The Shanghai—A Tale of Two Cities
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
We arrived in Shanghai last evening and headed straight to East China Normal University outside of the city. After lectures today we headed downtown and it was like arriving in a whole new world from Xian. While Xian is the seat of ancient historical China, Shanghai is the face of cosmopolitan China. When our bus emerged into the center of the city, you might think you were in New York City had you not known you were in China. Shanghai is a port city so it has a waterfront display of skyscrapers including hotels, office buildings, and restaurants—many with spectacular light displays and distinct architectural designs. The main streets downtown resonate with high-end brands and a buzzing nightlife.
There is another side of Shanghai—the older, realistic, non-glitzy side. This is Li Li’s hometown and he shared historical insights. As we drove down main streets, the left side of the street symbolized the “new� cosmopolitan, civilized, exotic Shanghai, while the right side depicted the “old� more impoverished Shanghai reminiscent of Cultural Revolution effects. We headed for Yuyuan Gardens in Old Town to do some shopping. As we walked along alleyways to get there, we got a glimpse of “old� Shanghai with overcrowded apartments and stores, and peasants hawking wares including “Rolex watches� and everything else under the sun. In Old Town, buying is an art unto itself where the price of an item is merely a random number from which to negotiate until both parties are satisfied with the final price.