


What I found different in Shanghai’s skyline was that the
buildings were able to standout individually, not crammed together into a blur
of towers. This is so different than
other modern cities that have sprung up quickly.
Surprisingly for a city so big, the traffic was not
bad. In the Pudong there were never
really any traffic jams (especially compared with SF). What you did have to watch out for were the
electric cycles that could sneak up on you silently in dedicated bike and cycle
lanes. We saw no gasoline motorcycles at
all, which I assume is part of the government’s effective efforts to clean up
air pollution.
There are elevated walkways in the central business district
of the Pudong which connect buildings and malls. Being able to stroll without having to worry
about crossing streets and cars is a pleasure.
They also got you up higher for a little for better views. There are steps that you can walk up or
escalators, but note that the escalators are shutoff at the first bit of rain
meaning walking up sometimes slippery steps is mandatory.
China has moved forward so quickly in my lifetime. I remember being a kid when Nixon visited
China and began opening up relations.
Everyone on we saw in China on the TV news seemed to wear Mao jackets and the streets were filled
with bicycles. In only 50 years,the
streets are now filled with Audi’s, Chevy’s, and Mercedes. There are even Chinese made electric plugin
cars.
Everyday business is conducted using mobile phones and apps
(pronounced "A-P-P"). We Chat and Alipay
QR codes are everywhere and acceptance of Visa (and other cards) is not
ubiquitous once outside of the tourist areas.
There are stands of external batteries everywhere like in the photo. You sign up for the service, check one out
with a QR code and app, charge your phone, and return it somewhere else to
recharge for the next user.
English speakers are also somewhat scarce (although this is
changing). Many signs are subtitled in
English (with some interesting translations), but not everything is. We were looking at a restaurant menu before
going in that was all in Chinese and pulled out Google Translate that uses the
phone’s camera to translate into English.
Some of the restaurant staff were amazed by that piece of technology.
Which brings me to The Great Wall—not the 1500 year-old one,
but the firewall that controls what information goes into and out of
China. As a westerner the impacts can be
felt every day. No Google (and that
includes Google, Google Maps, and Gmail), no Facebook (limiting Julie’s posts),
no Instagram, and no Twitter. There are
various workarounds. When we were there
you could access those on your mobile IF you had a non-Chinese carrier who
supported roaming in China. Hotel and
other public Wi-Fi had these sites blocked.
Sometimes you could get through with a VPN, but not always. Bing became our search engine of choice while
in China.




This was my second time to Shanghai. We finished the trip off with a weekend at
Disneyland which was both great and the subject of another blog. I would like to come back and explore
Shanghai more. Julie and Christopher got
to see lots more and enjoyed it. Lots ‘to
do’ in this city.
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