Exploring China's Concrete Jungle: Shanghai

In Shanghai, I was sick. With a group of about 80 people traveling together, germs were bound to be in the air. Then, to add insult to injury, we were traveling through China during the worst storms it has seen in over 50 years. As if cold and snow is not bad enough, the people are not used to it and the cities have no snow plows or effective ways to respond to the snow. Therein lies miserable weather.

When we got off the train at Shanghai, we were warned of the crowds we would run into. Because of the storms, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers have been left stranded for the coming Chinese New Year. To the Chinese people this is the most important time of year and people often work the entire year looking forward to going home for New Years and being able to share the wealth of their labor. So obviously, with the most prevalent way of transportation being cancelled, there is an overwhelming amount of people desperately wanting to get home. At the Shanghai train station, this was our welcome crew.

Once in Shanghai we had a nice time. We stayed at a decent hotel, heard some interesting lectures and saw the concrete jungle that “China’s New York City” has become. Shanghai seemed just like any other huge city that caters to businesspeople and thrillseekers all looking to get the biggest bang for their buck and have fun while doing so.

We went out to a crazy night club one night. One thing I have noticed about the Chinese nightlife so far is that they love dancing to techno. And crazy lights. Another night we went to a Chinese acrobatic show. This was intense. A little too intense. The performers contorted their bodies into positions that made me cringe in amazement. I can barely touch my toes and they have realigned their spinal cords to be able to move like human silly putty. That is no exaggeration. The show was incredibly artistic and highly entertaining. Another night in Shanghai a few of us went to dinner on the 45th floor of the Radisson Hotel. The restaurant was a circle that had a revolving floor so by the end of dinner, we were able to see every view of Shanghai. While the bad weather made it less visible than usual, it was still a really cool way to take in the size of this huge city. Our last night there was spent at a KTV. Karaoke Television. This is huge in China and I’m sure was only the first of many group KTV nights while we’re here.

The end of Shanghai meant the end of our travel seminar. We handed in our final journals, took our last test, and said goodbye to the Hong Kong students. While the two week seminar was a great way to get a taste of China, I think we were all ready to leave. Most of us were getting pretty worn down and spreading gross colds throughout the group. And as Caroline said, this seminar would only scratch the surface of what is China. I know I want to start the digging process. And being with about 80 other students every day doing the tourist version of China was only going to entertain me for so long. So as we said goodbye to each other and to Shanghai, there was an excitement for what is to come.

And now I’m writing this reflection from Fuzhou, a southern province in China where I am staying with my friend Amanda’s relatives for the week of Chinese New Year. In a city of 2-3 million, I have gone the past few days not seeing one other non-Chinese person or talking to anyone who speaks English, besides Amanda. Needless to say, my digging process to understand real Chinese culture has more than started, and I am loving every second of it. I am taking in as much as possible and already feel like I am beginning to understand what real Chinese life is all about. When I have learned more, I will share that insight in another blog. Until then, zai jian!

---

---