Tonight:
4°c
With May Day celebrations down to a long weekend, nobody was expecting much of a result on the consumer front over the holiday. As if financial woes were not enough, the spectre of swine flu and memories of Sars had been keeping many behind masks and closed doors.
But while some retailers had a quiet time it seems that electrical goods were walking out of the stores, encouraged by heavy discounting. In particular, television sellers had something of a bonanza.
Watching television is a favourite pastime in Shanghai. And when the going gets tough, get yourself a newer and bigger TV because whatever happens you know you'll be spending more time with the family.
Virtually non-existent as a household item until the Eighties, television ownership really took off in the Nineties when the introduction of colour coincided with rising home ownership. Latest figures show an average of 1.8 sets per household for urban Shanghai and, rather surprisingly, the same for the poorer rural areas.
And what do people actually watch? Rather sadly, much the same as anywhere else in the world. The usual diet of soaps, game shows, football and reality television is only given local spice by Imperial costume dramas and a never-ending series of programmes detailing the wartime struggle against the Japanese.
But whatever the quality of programming, there's a lot of it. Around £1.30 a month for cable buys 60 channels from all over China, complete with regional dialects and advertising. Five million household subscribers think that's a good deal. And as if that were not enough, satellite dishes are common, if of dubious legality, giving access to foreign channels banned elsewhere. With all this content, viewers are increasingly spoilt for choice. Even pirate DVD sellers are having to drop their prices to compete.
* Pudong New Area is taking over neighbouring Nanhui district in what looks like another move to strengthen Shanghai's position as an Asian hub. The new district will have a population of 2.7 million, favourable tax status and all the port facilities. Quite a package for the new mayor.
* Discussions continue on the expansion of Disneyland Hong Kong. Too small for people to want repeat visits, it hasn't been a great success. Meanwhile, Shanghai awaits state council approval for its own Disneyland. While far from certain, Shanghai seems on a roll with Beijing at the moment so prospects look good. It certainly won't be small.
