I think My Compass is Broken...

When I was first on my way to China, I was told that the plane would fly over the North Pole, as that was the fastest route to the Far East.  We would go north by northeast, up over the pole, and then south by southeast, coming down to Beijing.  I was also told that the quickest way back to the West would be back over the pole.  The latter statement is untrue.  The quickest way to Western civilization, I have come to realize, is a three hour flight south to Shanghai. 

Had I made the journey five hundred years ago, I would have come across a little known fishing village, with the simple name “on the sea”.    A small and modest population would have greeted me, saying “Neng Huo”, the typical greeting of their southern dialect.  It would have resembled countless other fishing villages, and the chances are I wouldn’t have taken much notice. 

Now, in 2010, Shanghai is not an easy place to miss.  It is a metropolis that can only be compared to New York, Hong Kong, Paris, London, Tokyo and the like.  Beijing is similar in size, as I wrote in my second blog entry, but is somewhat spaced out, and lacks the kind of international feeling that Shanghai excels at conveying to anyone who comes across it.  Home to 20 million or so residents from nearly every country around the world, it has more than twice as many people as New York.  It seems to me that Shanghai is half Chinese, a quarter American and a quarter European.  

In the past thirty years, Shanghai has been at the forefront of China’s economic boom.   It, along with Hong Kong (in a different capacity, as Hong Kong left the UK only 12 years ago), has become the gateway to the rest of the world. 

I arrived late last Thursday, headed straight for the hotel, and fell asleep almost immediately.  The next morning, I woke up at 11 am, and headed to meet my Uncle and his girlfriend, Kat, at a pizza place (to the envy of the other exchange students).  I had a great lunch, talking to my Uncle about China and catching up with Kat (who I hadn’t seen in 12 years!).  I, of course, took the utmost pleasure in indulging in a mushroom and truffle soup, some bread, some salad, and some pizza.  Then we headed to Starbucks (which I had been waiting for since I last had Starbucks at LAX).  Not only did I have the good fortune to have the opportunity to drink coffee, but it was complimented by a delicious piece of Chocolate Cake (note the Capital Letters, for emphasis). 

That night, we had an even better meal at one of the best restaurants in Shanghai, but I will leave that, along with the rest of my Shanghai meals, to your imagination or your personal inquiries.  I sometimes forget that not everybody enjoys food as much as I. 

The next day, unfortunately, I headed to the EXPO.  If anyone is wondering why I use the word “unfortunately”, imagine standing in line all day just to see something that’s not even that special.  I am glad I went, however, because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and twenty years from now I will still remember the experience (and hopefully it will be completely romanticized by then, and I’ll tell of how the lines were only a few minutes, the pavilions were fascinating and how I used perfect Chinese to talk with the locals about politics and the like.  Or, maybe, I’ll remember it for the long lines, the bland pavilions and my terrible attempts to use broken Chinese for small talk).  The rest of the trip was great, however, and I had the opportunity to check out sites all around Shanghai and enjoy the famed international cuisine.

My Shanghai Observations:

1)     Foreigners are very common, and even many residents don’t speak Chinese.

2)     They don’t speak Chinese because it isn’t completely necessary- most everybody speaks English.

3)     Chinese people in Shanghai will assume that a foreigner does not speak Chinese.

4)     All things considered, Shanghai is a somewhat casual place in comparison to New York; you can get away with a collared shirt just about anywhere.

5)     Almost any western food is accessible in Shanghai- you name it, they have it.

6)     Although it is far more expensive than Jiamusi, it is far cheaper than European and Western cities.

It is an awesome place to go, and I highly recommend it!