Just got back from a weekend trip to Shanghai (上海). It was my first trip there and though short, was very pleasant. Our trip didn’t get off to a good start with the air-side bus at Pudong Airport (上海浦东机场) dropping us off at the international terminal – even though we only flew in from Beijing. Not having left the country, we could hardly ‘enter’ it again at immigration. With that sorted, it didn’t take me long to discover Shanghai as a modern bustling city – miles ahead in fact, of Beijing.
But that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone – Shanghai has long been the economic centre of China. In fact, it appears to be the globalised capital of the world – there are parts of Shanghai where you would struggle to find a local shop. Nonetheless, it shows a side of China which 20 years ago would have just been unthinkable, and I look forward to the day when Beijing reaches a similar level. Edit: Not because I wish to see more erosion of Chinese culture, but because with the growing integration of China and the rest of the world I see the foreign influence in major cities as a positive sign of development. In fact, China needs to spend more effort in preservation of cultural heritage and artifacts, as well as at the same time embracing internationalism… not least because as a foreigner living in Beijing now, I would expect a bit of variety in my daily life.
There’s little point in recalling the details of my trip since, frankly, millions have made it before I did. But I did take some photos – which I have put online. I apologise for the quality – my proper camera was stolen so i’m stuck with my phone for now.