Shanghai Intro and Funny Stuff

I went to Shanghai for a conference called Learning 2.0 (as in Learning 2008) about bringing technology into the classroom. It was quite cool, actually. I learned about voicethread, using copyright-free photos from flickr, how to use the smartboard in my classroom (!!!), and that videogames involve a lot higher levels of thinking that I had realized.

And, I also got to see this famous Chinese city. I have to say that I really liked it. First, it's a lot flatter than Hong Kong. You can look out in front of you and see... lots of stuff! I also liked the variety in architecture. Even the new buildings were interesting, though my favorite area, predictably, was the French concession. I didn't get any good photos of the area because when we walked around it was pretty dark out. But I could still make out these two story houses, their balconies and shuttered windows. Most of the structures are authentic, and while people working in preservation may think they're dangerous, I loved looking at them in their state of dishevel. Fortunately or unfortunately, this area is becoming the new hip and trendy "it" place. New apartment buildings are coming up, presumably for expats and the nouveau riche. And many of the old houses are being replaced by newer, cleaner, freshly-painted versions of themselves. There are also several pedestrian streets lined with restaurants with terasses and live music. (Aside: The only black people I saw in Shanghai were singing at these places.) The night I walked through it, there were not one, but two sources of free entertainment: a DJ lit up in the top floor of a "hollywood squares"-like structure (see later pictures) and a band. Tons of people were out on the streets licking ice cream cones. It was like walking through the Plateau on any hot summer Montreal night.

But that more authentic French concession caught my eye and my heart. Families were out and about. Tables of people playing cards surrounded by family members and friends cheering them on could be found at every 30 meters. We even passed by a group of people in the park around what seemed to be an impromptu traditional singing group (see video later on). It felt alive and inhabited. It felt like a neighborhood, something I never would have imagined to happen upon in a large Chinese city.

Shanghai has its smog and traffic, but it also has its charm. In my opinion, it's definitely worth a visit.

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And, of course, there are all sorts of funny things abound like terrible translations at the Yuyuan Gardens, Starbucks in the old part of town, a tunnel between two parts of Shanghai with a light show especially for tourists, toy stores, people sleeping in bizarre places ... You know, the usual...

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