Seeking the leading edge of China's transformation, a visit to the country's largest city and the mainland's epicenter for business and commerce was an obvious choice. As we had hoped the scene stood in stark contrast to the rural China we had experienced in Yunnan Provence, but to my surprise it wasn't nearly as overwhelming and hectic as I had imagined. Sprawling and huge, yes--but also well planned and well kept--Shanghai exemplifies China's ability to successfully orchestrate massive numbers of people with expansive public works projects to create what I found to be, a very livable mega-city.
The heart of the city is split by the Huangpu River, a tributary to the Yangzte River which meets the ocean on the city's edge, making it an ideal port.
Looking across the river at Pudong, the business district and the newest part of the city--much of this was farmland until the 1990s!
The photo above was taken from the popular river-side promenade (a massive redevelopment project, left) of the Bund, the city's historic district across the river from Pudong.
The HSBC Building (1923)
The Customs House (1927)
Buildings of Pudong.
Looking at the heart of Pudong, which compared to somewhere like Manhattan still has a lot of room to grow up--but it's only 20 years old.
Pictured left: Shanghai World Financial Center (492 meters, 3rd tallest in the world) and Jinmao Tower, are the two tallest buildings in the city...but not for long. Plans are underway for skyscrapers that dwarf these giants.
The amount of people in Shanghai (about 23 million) is maddening!
Saturday night on Nanjing Road which is blocks of the city's most popular retail.
The Chinese populous, especially in wealth centers like this, have experienced an extraordinary increase in buying power over the past few years. The rise in wealth has brought a rise in consumption and these crowds make it very clear--shopping is a favorite pastime in China.
With groups this large think of the multiplier effect of consuming for the sake of consuming becoming the thing to do....
The caption reads: "Inside Wants Out"
The delusional message is all too familial--buy products to outwardly show others the person you truly are (or want to be) inside, as if people know you through your handbags and other possessions. The same pointed techniques that created an insatiable hunger for consumption in America--trapping us in a rat race and wreaking havoc on our psyches by hiding us from our own happiness--are being turned on China, it's sad. The nation is now the largest consumer of luxury brands and embraces material symbols of status like I've never seen--the caption might more accurately read, outside getting in.
(Look into the work of Edward Bernays, Sigmund Freud's nephew--he started what has become a ridiculously large and calculated body of work on controlling the behavior of groups, a lineage of communicating to the subconscious that this follows perfectly.)
This guy was just doing his thing, lounging out on that super crowded street.
Cranes dot the horizons all over China, foreshadowing the high-rises to come.
Compared to other Asian countries I visited or even rural areas in China, there were far fewer motorbikes in the traffic mix--with wealth comes cars.
The city is still so new and polished it looks strangely similar to the computer rendering that preceded it's physicality.
In the shadow of the newness and wealth there are the many many modest dwellings of the true lifeblood of the city. Check out the sweet laundry drying systems (left).
The city is making a big push to increase green space and people really take advantage.
The expansive subway network utilizing German trains is awesome!
Ride it in from the airport and get anywhere in the city quickly for next to nothing. During the week there was never a need for a cab...get it together America.
Off the main streets there is an endless maze of allies (right). Police bikes (left).
With the extreme presence and heavy hand of the state, the city (and from what I found the country) is amazingly safe, you can go nearly (within reason) anywhere without feeling sketch.
Many of the motorbikes run on natural gas...a small step in the right direction.
The amount of garbage a city this size produces it mind-boggling.
In the low income areas there is still plenty of peddle power making it happen...gotta love it!
The streets are immaculately clean thanks to a small army of street sweepers.
Shanghai is in typhoon country.
Look into my eyes--we're not all that different.
Celebrating 90 years of The Party's rule.
Given the predominate culture of China the approach to governance works very well (which is not to say it works well in all contexts), it's obviously far from flawless but it'd be unfair to call it anything but hugely successful in improving the quality of life for the majority of its very large population, while also positioning them quite favorably globally for the future.
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