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“Living In China I See The Most Ridiculous Things, Like These People Who Have No Idea What They’re Wearing” (30 New Pics)
What can you say about a city with 24 million people? Nothing really, it’s too big and there are too many stories to tell. But photos can help explain the weird, wild and wonderful metropolis on occasion, especially ones that obliterate the already thin margins of personal space that locals here offer up. Engrish shirts, entire families on a single scooter, the weary, the excited, the startling circumstances that defy explanation. There’s no commentary or opinion involved, just Shanghai and its people… observed.
Alex Greenberg is the man behind the account, an American who moved to the massive metropolis of Shanghai some years ago and fell in love with it. Overwhelmed by the sheer number of stories that can be told in such a vast city, he decided to start a website where he could document the quirks and oddities of everyday life there, which he called Shanghai Observed. The page now has nearly 70k followers, and people can't get enough of his shrewd street fashion sightings. Scroll down to check some of our faves out for yourself, and learn more about Alex's project!
More info: Instagram | Facebook | Website
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Elias Gibson 6 years ago (edited)
That shirt is going to be my motto now.
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Aria FAFAT 6 years ago
Honestly, though, I think this was on purpose. Like it's funny. I would probably wear that haha
As China's economy and influence around the world continue to grow, we in Western countries will gradually acquaint ourselves better with the language, culture and way of life of this vast and ancient civilization. As anyone who has ever been to China before will tell you, it really is an exciting, diverse and unique country!
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#2
Paoro Borla 6 years ago
saw this on Amazon for $16.99 lol it has one that was printed on the back
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Layla 6 years ago
Done in two mins AND is satisfying. If you're gonna spend the same amount of time on either option, go for the one that actually delivers, not the one that disappoints.
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Reilly Beryll 6 years ago
Men: eat your food, dirty your dishes without your consent, dirty clothes. Ramen: IS your food and provides for your tastes, dirties your dishes but WITH your consent, do not even wear clothes!! I’d choose the Ramen.
#3
Elizabeth Wilkins 6 years ago
That is just a plain tshirt . Simeone added the text onto the picture for most of these pics.
Lizzie the Crayon 6 years ago
Her face + body look plastic...like Barbie... *Made of plastic, so fantastic!!!*
Alex Greenberg moved to the massive metropolis of Shanghai some years ago and fell in love with it. Inspired by the many bizarre things he encountered every day, particularly the weird and wonderfully funny translations found on people's clothing, he decided to start a website where he could document the quirks and oddities of everyday life in the city, which he called Shanghai Observed.
#4
Jessica A 6 years ago
Whoever said 'you shouldn't read the comments' is SOOO missing out!!
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Lizzie the Crayon 6 years ago
Therefore, there are millions of words beginning with this "F" you speak of. #TheSagaContunues
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tuzdayschild 6 years ago (edited)
Gotta love a protegee. It took me decades to get that point.
Jess De La Souza 6 years ago (edited)
Imagine if the family doesn’t read English and thought “well it was a baby sweater so it must be something positive “ my mom and dad speak and understand English as their second language but it is tricky to reas, so when she has pointed out messages in shirts out to me. I can’t believe the things they come up with! I once had a flirty shirt as a younger kid and didn’t know what it meant. I just know I love the glitter😂
Living in such a different and interesting place means that he is never short of funny fashion material, and he finds himself confronted with all kinds of surprises every single day. "I’ve been in Shanghai for 4 years and I love how fast the city moves," Alex told Bored Panda.
#6
Charlotte Brine 6 years ago
Low key she definitely knows exactly what her shirt is staying and she won't hesitate to start naming names!
Mike Procaccini 6 years ago
WHAT DOES SHE EXPECT? SHE LIVES IN CHINA. MAYBE IF SHE LIVED IN AFRICA SHE WOULD BE GRATEFUL! ITS ALL A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE! :)
#7
Charlotte Brine 6 years ago
Haha love it!! I'm definitely borrowing this idea to put on a t-shirt
Lizzie the Crayon 6 years ago
She looks angry at poor invisible Norman, who recently took a vacation to China...ma'am, what did he do now
PandaLover 6 years ago
It doesn't actually tell you how. But I can see that the lady is trying real hard.
"Shanghai has a great skate scene which is what drove me to move here in the first place. It's an amazing city to explore and stumble across startled circumstances that defy explanation."
#9
Reilly Beryll 6 years ago
Just not enough, apparently. Not for this situation.
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"I started the account in November 2016. I made the account because I had just gotten a new iPhone 7, and it took surprisingly great photos. I also wanted to start a daily photo project. The daily photo project was focused on forcing me to shoot more street photography and shoot photos that would show daily life in Shanghai. Stuff my friends and family would be interested in seeing."
#10
CelestialPhilosopher 6 years ago
Get a load of the look on that kid's face. He *knows*, that smug bastard just*knows.*
Andrei Chikatilo 6 years ago
‘I believe you vere an alcoholic, Sir Samuel.’ 'No,’ said Vimes, completely taken aback. 'I was a drunk. You have to be richer than I was to be an alcoholic.’
#11
Borgia 137 6 years ago
tbh dry and unsalted popcorn is a diet food. it has minimum calories
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jeffrey blankenship 6 years ago
I want this girl to mentor me on how to become a professional "entire series binge watcher". I bet she'd knock out Game of Thrones without even a bathroom break.
"When the account started to grow and I gained a following I started to get submissions from other people at that point I began to post only the best of the best. The types of situations I like to share are ones that make you double take or say 'wtf.' One of the most common things I post on my Instagram is people wearing shirts that say ridiculous things on them."
#12
Pol Macqueron 6 years ago
Yes it did, she gives the hand to the balloon not to her brother
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Amanda Ferraz 6 years ago
In Brazil Durex was known only as adhesive tape (we'd actually call any brand durex), the condoms only arrived a few years ago
Anita Holleufer 6 years ago (edited)
A balloon is a balloon is a balloon is a balloon! That’s all SHE cares about.
Nami Tantrum 6 years ago
mommy i want that heart ballon... - but sweetie i don't think it's good (or whatever) let's choose another... - no.. i want the heart.. :D kids are so pure
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Sophie Warner 6 years ago
The one child policy was only changed to a two child policy in 2016. From the 1980's, it used to be that only couples living in rural areas, who were both only children could have a second child, if their first child was a daughter. In 2013 that was relaxed so that the requirement was that only one parent need have been an only child. With the cost of living in cities there so high & poverty levels high in the countryside a lot of couples only want one child anyway. They have a long history with contraceptive measures, so this image does not surprise me.
#13
Hans 6 years ago
Well, this looks caring to me actually. Obviously, the small one was cold and a creative solution was needed.
Rob Williams 6 years ago
Alternatively the child could be like my granddaughter who likes to wear our coats. I think it's called being a bit silly... IMG_0851-5...c-jpeg.jpg 
Momo Skarsgård 6 years ago
Just imagine that lil thing randomly starts chasing after you! Lmaoo
Hisseefit 6 years ago
My little one was dressed like this too at the zoo. We were out and it was supposed to be warm. However, she was cold. I went to the gift shop to buy a sweatshirt or something her size. All they had were adult size hoodies. So my daughter has a hoodie she'll grow into and it kept her warm that day.
Johnny Frostbite 6 years ago
It happens - once I stepped in a puddle and ended up wearing my dad's gloves as shoes.
Reilly Beryll 6 years ago
Warm, and it continues to work years later! This is the greatest discovery of our century!!
"I'm guessing 99% of the time these people have no idea what the funny t-shirt says because they don’t speak English. This makes for an amazing photo because you often see a great juxtaposition between what the person's face says, and what the shirt says. I love hilarious photos and videos that instantly make you laugh or question what is happening. Shanghai seems to share that every day."
#14
Charlotte Brine 6 years ago
My god! the overwhelming need for me to see what those look like from the front is almost killing me!
#15
Reilly Beryll 6 years ago
Casually unzips my jacket while facing someone I hate, revealing this shirt.
jeffrey blankenship 6 years ago
My half inebriated brain just spent several minutes trying to figure out what the arrows was pointing out.....I'm going to go lay down.
Jess De La Souza 6 years ago
But in this case Asians are knowledgeable (can’t say smart b/c as a future teacher we need to elaborate on effort, actions and positive mentality-growth mindset) Anyways they don’t all permanently ink it on bodies but are more forthcoming with their sayings
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#16
Sharyn Roberts 6 years ago
Yep, that was my question too. Did they beat her with the camera?
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Many people have speculated where the weird shirts and fashion sense comes from, and whether those wearing them actually know what they mean. Over 10 million people in China speak English fluently, however out of a population of more than 1.3 billion, that's fewer than 1 in 100 people. We will let you decide!
As a follow up to a previous post that Alex uploaded on Bored Panda, we decided to present some more Shanghai strangeness for your viewing pleasure. And although Alex is busy observing Shanghai, he still manages to keep an eye on his homeland too through his hilarious sister account, America Observed. Check it out!
#18
Withnail 6 years ago
Yo dawg I herd you like shoes so we put shoes in yo shoes so you can walk while u walk
#19
Pamula Furness 6 years ago
I could sing along to this quite worrily..................,
Load More Replies... Reilly Beryll 6 years ago
This is the bag that the great Angel of Anxiety wears when it decks you in the chest.
Merciful Minerva 6 years ago
Thanks for the warning...and looking at your bag; "Are you happy to see me?"
#20
Carlota Ocón 6 years ago
We get tattoos in Chinese that we don't understand and end up meaning something like "omelette" so I guess this is their equivalent?
Craig Lee 6 years ago
People that don't do their homework or go to fly by night shops. Anyone getting Chinese characters or kanji, shouldn't trust anything they didn't research or any artists they don't know. If people get tats that say something they didn't think it meant, that's their fault alone.
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Brie Sansotta 6 years ago
Goin round my brain. Doctor say it'll kill me but he don't say when...
Joann Wegman 6 years ago
Wherever that shirt came from? And regardless if they understand what it says and wearing. It’s child size!!! Who made that & actually sold at least one??? WTF
Robert tait 6 years ago
It could be his (English) Name.. I had coffee at the first Starbucks in Shanghai (all of China I think). The server's name tag said "Cocaine". I'm obviously American (therefor only speak English), and asked the server what his name was. .He shyly replied "Cocaine".. One never knows..
#21
LaDarryl Hollingsworth 6 years ago
The missing space between IN and THE is driving me craaaazy.
Carlos Snt 6 years ago
yeah i agree, the letters, graphically, doesn't seem to be real.
Load More Replies... Helen Troy 6 years ago
what a person wears, no matter how revealing, is not an invitation to violence of any kind.
Caitlyn Marquez 6 years ago
No one said anything about it being revealing, it was a joke.
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Honesty Olishia 6 years ago
I was on the internet the other day looking at aesthetic stuff and I saw this quote. It wasn't a shirt though.
Sophie Warner 6 years ago
A lot of the printed slogans have flaws in the spacing & are therefore probably sold as seconds from the local factories that manufactured them, but are actually made for sale on or to the American market. They are sold cheaply & anything American is seen as cool.
#22
Withnail 6 years ago
When you twist the torso of your Barbie around to the front. I mean GI Joe. I don't have Barbies.
tuzdayschild 6 years ago (edited)
Most of these posts are the result of not really understanding a foreign language. This here is a whole other problem.
Charlotte Brine 6 years ago
Oh wow, the girl from The Ring has really grown up! Looks like she swapped up her white sheet for this super trendy denim ensemble! (Still hasn't grown out of the "Shut up Mom, i like having my hair over face" phase mind you.)
Jodi Ellis 6 years ago
Ummmm, no words can describe what I am looking at. either someone who doesn't know how to dress, or a manufacturer who thinks this is fashionable.
Lana 6 years ago
She probably thought that it would look cute to turn it around. Who else has done the same thing with things like dresses and thought: 'I could totally get a way with that and it looks like I have a new item of clothing'.
Sophie Warner 6 years ago
Maybe it has padding front and back?! Who knows what weird a*s thing is "fashion" this week?
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#23
PandaPiñata 6 years ago
I am beginning to wonder how many of these designs were made with the one purpose of trolling people who don´t understand what the text means.
Matt Richardson 6 years ago
It took me way too long to realize "That Yellow Face" was referring to Bart Simpson. I thought that was just the North Face logo with googly eyes.
Michelle Chung 6 years ago
White is not really white. Yellow is not really yellow..Black is not really black.. then why we label ?
#24
Elena Bianca 6 years ago
He is Yoo Byung Jae, a korean entertainer. These are his merchandise, he previously had phone cases with his face on https://www.redbubble.com/shop/yoo+byung+jae+iphone-cases?ref=work_taglist
Kryogen 6 years ago
I think it's some kind of wallet loan. And the face is some kind of anti theft technic.
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Charlotte Brine 6 years ago
I really want to believe that this is just the most bizarre coincidence to have ever happened and that non of these passengers are together, or indeed know who's giant face is on the suitcase they brought!
Reilly Beryll 6 years ago
Suitcases with faces that stare blankly at you? Do you mean Nightmare-Strollers?
Sophie Warner 6 years ago
They sell similar stuff with Nicolas Cage's face on it in the UK & USA, including sequined throw pillows. It is equally creepy!
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Georgette Goldie 6 years ago
you get a decent cover to make your suitcase identifiable on the carousel - you think, until you find everyone else on your flight bought the same cover!
#25
Frankie Mixter 6 years ago
In today's society if that's the worst a kid does.. let it ride. I wear clothes with different kanji what if they have a picture of me on their site and idk what it means lol?
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Carlota Ocón 6 years ago
I wonder if there is something like boredpanda in China and if they post all the s****y Chinese tattoos the rest of the world gets that end up meaning something like "egg" or "cheese"
张好纯 6 years ago
Yes sure we do have. Chinese Reddit “Tieba” got some feeds like some Chinese tattoos end up meaning like “hen” or “F**k” on people who looks knowing little about Chinese. I mean it’s ok wearing a s****y shirt but people really need to pay attention on tattoos they get.
Load More Replies... Jodi Ellis 6 years ago
OMG, I was shocked to see this on a kid and in his size. What is wrong with people.
Kaisu Rei 6 years ago
To be fair, the manufacturers probably don't know what it says either, they just know English words are cool and shirts with English words will sell
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Lana 6 years ago
Many don't speak English well in China so the parents probably did not know what it meant. Aren't we the same, buying shirts with some Japanese or Chinese text on it without knowing what it means?
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Pattie Kelly 6 years ago
The letter is plotted out. OK it's "Make a Woman CAM for once". There all done.
#26
#27
Crouching_Penn_Hidden_Teller@yahoo.com 6 years ago
shouldn't that be on pants instead of a shirt?
#28
Cliff Lovering 6 years ago (edited)
Because someone, somewhere, sometime is gonna need a sacrifice. The 666 is a nice touch, don't you think.
Richard J. Treitner 6 years ago
Satan said I should protect my virginity but I said, "Not today, Satan!".
#29
Kaisu Rei 6 years ago
They don't know what it says, they just think it's cool because it's English words
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Blue Cicada 6 years ago
They have no idea what they are purchasing. The Roman alphabet is just a cute pattern of shapes for non-English speakers. Now I'm nervous about Asian text on any of my belongings...
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#30
Charlotte Brine 6 years ago
My "full of regret, why do I do this to myself every Sunday" shirt
Reilly Beryll 6 years ago
I’m so dead, I wish I were hungover. I’m so tired of being dead. My skeleton is turning to dust. I can’t even speak. Someone please help-
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Shanghai Observed 6 years ago
Go to Shanghaiobserved.com ! Can buy one of them right now :)
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Cheethra 6 years ago
What's in all the mature content printed on kids clothes? If they just use random words in English to make it looks cool, how come most of them are related to alcohol, sex and drugs? I remember bought imported toy from china for my kid and when we turned it on we heard the song that say "what the f*uck babe" over and over again. It's not funny at all :(
Full Name 6 years ago
You're right. It's not funny, it's f*****g hilarious!
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Emilie Wylder 6 years ago
heard on the radio once about how people get tattoos with Chinese characters which mean something completely different, they were wondering if the reverse was true... I submit this article(?) as proof!
Oerff On Tour 6 years ago
Reminds me of a shirt I found online " MY BODY IS DEVINE! unfortunately it's Buddha"
Donald Holder*Doc 6 years ago
My surprise isn't the wording, it's that so many Chinese are wearing English language shirts!?
Shanghai Observed 6 years ago
Go to Shanghaiobserved.com ! Can buy one of them right now :)
Load More Replies... Cheethra 6 years ago
What's in all the mature content printed on kids clothes? If they just use random words in English to make it looks cool, how come most of them are related to alcohol, sex and drugs? I remember bought imported toy from china for my kid and when we turned it on we heard the song that say "what the f*uck babe" over and over again. It's not funny at all :(
Full Name 6 years ago
You're right. It's not funny, it's f*****g hilarious!
Load More Replies... Emilie Wylder 6 years ago
heard on the radio once about how people get tattoos with Chinese characters which mean something completely different, they were wondering if the reverse was true... I submit this article(?) as proof!
Oerff On Tour 6 years ago
Reminds me of a shirt I found online " MY BODY IS DEVINE! unfortunately it's Buddha"
Donald Holder*Doc 6 years ago
My surprise isn't the wording, it's that so many Chinese are wearing English language shirts!?
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