Shanghai, the worlds most beauty rewarding city

henning,

you should trademark this concept. McDonnalds could use in as a slogan: eat a Big Mac, and grow your surface value!

I agree, Taipan.

An additional benefit of being valued based on surface properites is that the surface tends to grow over time (at least in my case), so there is more and more to value.

TaiPan, you never cease to amuse or enlighten. Sometimes you do both. Bravo. :-)

Actually the song I attributed to Robert Burns was an original by Lionel McClelland

Thanks, RJBerki. "Happiness is a choice." That's very wise. Maybe we all get what we truly want. I wish I'd known that a long time ago. You have to want to want something different: meta-want. "Never feel sorry for yourself", is the rule that changed my life. Bazza, please give it a try. That's not a reprimand, at your age I was lot more miserable than I think you are. It needs discipline, it's a long road and it's tempting to slip back into the comfort of what you know, but you'll find your problems either disappear or just don't matter any more. Above all, people (both sexes) will like being with you (they probably do already) and you'll enjoy yourself! Remember, we're all going to die.

Well said TaiPan.

Valuing beauty certainly predates any western society's tentacles.

I hope to one day be valued strictly on my surface qualities. Being intelligent and personable is far too much work.

yes - I like it too. There is no geographical cure for unhappiness. Happiness is a "choice." Once you realize this, you have it made.

Marcosbento's quote:

"those who run across the sea change their sky but not their state of mind."

Speaking of pretty faces, I thought of this from Robert Burns:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQNSndjshRU

Hi Marcosbento, I like your motto. I had to look it up, but it was worth it. With video streaming from China and ChinesePod, I can be ugly in America, not the ugly American and still enjoy Chinese culture. With you motto I can soothe myself that my soul is in the right place. Still, one can dream. Then again, the new motto for the Olympics is One World, One Dream

interesting article. If life were fair it would be a pretty boring world I think. No?

It seems to me that worshipping female beauty goes way back in Chinese history. There are several old Chengyu that I am aware of that are based on beautiful women, for example: 沉鱼美女

Baz,

You are a typical fair haired boy. What you need is self confidence. And maybe some elevator shoes :-) Dont be so hard on yourself.

However true this is the attributes one must have to be considered beautiful may be very different to here in the West so there may still be hope

I'm ugly and average height in SH. hehe

Understood Xiaohu,

I tend to feel that way too, so I was also questioning my own feelings.

I guess I just meant that beauty worship is more of a western concept, whereas in Chinese culture they have traditionally valued things like wisdom and perfection of he mind or personal skills. Or maybe it's just me being naive.

Xiaohu,

are you sure it came from the west? The "devil" is everywhere, not just in the west. Although, i do think he owns more homes in the US. :-)

Rats! I finally found a place where I am considered "tall" and now this. So much for my dream of living and working in SH. :-)

Too bad the beauty worshiping crassness of our modern Western society has already spread it's ugly tentacles to China.

Quite true. Hongkong too.