Shanghai

Hi everyone,

Shanghai tastes like progress. By that, I mean that as you walk along the streets, and the construction grime rips at your face and gets caught in your teeth, you can taste the new structures which will soon be erected where now there are only plastic tarpaulins and scaffolding. The city is a strange mix of old and new, though "old Shanghai," in the true Chinese spirit, has been rebuilt such that it vaguely resembles its 1930s shape, but has been "restored" in a much better form. China itself does not have a taste for authenticity, rather, the glorification of tradition seems to be on the menu of most every city, but none more so than Shanghai.

We could not take a picture of the gargantuan buildings which appear to have magically sprung up from below without also capturing a crane working on the next skyscraper. The city pulses with energy, though the energy is singularly focused on business. The shopping was incredible, and as you may know, I hate to shop. However, fake markets are a lot of fun, not only because the articles fit within our budget, but because I actually enjoy bargaining. That said, it gets very tiresome to constantly have to divide prices by 3 before beginning, simply due to the colour of my skin (but more on that later!).

We were invited to stay with a gentleman with whom we had climbed Huangshan. Didier was a simply amazing host. We had the run of his place, and though he is a student working in Shanghai, he lives in a typical (okay, upper-class typical) Chinese apartment. It was eye opening to see how this segment of the population lives. Didier helped us tremendously, from giving us a phone to giving us directions, from directing us to the best restaurants (other than the insect plate, which is a story better left untold) to accompanying us at night. We could not have asked for a better host.

I now know what would happen if an anthropomorphic alien landed in the middle of North America. Didier is black, and for the Chinese, he might as well have been from another planet. While walking with him, the staring was multiplied tenfold. People were wondering whether he had stayed out in the sun for too long, and whether the colour would come off when touched. It was truly amazing to watch ostensibly civilized people react to Didier with such unabashed curiosity (that would be the nice way to put it, they were not politely curious, nor were they particularly nice about it). This may simply be the Chinese way, but discretion was not the chosen option for the vast majority of the people whom we encountered.

We decided to ship a box full of our fake, or at least cheaply produced, clothing to Hong Kong, where we will collect it at the end of our trip. This shipment was by far the most trying experience of the trip so far. Though I do not wish to generalize…I will. It seems that in this country no worker is capable of accomplishing a task without the help of at least three others. Even with such help (okay, labour is cheap, I know) they still tend to be no more useful than a basic computer. If they have not been told how to exactly accomplish a task, it seems that they are at a loss. When the 7^th person finally arrived to look at the box being readied for shipment, he took charge and finally the box was shipped for an exorbitant amount of money. That said, at a few hostels we have received help which required critical thinking. I do not wish to suggest that the entire society is incapable of thought, only that the vast majority of the people whom we have encountered desperately need an education consisting of more than simply formulae, no matter how advanced the formulae may be.

Back to Shanghai, it was an amazing place to visit, but nowhere I would wish to live. The pollution is a big problem, as is the lack of English (which is surprising for a business town). We were also encouraged to attend a tea ceremony (scam) and visit an art exhibition (yep, you guessed it, another scam). We fell for neither. The streets are crowded not just with vehicles emitting toxic fumes, but with people constantly asking whether we would like to purchase bags, watches and the like. The first time it was amusing, the second it was vaguely irritating, and by the end I believe we would have preferred the fumes.

We went to a bar, where apparently we were the only white people who had ever ventured inside, because they gave us a gift, as well as free coffee. Being foreign has its perks as well! From the tone of this post one might think that I did not enjoy the city, but in fact I did. Simply, the lack of competent help is a part of the culture shock to which I must become accustomed. Having enjoyed our experiences, we now venture on to the south of China, where our adventures continue!

Thanks for reading!