就是/jiù shì = is (emphatically). 不能/bù néng = not possible. 解决/jiě jué = to resolve a dispute or a conflict. Thus, 问题就是不能解决 = The problem can’t be solved.

I’d buy the entire newspaper just to read the five short paragraphs that are included in each day’s 建议与呼声. I think they give such a great insight into everyday China. I mean, I could try to describe the din that those street sellers make in the morning, with a story, or an article, or a youtube video, but nothing would compare with Mrs Wu’s short complaint. I just love that it’s straight from her mouth, so to speak.

Here’s another.

• 车到终点搞卫生，垃圾扫到马路上 - 读者邓昌黎来信：公交916路，726路开进呼兰路终点站后，经常有司售人员把车厢里的果皮，饮料包装盒等垃圾扫到马路上。碰到风大时，满地的垃圾随风飞扬，行人及乘客意见很大。
  The 916 and 726 buses, which terminate at Hu Lan road, often have ticket sellers that throw such rubbish as peel, and empty drink cartons onto the road. When the wind picks up, all of the rubbish flies everywhere and pedestrians and passengers alike have suggestions.

One of my favourite Chinese expressions is in this short passage. “有意见” literally means “to have suggestions” but is exclusively used when someone has a negative view, or is angry about something. For example, the crazy chair-wielding guy who was fixing to fight the entire staff of a Sony store in an earlier post might be described as “having suggestions” (有意见)。

And just to show that they aren’t all negative, here’s the final article for today:

• 方便洗手装龙头，泗泾邮局很周到 - 读者永德来信： 日前，我去松江泗泾邮政支局寄信，见营业大厅的角落里新添了水斗和龙头，旁边还配了块小毛巾。寄信的人贴沾邮票后，手上的浆湖或胶水可以马上洗清擦干。邮局这种人性化的服务，不仅为客户提供了方便，也能让柜台保持清洁。
  A letter from a reader, Yong De: Recently, I went to a post office at Si Jing, Yong Jiang to post a letter, and noticed in the main business area a new basin and tap, and next to them, a small towel. Those wishing to post a letter, after affixing stamps, can immediately wash their hands of glue or other messy things and dry them immediately. This kind of personal service not provides customers with convenience, but keeps the counters clean.

Some words of note: 水斗/shuǐ dòu = basin, 龙头/lóng tóu = tap (faucet) 方便/fāng biàn = convenient/convenience/to go to the toilet (in the final meaning, this also appeared in the first story), 擦干/cā gān = to wipe dry.

I hope you like these stories, I’ll keep doing them, they give such a poignant insight into Chinese life!