Archive for the ‘Shanghai’ Category
Shanghai synthesis : barriers, future, rock star
I’ve been back in the USA for a few days now and I think I’ve figured out three key learnings from my experience in Shanghai:
1) Barriers, or lack thereof: A few years ago, I never would have imagined that I would travel to Shanghai for a training session. It just seemed too distant, too exotic, too difficult. Since I’ve taken the opportunity for more international travel, I’ve learned just how easy it can be. Sure, there are language issues and local customs and rules to be learned, but by and large the world has become a very small place.
Choose any large city anywhere in the world. Go there, and I’m sure you will find people who speak english, navigable public transportation, and familiar food. Globalization has run its course in many ways and we’re all citizens of a common Earth.
2) Future: Having spent just three weeks in Shanghai and reading more about China, I am confident that the future is in the East. China’s commitment to education, and specifically science and technology education, will yield huge dividends in the decades to come. (Tragically, this comes at the same moment the US has stopped investing in education). India’s position as a global leader in outsourced intellectual labor is already being challenged and they will be surpassed within 10 years. China already claims the largest population of english speakers. They will make their voices heard.
The strong central government that draws [well justified] criticism in China is also an ace up the sleeve in regards to progress and development. When the government wants to build a road, or a power plant, or a new technology development center, it simply builds it. There is no drawn out consensus gathering or lobbying. Just fast action. The rate of change is on a different scale. The future for China is coming fast.
3) Rock Star: This last one is not profound but worth a mention anyway. Simply put, living in Shanghai made me feel like a rock star! The first reason for this is the exchange rate–even with the weakness of the $USD, it was still pretty solidly in my favor. (For a point of reference, I could buy four 660ml bottles of beer for about $1.00)
Another side of the economic advantage is the healthy knock-off market. I could buy facsimiles of thousand-dollar products for a few dollars. Watches, bags, and shirts were the most common, but we also saw golf clubs, tennis rackets, and iPods. Take a strong dollar and spend it on knock-offs and you can have the outward appearance of a rock star on the cheap.
At every shop, restaurant, and hotel we visited, the level of service was amazing. I’m convinced that most businesses are intentionally over-staffed so as to provide nearly instant response to any request. Restaurants use the team approach to serving so there is no bottleneck in the process. Our hotel actually paid people to wait near the elevators in case you suffered momentary amnesia and forgot where you were or how to push the buttons. Amazing.
The thing that surprised me most was the number of times a complete stranger wanted to take their photo with me. Not of me, but with me. As though they would later show the photo to their friends and say “look at this giant American!” I don’t get that too often in Milwaukee.
Final thoughts: I have a pretty rosy view of China in my mind, but I am well aware that Shanghai is the exception and not the rule. The western provinces are currently suffering systemic poverty as they slowly shift the local economy. The Chinese government is also intolerant of dissent and is guilty of many unpleasant actions. So of course my opinions are not indicative of China as a whole, but rather of the above-middle-class Shanghai that I lived in.
That said, I think Shanghai offers a glimpse of how far China has come in just a few decades and where they will go in the future. What an experience.
Filed under Shanghai, culture : Comments (0) : Sep 4th, 2007
Back in the USA
After a grueling 12+ hour flight and a battle with Chicago traffic, I’m back home in Milwaukee. Leaving Shanghai was bittersweet. On the one hand I was looking forward to the comforts of home–safe tap water, a language I understand, milk and cereal. At the same time, I enjoyed my experience in Shanghai so much that I was wishing I could stay longer.
I’m home now, I feel dizzy and tired, and I’m having trouble composing a synthesis of the last three weeks of my life. Fortunately I have a long weekend to catch up on life. I’ll be posting some final photos & reflections on Shanghai so check back in a few.
Filed under Shanghai : Comments (1) : Aug 31st, 2007
Dispatch from Beijing
The weekend in Beijing was great. We flew from Shanghai to Beijing, which is a little under two hours by plane. (The other option being 12 hour train. Yikes) Beijing looks very different than Shanghai. Both are very large, modern cities, but Shanghai is much more vertical with 25+ story buildings everywhere. Beijing has held on to a more traditional Chinese architecture.
We did the typical tourist activities, including the Great Wall, Summer Palace, Tienanmen Square, and the Forbidden City. I’m proud to report that we climbed to the highest point on the Wall (in the Beijing region), which is a non-trivial task. It’s essentially a giant staircase up the side of a mountain–some 4000 steps to the top. The views were amazing, even with a few hundred other tourists doing the same. It was funny to see how the crowds thinned in proportion to the elevation. I snapped quite a few photos, so go check out my flickr feed.
The palaces in Beijing were amazing. It’s plain to see that the emperors of China were incredibly powerful men. It must have been breathtaking for a peasant to come out of the field and see the level of grandeur. We had a great tour guide who shared some historical tidbits from various dynasties: One emperor was so enamored with his bicycle that he had all the thresholds removed from the doorways so he could ride inside the palace. Another emperor was worried about ninjas hiding in trees so he had all the trees in the courtyard removed. Worried further about tunneling invaders, he had the entire courtyard paved with 15 layers of bricks. My favorite was the emperor who was afraid of his ships sinking, so he built a massive ship from marble–since it couldn’t float, it likewise would never sink.
I’m back in Shanghai now for the last week of class before returning to Milwaukee. This experience has been amazing and I’ve learned more than I ever expected. I feel entirely disconnected from my life back in the U.S. and I’ve been doing a terrible job keeping up with emails. Nonetheless, I don’t want to leave!
Filed under Beijing, Shanghai : Comments (1) : Aug 28th, 2007
New watch
I bought this watch in Shanghai. Judging from the Amazon price, I got a 99.1% discount.
Filed under Shanghai : Comments (6) : Aug 19th, 2007
Dispatch from Shanghai
It’s been a few days since I’ve spent any time on the internet or update the ol’ blog. We’ve been very busy of late and I’m trying to spend what little free time I have on fun stuff around the city. Some of the highlights:
Shopping: We went to an indoor market/mall/bazaar to shop for knock-offs. It’s a pretty crazy scene. Within minutes of arriving, I had at least half a dozen “friends” that were all more than willing to show me the shop with the “most quality and least price”. It seems that there is a fixed inventory but many small shops, so you can buy the same things just about anywhere.
The most popular items are watches, dress shirts, jackets, suitcases, belts, DVDs, and purses. The quality of some of these knockoffs is amazing–I honestly can’t tell the difference. The prices are all extremely fluid, but the haggling process is draining. The key phrases seem to be “best-friend price” and “no joke price”. Walking away also does wonders and dropping the final price.
It’s a fun experience, but the sensory overload of everyone telling you “hello friend, watch? DVD? bag? belt?” is draining. I tip my hat to the one shop keeper who got creative and tried “howdy big fella” instead.
Touring: We visited an ancient Chinese garden that’s been rebuilt as a tourist trap. The architecture and detailing of all the buildings is very impressive. I can’t fathom the effect on a dirt-poor peasant at just seeing the palaces and gardens the royalty lived in a thousand years ago.
The majority of the tourists were Chinese and everyone was taking photos. One cultural difference I observed is that very few non-Western people would smile in their photos. I imagine it’s a pretty exciting vacation to drive/fly from the western provinces in China to see Shanghai. Along the lines of visiting NYC after living in rural Wyoming all your life, I presume.
My favorite moment of our visit was when I spotted three little boys having their photo taken. I snapped a pic myself, after which they came over, said “hello”, and stood behind me so their father could take a photo with an American. I felt like a rockstar.
Night Life: We’ve been going out most nights to bars and dance clubs. We went to the Ice Bar one night, which is built entirely of ice (hence the name) and quite the novelty. The clubs are great; drinks are about equivalent to US prices. (Our cultural guide from the hotel has been directing us towards the ex-patriot oriented spots, which explains the high prices.) Another favorite was BonBon, offering an open bar for 88 RMB ($11) and some great DJs. Coolio (yes, Coolio) played a show there last night, but sadly I missed it. (I took a nap at 5pm, intending to go out a 9:00, but instead slept round the clock. oops.)
Shanghai is awesome. You need to visit!
Filed under Shanghai : Comments (1) : Aug 18th, 2007
Shanghai Photos
I’m spending some time in Shanghai for work. It’s great. We’re working all day, so I haven’t had the opportunity to take many photos. Here are some preliminary photos from the first few days:
View from my hotel window. Note that it’s very hazy–it’s been like that all week.
Pearl tower near the Bund on the Pudong side of shanghai. Yes, this is the future
View of the river at the Bund.
Traditional Chinese foods for dinner.
Filed under Shanghai : Comments (4) : Aug 15th, 2007
Shanghai day two
When traveling, it’s always interesting to note the subtle differences in the way different cultures approach the same issues. Our hotel in Shanghai is a model of quality service. The ratio of guests to employees is about 3:1, meaning there is always someone waiting to greet you and assist as needed. When I go to breakfast in the morning, I am first greeted as I step out of the elevator, then again at the entrance to the restaurant, then as I’m seated at a table, then again as I go to the buffet line, and once more when I return and order a beverage. In the restaurant there are 10 tables and 12 staff. It’s wonderful.
Filed under Shanghai : Comments (1) : Aug 13th, 2007
Shanghai, day one
I made it to Shanghai in one piece and no worse for the wear. The flight was about 13 hours, plus another hour or two on the ground as we waited for the United maintenance crew to fix the plane. Upon arriving in Shanghai, we made it through customs with surprisingly little trouble. I had to promise that I wasn’t bringing more than 400 sticks of cigarettes or any material detrimental to the Peoples Republic of China, but the process was much more efficient and friendly than in the US.
We took a bus into the city and got a little flavor for Shanghai. There are large buildings everywhere, and you’re always in view of a construction site. The pollution makes everything look a little dingy from the outside, but at night the city sparkles. Our hotel is very nice and I’m sure to be comfortable living here for the next three weeks.
I went on my first small shopping adventure at the supermarket. In the store, I felt delightfully overwhelmed and out of place. I’m really not going to fool anybody into thinking I’m a local here. I purchased some bottled water for 1.3 RMB (about 17 cents) and successfully paid and thanked the cashier. (At the moment, my language skills begin and end with “thank you”).
Shanghai is great. I can now plainly see that China is the future. Check back here for more in the coming days!
Filed under Shanghai : Comments (0) : Aug 11th, 2007
