Shanghai, China - October, 2006

October 14th – 21st

Shanghai, China

Ladies and Gentlemen, “The Sleeping Giant” has awoken. Indeed, there is little doubt in my mind that China will become the next global superpower. Funny, just as I arrived in Shanghai, I read in the NY Times that Walmart was spending 1 bill $ to buy a chain of 100 hypermarkets in China. While Beijing is the cultural center and capital of China, Shanghai is the economic powerhouse that is rapidly turning into the next great metropolis. I chose to visit here because of the buzz surrounding the growth and change. Nowhere else have I ever witnessed such growth and change before. Anybody involved with business development? Then go to Shanghai now. Shanghai (roughly 20 million people) seems like NYC on steroids. I was told after I arrived that Shanghai supposedly has more construction cranes than all of the construction cranes combined in the world. While people are flocking in to make their fortunes, most of the locals are living in impoverished conditions. The disparity between the rich and poor is highlighted not only through the looming skyscrapers that tower over the shanty villages, but by the endless sprawl of bicycles each carrying about 600 pounds of materials like wood, water jugs and produce. The city is separated by the Wusong Jiang river with the newly developing Padong area on the northeast where the Pearl Tower and Jin Mao Building rest and the old town on the southwest. The Padong area looks like you’re stepping into the Jetsons with futuristic-like facades and domes while the old town looks like a 19th century village. I’m reminded of Jacob Riis’s famous book, How the Other Half Lives, written in 1890. Riis a Danish Immigrant was one of the first photographers to take advantage of flash photography to capture some of the worst slums in NYC including The Five Points and what is now The Financial District. I suppose Modern day Shanghai is similar (but not nearly as extreme) to the gilded age of late 19th century New York with The Robber Barons accumulating most of the wealth while poor immigrant populations crammed into crowded tenements.


I arrived into Padong International Airport and jumped on the Maglev train and headed into downtown. The Maglev train is a magnetic levitation train that never touches the rail to diminish the friction. It was designed in Germany and reaches a speed of 271 miles per hour and takes you 26 miles in about 7 minutes. This is a dizzying experience even though there is no sound and you glide seamlessly along the track. I met Robin at Element Fresh restaurant at the Ritz Carlton in downtown Shanghai and I felt like I was in Las Vegas or something. Across the street was a California Pizza Company restaurant while directly next to that was some Western steak and ribs joint. “Am I in China?”, I asked myself. I met Robin for a nice western breakfast and was introduced to some other travelers who were on their honeymoon and traveling around the world. Robin is the sister of my good childhood friend from growing up. Robin lives with her boyfriend Randy and they have been teaching all over the world. They were previously living in Bolivia for three years and before that, had lived in Moscow for another two years. They have gotten themselves in quite the luxurious circuit of embassy international teaching gigs. She explained that once you’re in the network then you’re set to teach at some of the best international schools in the world. I have to say that I was more than spoiled at Robin’s place. They live in this huge house in a closed-in community called The California Gardens about 45 minutes from the center of Shanghai. The community sort of reminds me of Ma and Pa Bell’s abode in South Carolina with well-groomed foliage along with a clubhouse and pool.

Driving around Shanghai is a harrowing experience. There are thousands of bikers, motorcycles, trucks, buses and cars zipping in and out from every direction. I kept thinking of myself as a football running-back on the road. The taxis here are unbelievably cheap and I rode for an hour one time which cost me around 4 $. The Chinese love to use their car horns. Seriously, they never stop honking and it gets to the point where at first you go a little crazy and then you gradually get used to it. Supposedly, an executive from Ford Motors had to fly into Shanghai in response to a slew of complaints regarding the inefficiency and lifespan of Ford’s horns. After discovering the ridiculous propensity in which the Chinese use their horns, the executive declined to attend the meeting and took the first flight back to the U.S.


The old town is the last enclave of villages existing from the “Old-China” that is gradually getting swallowed up by new urban developments. It was a strange feeling to step into a kind of time capsule and experience the local customs. The streets are crowded with merchants and swindlers constantly trying to sell you their goods. I met a documentary filmmaker from Seattle who was in Shanghai to learn Chinese for the year. She showed me this interesting insect shop that appeared small from the outside and gradually opened up into a maze of hallways with jars of live insects everywhere. A traditional game in Shanghai is cricket fighting. Two people take their crickets and place them in a small bowl where their antennas are poked to instigate a territorial duel to the death. A prize-winning cricket is supposedly very expensive and there were merchants everywhere who were feeding and caring for these crickets with tiny water and food bowls. I attempted to photograph a cricket match but the spectators amass over the bowl, which makes it impossible to get a shot.
The highlight for tourists in the old town is the Yu Gardens, a beautiful, tranquil set of gardens, tea houses, and meeting rooms built during the Ming Dynasty. I arrived early to avoid the large crowds was able to enjoy a break from the city. It is hard to take a respite from the city because there are so many people and the air quality is horrendous. China is one of the worst polluters in the world and they are trying to gradually get their act together in time for the 2008 Olympics. Beside the Yu gardens is a touristy place called The Bizarre, a row of gift shops that looks like it could fit in well at Epcot Center. I avoided that and headed down to a Dongjiadu Cloth Market that sells wool and cashmere. I bought a cashmere jacket at a small fraction of the normal price. To the ‘shoppaholic’, Shanghai is paradise. People from all over the world fly to Shanghai just for shopping tours. I was amazed at how many high-end malls and boutiques there were. I must have seen 6 different Armani and Prada stores along with an array of markets selling knock off brands. The Chinese have no regard for intellectual property and I’m sure it will bite them in the ass someday when they are trying to protect their markets. There are two ways that street merchants sell high-end clothing for next to nothing. For one, they imitate the product of course and secondly, they steal the products out through the back door of the factories. Bartering with these merchants is exhausting and in China, you cut the initial offer by 80 %. Robin gave me all the ex-pat secret locations for the high quality goods. Nevertheless, I got most of my Christmas shopping done.

The art scene in Shanghai is booming! I was so Impressed with the art communities and museums. I found a cluster of renovated warehouse converted into studios and galleries. The work was so-so but the sense of community was impressive. I caught the Shanghai Biennial at The Shanghai Modern Art Museum and was blown away. It was refreshing to see some new and interesting pieces from Asian artists that I have never heard of before. One artist from India created this interactive installation that was similar to my thesis exhibition. You walk into a room and you see your silhouette on a screen mixed in with pre-recorded, imaginary silhouettes. Suddenly a silhouette of a monkey swings down on a trapeze and attaches to your head on the projection screen. You try to shake it off but it won’t come off. It was a strange piece and hard to describe…but it had a sense of humor which I like.

On the second to last night of my stay in Shanghai, I decided to stay closer in town to experience the nightlife. I booked a room at a famous hotel on The Bund called the Astor Hotel. The Bund is the main strip of European style buildings that brush up against the river on the west side. The Astor has hosted some famous guests including Charlie Chaplin, Albert Einstein and Ulysses Grant. I had booked my room online but the hotel screwed up my reservation so I luckily found myself in a suite for the regular room price. That night, I was unexpectedly invited to a benefit at a swank cocktail bar overlooking the river on The Bund. The speaker was Jane Goodall, one of the most esteemed activists alive. Dr. Goodall is an ethologist and anthropologist best known for conducting a forty-five year study of chimpanzee social and family life. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute, a global nonprofit that empowers people to make a difference for all living things. The goal is to create healthy ecosystems, promote sustainable livelihoods and nurture new generations. Her non-profit is the first non-profit to be accepted by the Chinese government. Her speech was unbelievable and she had many people in tears.

My final night in Shanghai was spent at the Ritz Carlton where I saw the famous Chinese acrobats, some of the best in the world. Unfortunately I couldn’t get any pictures because of copyright law. China understands copyright law? Huh? Anyways, The sheer strength, flexibility and endurance combined with aerial maneuvers were truly unbelievable. This one girl held a thin clear plastic pole from her mouth that balanced six wine glasses while doing a twenty-minute trapeze act. At another point, a girl was catapulted 6 stories into the air and landed on a chair that was held in place by 7 other acrobats who were standing on each other shoulders. I believe this is where Las Vegas get a lot of their acrobats for the various Cirque de Sole shows.

My experience in Shanghai will be indelibly ingrained in my memory. It is interesting how time perception is altered while traveling. I supposed the constant flux of information and novel experiences slows down time. My week in Shanghai felt like a month went by and I’m pleased I got to see some of the old parts of Shanghai before it’s all gone. I also felt so small in the city that feels like a universe. If I return to Shanghai or if any of you reading this decide to visit, then you will be experiencing a completely different city with a completely revised guidebook. I can’t stop comparing the speed of change in Shanghai to a city like New York, which is defined by change. Here is an interesting passage from My Lost City by F. Scott Fritzgerald after returning from his overseas excursions.

“From the ruins, lonely and inexplicable as the sphinx, rose the Empire State Building and, just as it had been a tradition of mine to climb to the Plaza Roof to take leave of the beautiful city, extending as far as eyes could reach, so now I went to the roof of the last and most magnificent of towers. Then I understood - - everything was explained: I had discovered the crowning error of the city, its Pandora's box. Full of vaunting pride the New Yorker had climbed here and seen with dismay what he had never suspected, that the city was not the endless succession of canyons that he had supposed but that it had limits - - from the tallest structure he saw for the first time that it faded out into the country on all sides, into an expanse of green and blue. That alone was limitless. And with the awful realization that New York was a city after all and not a universe, the whole shining edifice that he had reared in his imagination came crashing to the ground.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald.