Hello from Shanghai

It's good to be in China! There have been so many changes and I'm always so impressed with the infrastructure changes. In a country such as China, I love the dichotomy between the old and the new, and the East and the West. This interweaving of culture is none the more existent than in the historically rich city of Shanghai. On one side of the Huangpu river, is early 1900s European architecture, a reminder of European colonization pre-World War; while the other side is Pudong, a district with modern highrises, and developed urban planning.

This side is "old" Shanghai and you can see a lot of the European inspired buildings on the left. Even the streets are reminiscent to that of British roads. Most of the good shopping takes place not far behind those buildings, and most of the historic sites and traditional villas are on this side. Across the river is the developed Pudong district:


This area is loaded with huge skyscapers, one of the in the background has been featured as one of the tallest buildings in the world by Scientific American magazine. This side is much cleaner and (obviously) modern. Most multinationals are located here. A trip from the 'old' side to the Pudong side, is only a couple of minutes by the regular ferry shuttles.

Here is one such ferry. I find it slightly ironic that the ferry is so European in design considering they weren't in service until AFTER China had won it's land back. Oh well- I suppose the styling should count for something. This is just another example of the juxtoposition of old vs. new, west vs. east in the historic/modern city of Shanghai.

These were taken atop the tallest building in China (?) and you get a good Birdseye view of the city. The middle picture is just an example of how clean the streets are compared to the old part of the city. Also note, while there is some pollution and smog, the majority of the air is humid and cloudy, accounting for why the sky isn't really 'clear'.

The first night I was there, my business associates took me to this fancy restaurant/lounge at the very top of a skyscraper. The ambience was really nice, though I wasn't having it with the fucking TV in a nice place- completely ruined it for me. I also wasn't a fan of the Purple lights, it made me feel like I was in a sleazy '70s porn video. Though the fish tank next to the window (with a killer view of the city) had a decidedly mafia-esque feel about it- in a good way.

I am amazed by how alive this city becomes at night! Everyone goes out onto the street, and shops seem to ALWAYS be open (or at least the neon signs are always on). I love the atmosphere of the hustle and bustle. It feels like everyone is just doing their business but not in a impersonal and rushed way, like how Manhattan can get around 8AM on a Monday.

On my second night, I went with some work friends to this restaurant where we were treated to HOT Southern China cuisine. I felt like Chef Anthony Bourdain, as I sampled hot stews of pork intestine, and other unmentionables. Everything was so good, and went well with the awesome Chinese beer we had.

Before a meeting at the very tower I had mentioned above, I stopped by a restaurant with British friend who I had known from high school. She took me out for a Chinese version on American fast food, where I ordered a Cheeseburger and Fries with "Apple" tea. The cheeseburger was topped with a special tangy-sweet sauce and it was YUMMY. It definitely took my mind off the meeting I was about to have in the very aspiring building (Jin Mao Tower).

That's it for now, I will try to keep you all up to date on my travels. Hope you enjoy my photolog! Stay tuned- later today, I will make a VERY big announcement!