One of my great regrets about our year in Tianjin was my failure to capture the brilliance and hilarity that is the English language restaurant menu. It is worth going out to eat for that alone, even if the repercussion of said venture includes the digestion of certain unthinkable delicacies. Well, I don’t have those awesome menu descriptions captured in all their pixelated glory, but I did snap a few English language signs in China that we encountered in our day-to-day lives.
Here are some of our favorites:
Bathroom philosophy puts a spin on it. But when you think about it, really, this is spot on. Because … what is this world that we live in? And what is a jream? And are they one and the same? You could spend hours just mulling that over…No Spitting (And this is posted, incidentally, just outside a restaurant.) So this sign isn’t actually in English. But it’s still funny!Love Child: Mall playgrounds for children take on a whole new meaning …More philosophy. This one, found inside an apartment complex. And it worked!Slip-and-fall mitigation at its best. You’ll want to zoom in on the sign, probably.Tianjin Tourist Board knows how to sell it. And that neighborhood with all those restored concession houses is SO outlandish!Masters of understatement. This, incidentally, is posted on the Huangya Pass Great Wall in Tianjin’s Ji County. And “the ditch” is a chasm some hundred feet below …This was taken during our entrance health exam in China.Galaxy Mall Park, Tianjin. The funny thing is, this park incorporates a lot of Feng Shui — presumably to provide a haven within the urban jungle for life-balance and reflection. So it goes back to the whole issue of Chinese philosophy, really. Which makes a person stop and wonder … what does it all mean?To an American lost in a giant mall in search of an elevator while desperate for a restroom, this sign can be confusing. (It’s for the elevator.)
One thought on “The Glory of English Language Signs in China”
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Hilarious!!