The Starbucks index

After a meeting in Shanghai today, we had a couple of hours to spare, before the plane took us back to Fuzhou. We ended up in a bar to meet up with Jon, an acquaintance of my colleague, and a couple of his co-workers. We had an interesting discussion about the differences between cities in China. Jon was wondering how we could stand living in a city like Fuzhou. He knew the city from many years ago and was not very impressed by it, to say the least. After explaining the fast development Fuzhou has gone through during the past few years, the question was "...but does Fuzhou already have a Starbucks?". And with that, he made an interesting point.

Fuzhou does not have a Starbucks yes, indeed. There is an "SPC Coffee" and we have the "King Buck", but no real Starbucks. Supposedly, Starbucks or some of its franchisers have checked the situation in Fuzhou but found the city not ripe for the famous coffee chain yet.

In Europe I wouldn’t directly link the presence of Starbucks in a city to the level of development, but in China there really seems to be a correlation; the Starbucks index.

Cooling down

It's still hot here! Last weekend we had 40C and a sun that is standing so high that even Lucky Luke would have trouble finding his own shadow.

The only time you can have a walk outside is very early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The rest of the time is spent inside, anywhere with airco. Summer is really not a season to look forward to in Fuzhou.

So what do the locals do to cool down? A short inquiry amongst colleagues taught me that most of them also spend there free time within the four walls of their homes.

There are some people who seek the waters to cool down, just like in Europe. Even though Fuzhou is close to the sea, and there is even a sandy beach, for most people it's too far out of town. Luckily, the city government has made some beaches in town, on the river banks, so people don't have to go far to enjoy some beach life. The fact that the the river water in China is not to be trusted in my eyes (not even considering the large amount of litter in the water, see picture) doesn't seem to bother many people, as they go for a swim in Fuzhou's Ming Jiang river.

Sun bathin, however, is not done yet. Because for most Chinese, the most beautiful skin is still a white skin.