the random oracle

I was looking forward to visiting Shanghai a lot because it’s always been my favorite place to visit in China and I like to see how it changes each time I go.  This time was no exception; the World Financial Center (环球金融中心) was just a hole in the ground the last time I visited in 2004, but this time it was nearing completion and soaring over the Pudong (浦东) skyline.  Although from close up it looks basically the same height as the Jinmao tower (金茂大厦), in fact it’s probably 20 stories taller.  What’s more impressive is that when you go up to a high floor and look down on Pudong, what you see is the foundation for dozens of new skyscrapers.  Now I know that not everyone is a fan of skyscrapers, but they are an undeniable part of development in Asia and a potent symbol of a city’s vigor.  I can’t wait to see what the skyline will look like in 4 more years.

Nanjing Rd (南京路) also changed dramatically since the last time I went; apparently everything has gone upscale, and stores like Gucci and Ferragamo have moved in.  The Haägen-Dazs there cost ridiculous amounts of money (over $10 for 3 scoop!) but they seemed to be doing a brisk business.  Farther away on the Bund, we ran across a branch of Amorino, one of my favorite ice cream shops in Paris, which has unfortunately had a hard time making headway against the inferior but better-publicized Haägen-Dazs.

Anyway, lest you think I’ve turned into a total consumerism whore, I realize that this does not a modern society make.  Or a post-modern society, for that matter, or whatever comes after post-modern.  But I think it is one of the intermediate steps, and it’s a step that China has reached in 15-20 years whereas it took Europe over 200 and America over 100.  So maybe China will move onto the next step in the next 10 years and become more aware of its responsibilities to the world, such as environmental issues and human rights?  There are positive signs already, especially on the environmental side, and I have a feeling the political side will come sooner than we think.  The government is not foolish and it knows that development will foster pluralism, but striking a balance between a healthy liberal democracy and nationalistic, even xenophobic populism is so hard that change may not come as fast as, say, Amnesty International would like.

Back to Shanghai.  The other thing I noticed was that people here spoke much better English than in Beijing, and they were much much much better dressed.  Now they are not up to French (my idols!) or even Japanese standards, but after seeing only the fashion slobs in Beijing I was glad to see that ugly clothes are not an inherently Chinese trait.  As for the English, both EV and AY agreed that they had easier times getting around Shanghai than Beijing, and EV even had the generosity to compliment Shanghai as being “more European” than Beijing.  What graciousness!

OK now for some hyperbole.  I’ve always seen Shanghai as the “new China” and the most dynamic, innovative part of the country.  People usually point to Hong Kong and Taiwan as the wealthiest, most modern Chinese societies, but upon closer inspection you find that that has come in large part due to the work of Shanghainese (and other Jiangsu and Zhejiang) emigrés who left after the Communist victory on the mainland.  Now that Shanghai itself is allowed again to excel at business, I think it’s only a matter of time before it overtakes both HK and Taiwan.

My greatest hope for Shanghai is for it to become a leading cultural mecca as well.  I think Beijing currently has a strangle-hold on Chinese art and culture, but I see no reason why Shanghai can’t become a second mecca for culture.  After all, it has plenty of local tradition to draw upon, from the Kunqu (昆曲) opera of Kunshan (昆山) to the silk-work (丝绸) of Suzhou, and all the painting and sculpture and music in between.  For Shanghai to really become a world-class city it needs to imprint itself as an innovator in these ways as well, and not just as a money-making-machine.