Ch 33: That's Shanghai

August 1/2

Arriving in Shanghai was an eye opening experience. All the hype you hear about China's massive development is true. Most of it just happens to fall along the coast. I would surmise a bulk of that belongs to Shanghai. There are massive buildings and apartments everywhere. As far as the eye can see. They say Shanghai has over twice the number of sky scrapers as New York. I would not be suprised if it was triple within a few years. Today it has the expansiveness of Tokyo, the quiet city blocks like Chicago/SF, and the ruckus of Bangkok.

Every we've been in China we've seen stories of growth. Shanghai then would be the greatest story in China. And the prices reflect that. Things here a bit more expensive on the surface. Even more so if you read expat magazines like "That's Shanghai". They cator to the substantial expat community in the area. Look under the surface however and you'll find that Shanghai is a very CHINESE city with great deals on food and merchandise. It doesn't take too long to find it, as always just toss away your guidebook and follow the locals. The food here is great, but not as spicing as I would have liked. It's more typical of what you would find in the better Chinese restaurants overseas.

Shanghai is a beacon for Chinese potential, opportunity, and growth. And like most beacons it tends to attract a lot of attention. You can find pretty much anything you would want here. Food, lux items, all kinds of apartments, cars, etc... It's a bit like a turn of the century New York except with around the clock construction and even more foreign capital being invested. Perhaps it will be in this century that Shanghai supplants New York as the worlds capital? Maybe in a 100 years.