Hu Xudong, a Beijing-based poet and critic, put up a blog post containing the following snapshot of a massage ad:
Hu writes:
You guys don’t have anything up north…
I’ve been to busy to fart the past few days, so I’ve forgotten to put up this photo that I snapped with my mobile phone in the back of a Shanghai taxi.
This bright and shining prostitue ad streaked to and fro on the dashboard in front of the passenger’s seat, where Beijing’s taxis have a sticker reading “I am a smile ambassador for the Beijing Olympics!” To prove that I wasn’t just jumping to a conclusion, I asked the driver, “Is that a normal massage?” The driver gave me a look. He said scornfully, “If you want a normal massage, they’ll send over a normal one. If you want something else, they have whatever you want. Do you really need to ask, dimwit?” I immediately adopted the righteous tone of a cadre taking a visit to the south: “How could they place an ad here? In other cities, if they’re able to pass out cards, they’re already doing quite well. How can they be so aggressive in Shanghai?” The driver’s tone became sympathetic: “You’re from the north? Oh, you guys don’t have anything up there. And if you do, you have to take it on the sly. How pitiful. Have a bit of fun in Shanghai, OK?”