Signs and wonders

Uncle John
Originally uploaded by Kees & Sarah.

Well, more like signs that make you wonder. It seems to be fashionable here to have signs on your shop (and lots of other places) in Chinese and English, and often I find that useful, but sometimes it really doesn't help, as you can see in the photo here. (The English underneath says: "Uncle John's skin has to sweep to maintain the store.") Sometime you come across interesting mistranslations, or very broken English (referred to as Engrish). It is one of those things that can really brighten up your day if you are feeling down a little.
I am starting to slowly build up a little collection of these photos, which you can view here. I often come across signs though, when I don't have my camera with me, or in places where you are not allowed to make photos. In our local Carrefour supermarket there are lots of excellent examples of Engrish, and I have to see if I can manage to take some photos in there. Even in hospitals you see strange signs, how about: "Beautiful Breast Room 1", I really did not know what to think of that one.

Anyway I thought I share with you some of the little delights of life in China, and this is definitely one of them. If you are interested in lots of photos of Engrish signs, you can check out the Engrish and Chinglish groups on Flickr, it takes a bit of time, but there are some very funny signs out there.