Shanghai on our own
Sunday, June 27 |
| This morning on CNN there was a feature about a woman who wrote a book about the European architecture in Shanghai. She claims there is still more art deco design in Shanghai than any other single city in the world - -but that it is coming down fast. I imagine our Peace Hotel -- originally the Cathay Hotel -- will last, as tourists continue to be intrigued by a place where Noel Coward and others stayed. The story goes that opium was big here... |
| Speaking of bad habits, I had been warned about excessive smoking and spitting. We have had relatively little problem with either. You can smoke in restaurants, but relatively few people do -- or is that because we eat in tourist restaurants? We have seen beggars in every city -- just a few, but pretty depressing, dirty clothes, sometimes handicapped, other times with children. I imagine that somewhere the artful dodger has a shop where he outfits people for the occasion -- not really, but I am surprised that the police don't deal with it. |
| Speaking of police, there are relatively few in evidence, although we are told they are out there. We see traffic cops and occasionally the excitement of an accident. One in our group saw an accident yesterday between a car and a bus. The fender of the car was ripped off (I think you can do that with your bare hands). Well, the drivers of the bus and the car got into a shouting match until a woman (apparently no relationship to either, got off the bus and offered some money to the driver of the car. It was apparently sufficient settlement, and the bus driver, released from combat, proceeded down the road. |
| I have been thinking about white paint. Houses in Beijing were all medium gray, even the newly painted ones. The exception are the big hotels, some of which have white stone or tiles. I was told that this was because white is associated with death. But in the gardens. all the buildings and the walls are white, providing a start contrast to the dark red mahogany woodwork and the green vegetation. Why would white be acceptable here and not in ordinary homes? I still don't have the answer. |
| -- continued --- |
| I started this entry this morning because I helped someone else send some e-mail and since the hotel charges 40 yuan (US$ 5) per half hour, I took advantage of the left over time. Now we are on our highly prized "free afternoon," and I am continuing this for a mere 5 yuan an hour -- about 60 cents -- in the brand new Shanghai Public Library which is larger than the 42nd street NYPL. Did I mention the new theater which must be twice the size of Lincoln Center? That was built, along with the new art museum on what was formerly the second largest public square in the world. The space has been „reclaimed¾ for public offices, the library and the theater. Clearly no more demonstrations, either pro or con, are expected in Shanghai! |
| It is interesting to ponder the fact that not only was the Cultural Revolution announced in Shanghai, but that in the end it was where the Gang of Four made their last stand. It is also the home of president Jiang Zemin, and clearly the pride of China in terms of competing on western terms. According to the Rough Guide, even in the sternest years of the revolution, this was a city with more fashion, more night life, and more energy than others, and you see that all around you today. Our leader suggested we make a list of all the western companies we see, but it would be far too long. This is a city not only with McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken (the favorite) but also Starbucks and TGIF, Playboy and Beneton. The largest supermarket is Carrefour -- a French company, and German and Japanese multinational businesses abound. We have not even been to the special enterprise zone on Pudong, but I gather it will be more of the same. |
| This morning we went to a craft house in what was once the home of the general in charge of the former French Concession. It is a beautiful house, if you don't get revolted by the history of the Opium Wars that sponsored it. In any case, today there are various craftsmen working there in an effort to keep traditional crafts alive. It was a great day to have video. I filmed one artisan doing paper cutting and a woman making a small doll out of sticky rice. The end result looks sort of like marzipan, but the final product is not to be eaten. |
| When we left there, we headed down the street for lunch behind this brand new library, at which point we were freed to head out on our own. I was looking forward to walking through the French quarter taking pictures, but it is teeming rain again, so I headed inside to look at the library. Coming in the back on the ground floor, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but an Internet room with free computers. There are 36 computers here, about twenty of them in use at the moment. I am probably the only person in the room over thirty (possibly over 25) and one of only three women. There are a couple of other westerners, but this is a serious workplace, so no time for chatting. |
| I faced a new challenge coming in. I was given a form to fill out and couldn't read any of it. I managed to figure out that they wanted my name, and then naturally put it backwards -- the last name goes first always. Oh well, for five yuan, this is a delight. |
| This morning we talked with some math teachers from Ohio -- there are 40 in their group, heading home today. They told us that Xian was their favorite city, and we are looking forward to heading west, hoping to give our weary umbrellas a rest. |
