Shanghai

Shanghai has a population of 20M although Beijing is larger in area. The Chinese consider a major city any city over 10M. A small city is any city under 5M (like Phoenix). 20M is a crowded city in anyone's book, but what distinguishes Shanghai is its density which is unlike anything I've ever seen anywhere. The numbers we got were 7,000 people per square kilometer, compared to three in Tibet.

Shanghai is the economic capital of China; Beijing the political and cultural capital. My impression of Shanghai -- a cross between Las Vegas and Wall Street. I'm actually writing this post from Beijing, so the differences between Shanghai and Beijing seem quite striking. Shanghai is on the Huangpu River, a very substantial river with lots of river traffic. People go out in boats (as we did a few nights ago) to see the really spectacular skyline which makes Manhattan look a little small. The highrise buildings are all lighted in neon with computer graphic displays dancing up and down the buildings, including the tallest building in the world. Dubai in the United Arab Emirates has started a building that will be taller, but due to the recession, that building is on hold. The trip up the river at night is a must see, as is the Shanghai Museum (one of the four best museums in China).

Downtown Shanghai is under construction (a whole new subway system) in preparation for the 2010 World Expo. Shanghai will get a rehab like Beijing did for the Olympics. The scaffolding on the buildings, even high rise, is all tied bamboo. A major apartment building in Shanghai (built by a contractor whose license had expired), collapsed this week, an event which is a great embarrassment to the local government.

Shanghai is a 3-ring city.Beijing is a 6-ring city. You might liken a ring to Hwy. 101 that surrounds Phoenix and Scottsdale. The rings are concentric and move outward from the city core. Our guide Jackie Chan (more about him later) says that he has the impression that in America successful, wealthy people live outside the city in big houses on large acreages, and that "lower class" people live in the inner city. The term "lower class" comes up a lot around here and has the specific meaning "poor," "uneducated," or "rural." Jackie says that wealthy urban Chinese live in the inner city, middle class people in the mid-rings, and "low class" people in the outer rings. Real estate in the inner city is sold at astronomic prices per square meter.

Jackie Chan's name is actually Jackie Zhang, but it amuses him and us to call him Jackie Chan. Jackie's real given name means "ever bright." In China, choosing a given name for a child is a very serious matter. Usually the most important person in the family (Jackie's grandfather in this case) chooses a child's name, often with the help of a fortune teller. We have been surprised at the extent to which ultra modern is mixed with ancient tradition in China. Chinese people are very interested in Chinese astrology, lucky numbers (like 8 and 13), unlucky numbers like 4 (because the word for "four" sounds much like the word for "death"), and auspicious behaviors, e.g., walking over the "smallest" bridge in China will bring you prosperity and longevity. The Chinese take such things very seriously.

Jackie is an only child, is married and has one son. His in-laws care for the child while Jackie and his wife work. Jackie has a car, but his wife doesn't. She's afraid to drive in Shanghai (which definitely shows that she is smarter than Jackie). You can't drive in China is you're over 60 (and trust me, you wouldn't want to). China has the highest number of car fatalities relative to the number of cars of any country in the world. We have had some amazingly close calls here already. The transportation pecking order is based on size: cement trucks and buses have the right of way over cars, then bicycles and finally pedestrians who really never have the right-of-way.

Jackie does Tai Chi four hours a day and has given us several amazing demonstrations. The demonstrations are particular effective since Jackie is tall and has movie star good looks. Jackie's cell phone ring tone is his son crying. Given that his cell phone rings constantly, we feel well acquainted with Jackie's son. Virtually everyone in China has a cell phone, and cell phone talking and texting are over-the-top.

Yesterday Jackie described the famous Shanghai women who are reputed to be the most beautiful, educated, and desirable women in China. He says that "first tier" Shanghai women marry rich Americans, "second tier" Shanghai women marry rich Japanese men, and the remaining ones marry Chinese. He later said that Chinese men actually prefer Western women although they seldom marry them.

Jackie has a 1.5 million yuan mortgage on his condo (6.6 yuan = $1 U.S.). His parents are "middle-class" and they pay half of Jackie's mortgage which means that Jackie doesn't need to work too hard as a freelance guide. It is common for successful parents to help their children in this way. Our guide in Beijing said that most urban Chinese don't want more than one child since it is enormously expensive to educate a child and get him launched.

It seems quite important in China that things be the biggest, the tallest, or the prettiest. Shanghai has an interesting 900 meter high radio/TV tower (which looks a little like the space needle in Seattle). It is the third largest TV tower in the world (after ones in Canada and Russia). It has a terrific observation deck like the one at the Grand Canyon. The floor is glass, and you stand out near the edge; you can see the ground way below you. Young Chinese tourists lie down on the glass deck and take their own pictures with their cell phones.