Real estate signs

首批仅50席

抢好位

first to act..only 50 places

fight for a good seat

In other words: there are only 50 seats so you'd better act fast to secure one

..get in quick, first in first served de ganjue

I presume this is at some dinner or conference/seminar or the like. I wouldn't have thought it meant 50 fangzi left, but I guess I'd need more context.

This set of photos all refer to posters around a new apartment complex - I have watched the demolition of the old six story walk-ups, the clearing of the site, excavation and construction, now nearing completion.

.. so all references are to apartments, shops and the local environment. This expression is a bit ambiguous (I'll have to read the bit underneath) but I think the '50 places' does refer to apartments rather than shops - the 50 is maybe chosen to give an impression that hundreds have already sold (it is a very large complex - already there are several towers between 25 and 30 stories each.) The message is to get in on the action, yes.

oh, in that case 位 is clearly position, location but this 席 is interesting. It must be that it's being used in a more metaphorical sense...don't miss your seat at the banquet..once again...don't miss out on something great ganjue.

学子们

在街上特疯

students

special madness on the streets.

...this is harder to translate and once again more context would be nice. Not sure what this madness refers to, 是否 rabies, mad driving/traffic conditions/unpredictable and dangerous, dancing crazy, some craze....like everyone's going wild over the real estate...better get in quick, general mayhem. Can you tell us mate?

'Not sure what this madness refers to'

You and me both. I would have translated it literally as 'the kids go crazy on the streets' but it should probably be read more along the lines that this area is an 'education precinct' - elsewhere it says that there are 10 universities or high schools in the area (not sure where they drew the line for the catchment) and that there is a general air of excitement/activity.. which will of course translate into retail sales. One thing that is highly unlikely is the sight of kids going crazy on the street - which makes this 'blurb' that more interesting. They are talking the area 'up' by suggesting that the kids will run riot. :)

Education is a theme in this new development; two of three sections of the new 小区 face on to 学府路。 The street name is probably quite an old reference - nowadays there are still two universities that have an entrance on this road .. and three more universities just immediately south of this road.

I think that it is more 'don't skimp on the price'

So .. I think one implication might be that you wouldn't skimp on the price of education, you won't skimp on the price of your apartment. It is relevant because this is a recognised education precinct - at least I have been convinced by the marketers that it is an education precinct. :)

'if it's really a real estate sign, is it trying to say the schools in the area are good value,'

It is a real estate poster yes, these hoardings ring the construction sites - interestingly these are the third or fourth versions in say the last six or eight months. Each advertising campaign has had a slightly different theme - this month it is education. And in this campaign they are actively selling retail space as well, whether for rent rather than outright purchase not sure, I haven't got to the bottom of that. Must be for sale.

As to the value of the schools in the area, not sure that that is the message exactly. People know which are the top schools, everyone is very aware of rankings; I don't think that a marketer would try to tell the public that the local schools are the best value if they aren't. But the message is definitely that this is a high quality area, because it is well serviced by schools and universities. And shops. And students.

Another poster just says that the streets are crowded with people. This is an interesting cultural difference - in Australia most new residential areas are advertised as being 'quiet' - some Chinese like their living areas 热闹 ..