Shanghai Interlude

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My cousin Alison lives in Shanghai now, with her husband Piers and their new 4-month old, Ruby. I haven't seen her in more than 5 years and since I was in the vicinity it seemed like the ideal opportunity. So after emails from Alison with some paperwork and two trips to the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo, bingo: a visa. The flight is just over 2 hours and I landed at the new airport East of the river in the new Pudong district. I know nothing about China, so everything you read here comes I learned from Al, Piers and the Lonely Planet guide they left in the guest bedroom for me.

In 1990 Pudong was 300 square kilometres of marshy agricultural land. But China decided they wanted to have the new financial capital of the Far East and not the Hong Kong the West built for them, so they have poured money into the place and in the process transformed it into skyscraper city: at night the skyline sparkles with the flash of warning lights there are so many tall buildings. Part of Mission Impossible 3 was filmed here with Tom Cruise breaking into the top of a sloping-roofed skyscraper but I'm not sure quite which building it was.

Shanghai has one of the world's tallest - though a lot depends on how you measure it. Taipei 101 is taller but uses a mast to get that high; lots of skyscrapers do that "we got higher with the help of this!" thing. The Shanghai World Financial Centre has an elegantly simple taper to a square-cut top at 492m with a huge aperture right through the building to reduce the wind loading. It looks like a bottle opener. It also has mass dampers on the 90th floor to reduce the sway in high wind - I think they're pendulums in liquid, but you don't get to see them. The observation deck is the highest in the world; you go up in a space-age lift that glows softly and plays ambient music, to an observation level at the 97th floor at the bottom of the aperture. Then another lift goes further up to the 100th floor where you can look through the glass floor tiles down at the 97th you were standing in just a moment ago. The city skyline is spectacular, but speakers playing Roy Wood & Wizzard's "I Wish it Could be Christmas Every Day" rather less so. Then, down to the function hall on the 94th floor and a pleasingly modest gift shop selling postcards, tie-pins and hey look - a bottle opener! Coolest website I've seen in ages as well, at swfc.

Shanghai was a creation of foreign powers. It was a small fishing and weaving town but in 1842 China granted "Concessions" to the British, French, Japanese and a few others: parcels of land immune from Chinese law, functioning as if diplomatic soil with different national police on duty in each. The place took off and trade turned it into the biggest port in Asia, shipping silk, opium and tea. Wealth, banking and finance followed of course, but also child and slave labour, gambling and brothels. Shanghai was known as "The Whore of the Orient" and "The Paris of the East" but after the communist party took power in 1949 the 'fun' was over. But it seems she never forgot what she used to be and since money flooded in once more in 1990 it's been hungry for foreign business again. The change of pace is quick though, so come soon if you want to see it; Alison told me how how whole city blocks get painted with marks on the outside one day. Then everbody inside receives a letter saying on this date it's going to be demolished, and get ready we will be advising you of your new address in due course. If it's business space you're probably moving miles away. If its new housing, the new blocks that spring up look like row upon row of those Monopoly houses when you see them from above.

They showed me around the French concession and we visited a fab Christmas market. The French concession is the best preserved of the old areas, with very Parisian tree-lined avenues. Ruby was the star of the show wnenever we were out and heads turned everywhere we walked. The Chinese do something strange when looking at a baby as well: whereas we might say: "hello there, what's your name?" they do that >clikk< >clakk< >clokk< thing with their tongue. Be warned though: they have no concept of personal space so will stick their head in-between yours and whatever you're trying to read, or maybe right into your pram to see what your kid looks like. They also do not wait for you to get off the metro, so as soon as the doors open forget your manners and push your way out or you're going to miss your stop. Until recently nobody could afford to own a car so they all have next to no road sense. So even when you see the green man, keep looking all around as you might still get hit. They shout too, all conversations being at a much louder level of volume than we speak; and watch where you put your bag down because they spit everywhere. And even in the newest areas, you can't get away from the dust and grime from building and the overall state of the roads and pavements.

Three days was all I had before flying back to Tokyo, but it was good to catch up again and of course we spent hours on family gossip and raking over a few things. I owe Al a copy of Donald Fagen's "Ruby Baby" which I was going to play through the hi-fi, but didn't realise I didn't have on my .mp3 player; sorry Al. I will also publicly repeat my offer to have them up for a Scottish Hogmanay - just say when, guys. For her part, Alison can't make any promises: she is a new Mum and no new Mum quite appreciates how fast the next 6 years is about to go.

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Photos

Shanghai Smog
All day and all night, a constant traffic of low barges up and down the river, carrrying gravel, and not a single running light; I don't know why there aren't more collisions.

Old and New Transport
The Porsche-count for my 3 days in Shnaghai was 2. I didn't count the bicycles.

Typical apartment block
All the wire frames poking out the side of the building are for laundry. You clip your washing to a rigid pole, then slide it out to rest on the end of your U-shape rig to dry amid the dusty air.

Safety standards are of course somewhat lax
But then they have built a new city in just 18 years where there used to be a marsh. Pudong means "East of the River" and the new airport is on this side, joined to the city by Shanghai's MagLev train which got to 300km/hr in and out of the city.

Shanghai World Financial Centre (492m)
This is the 101st floor, and we're all looking at the view. There's going to be another building soon, right next door, which will be even taller.

Shanghai Sunset
Looking across to the old town. I guess the smog does make for interesting filtration of the sunlight.

The Oriental Pearl Tower
Right along from the other two big towers; looks like a freaky hypodermic syringe from Barbarella

Comments

[Paul Campbell]

PS re Emily
Forgot to confirm that Emily definitely looks like me - so you are safe to come back to the UK..... Paul