City of cities

Shanghai is is a City of cities. With some 30 million people inhabiting the City there is a myriad of lives being lived from the sophisticated and high life consumerist society to the other end of the economic powerhouse that is today’s China. There is an air of productivity and growth in this City. The City is clean on the ground but not so much in the air. Traffic moves thick and fast with the constant blaring of horns. The buses are particularly aggressive but so too are the large black limoesine that cruise the roads oblivious to the traffic lights and pedestrians and even the cars around them.

In Nanjing East Road the mall is packed during the day and night. It is less a sophisticated mall and more a eating and budget retail pedestrian space. Off the mall the streets and more ‘chinese’ and the shops are specialty in the main with the corner sites being taken up by large departments stores stocking all manner of perfumes and high/low fashion. In some suburbs I have visited the streets are quieter and the pedestrian areas are wider and the cafes spill on to the footpaths. The streets are well treed and their coverage provides a most pleasant atmosphere for walking, shopping and looking. In summer they must surely be a most welcome addition to what would be an oppressive and hot Shangainlese climate.

The friendliness of people seems to know no bounds to seat giving to portrait drawing on the Metro. Getting directions is not as easy as might be first thought given that English in the schools is compulsory. Maybe the instruction needs to be improved! And maybe we should be learning Chinese. The problem is that even if they do no understand directions are given with a smile and hand wave. Not sure if this is ‘face’ or just wanting to get on with their lives.

The metro is packed! But people are both aware of the squeeze and there is little pushing and shoving on the trains or escalators. The Metro is both cheap and efficient and is clean. Graffiti is non-existent and I suspect eating on the Metro is not allowed. If it is people take their leftovers with them. The stations are well marked on the stations and in the trains a running commentary in both Chinese and English and a map lighting up the station ahead.