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Shanghai-ed

There are 26 million people living in Shanghai and it feels like it.  The city attacks you from every angle.  Scooters, bikes, taxis, buses, vender carts, and all the masses are all competing for the same limited street space and seemingly honking at me.  Shiny new skyscrapers dominate the skyline from every perspective.  One minute you’re walking by stately facades reminiscent of Europe or New York, then you’re in the run-down Chinese quarters where the street show never ends.  This is where the bartering spirit of the Chinese can be seen in full force.  I still can shake the feeling that Chinese are constantly furious at each other.  Simple conversations suddenly erupt into shouting with hands flying and veins pounding, then just as quickly switch back to smiles and pats on the thigh. 

Wandering the backstreets of Shanghai is amazing and the chance to see this lifestyle is nearly gone.  In the middle of old town there are new high-rise apartments and the outskirts of these old tenements are hollowed out shells of Shanghai’s past, some vacant and others already reduced to piles of bricks.  When riding the nearly completed loop line, Metro line 4, it seems every old neighborhood whizzing by is marked with 拆 (chai) for demolition.  It’s a bittersweet fate that these old neighborhoods with so much character and unique ways of life should fall victim to the wrecking ball, but without sewers or modern amenities, they are the economic casualties of modernization.   

There is no sleeping-in in Shanghai, at least not in my 2nd floor room.  At 7am the street parade is in full swing with food vendors, ringing bells, shouting store owners, and hundreds of cars honking there way through the congested madness.

I’ve found a local dumpling shop that suits me.  The owners are quick to remember my face and they make the biggest gyouza I’ve ever seen.  In general Shanghaiese are quite friendly and curious about foreigners.  Aside from the people selling watches or running some kind of scam, there are som many who approach you just to talk.  Many are tourists themselves out to see the big city, jumping at the chance to practice their English.  I think this will be the century of the Chinese tourist.



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« The slow boat to Shanghai | Home | Yuyuan Garden and Bazaar »

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 29th, 2007 at 4:12 am and is filed under Eurasia: Marco Polo-in' it, Shanghai. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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