Shanghai Impressions:
After living in Osaka for a year and a half, the thing that surprised us most about Shanghai is how much it felt like home. Staying at the dorm at ECNU and heading out into the fray that is modern China, reminded us of the St. George campus at U of T.
Shanghai is hosting the World Expo in 2010, 2 years after the Beijing Olympics. The city has this energy to it. I can imagine that it was the same kind of excitement that was present in Montreal during Expo 1967. A great city to party in, lots of great sights to see, and an international audience.
In Osaka, when you saw a white face, you could almost guarantee that the person was an english speaker. In Shanghai, I have heard so many languages being spoken, so many people doing business from around the world. Now I understand why everyone is so excited about China. Communism in the 21st century is totally different than what I imagined it to be. It seems to be working in China.
The people also seem more relaxed here. In Japan there was always the fear of making a cultural faux pas, but in China there's a laissez faire attitude that's quite enjoyable, if occasionally maddening. We're having fun with it.
posted by Pete @ 6:41 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
China can been described as an officially communist country, that actually is run by a totalitarian government, that is using capitalism to pursue its goal of modernization.
It's a confusing paradox - so many people are doing well there, making money and being happy, but you also know that the government will crush any dissent, and does not allow freedom of speech.
It'll be interesting to watch what happens there
I really liked Shanghai too, but you can't compare it to China. Shanghai doesn't really represent China (the country) so much as it represents the spirit of the Chinese people. And the only reason for that is because it is one of the few places in China (called Special Economic Zones (SEC)where anyone has economic freedom. So, in that place, you find the most exciting people, rapid growth and foreign exposure. That is why the people are so ambitious and hard-working. It is the spirit of the people but it only exists because the regular rules of the thugocracy government do not apply. What you see there is a careful system of avoiding communism for practical purposes. You really can't call it communism in the 21rst century.
Did you get accosted by any interesting people in the street?
How about skyscrapers with the flying saucers and rocket ships on top?
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