China 2020: Year of the Rat - What I Found Strange

Final post about my experience in China, the other two were:

Re-adjustment

Right after being back from Shanghai, China there were a few things I found myself needing to readjust to:

Driving on the left side of the road again
Being able to clearly read and understand everything and everyone (I’m shamefully illiterate in my native language)
Seeing the faces of strangers i.e. not covered by a face mask
Seeing a crowd in public – which is something you’d usually associate with China
Using a computer / typing after not doing so for 2 weeks
Not requiring as many items of clothing when leaving home:
- Thermal pants
- Multiple layers of tops
- Scarf
- Gloves
- Face mask

There were also a couple of random odd things I noticed:

To own an Electric Vehicle (EV) you have to own a permanent parking space
Residential parking is a bit of shitshow, as most complexes were built prior the boom in car ownership. A common solution has been to change residential roads from two way to one way, in order to free up space for more parking spots.
The Chinese Media – mostly period dramas, sport and news. There was a distinct lack of sci-fi/fantasy/reality tv/comedy
The smartphone/tablet is a common pacifier for children, which I found a little unhealthy. It was common to see both parents and children at a restaurant on a device doing their own thing.