FROM SHANGHAI, CHINA

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Shanghai: Cold, Damp, Misty and Enchanting

SHANGHAI, Dec 17, 2007 - Shanghai was cold, damp, misty on this Monday, Dec 17.  The temperatures never made it out of the single digits (Celsius; low 40s Fahrenheit), with overnight lows expected just above freezing.  But this city somehow always manages to look enchanting, even on dreary days like this.  There is certain dreamy magic that seems to envelope this bustling metropolis of nearly 20 million.  Or maybe that's just a feeling one gets who has read and seen so many stories about China that began or ended in Shanghai.  And so we, too, might as well start our misty walk with riverfront views from my hotel room at Shangri La, on the Pudong (east) side of the river...

As with all great cities, Shanghai also has a river that was once its lifeblood, and which still pulsates with vitality even today, in the heavily industrialized China.  You can see barges and pleasure boats sailing up and down the river all day long; some even even at night.  That needle tower you see in the middle right shot is Shanghai's signature skyline landmark.  And its tallest building, the Jin Mao Tower (far right), being gently caressed by the clouds, is where I am supposed to have my business meetings tomorrow.

During both of my previous two visits to Shanghai in the last year or so, I had stayed on the other side of the river.  And the weather was also better, so you can see the city under brighter skies than today if you cligk on Shanghai: Vertical City (Oct 2006); and Return to Shanghai (Mar 2007).

Meanwhile, back to our enchanted December mist, above are some additional Pudong skyscraper and riverfront views, this time from the banks of the river. 

The old Shanghai, with its lovely colonial architecture, lies across the river on the east side.  It was rather poignant that, as I was contemplating the city's rich history, and old and rusty barge sailed by, thus completing the antiquity scene of this part of town. (Okay, I know... writer's prerogative to exaggerate a bit; realists - feel free to just airbrush those pointy skyscrapers in the background, if you must).  :-)

But there is no need to touch up this touching scene of the rain-soaked lovers on the riverbank.  It's as good as love gets on cold and misty days.

Not far from the river, I saw a bus disgorging a group of high school students, evidently on a field trip to visit that pointy needle tower.  I thought it was cute that both boys and girls wore uniforms.  It reminded me of a similar scene my daughter and I witnessed in Japan in 1988 when visiting the Nara temple near Kyoto.

Christmas Is in the Air... and in Hotels, Malls, Even Newspapers

Never mind that China is still a communist country.  Never mind that a tiny minority of people who do practice religion are Christians.  When it comes to Christmas, all Chinese seem to be acting like Christians, starting with the merchants.  Signs of western Christmas were everywhere... from hotel lobbies to street signs, even newspapers, and of course, around the shopping malls.  Take a look...

The front page of today's China Daily carried a large picture of a "Santa Class" (left).  Both lobbies of my hotel (Shangri La) were decked out in Christmas decorations.  They sparkled even more brightly at night, as you can see in the large photo.

A very good pianist was entertaining the afternoon tea crowd (though not much a crowd, as you can see), playing various classical and jazz pieces.  Thank God, or else he would have been competing with the Christmas music being piped in throughout the hotel's PA system.

Outside, signs of Christmas were everywhere, as you can see, as Chinese shoppers hurried into the malls to do their "duty" just as their western counterparts do.  It was all very reminiscent of my trip to Singapore 10 years ago, when I first encountered the Asians adopting western Christmas materialism.

Other signs of more overt commercialism were visible in various establishments along the river... McDonald's, Haagen Dacz, Starbucks... and even Pepsie.  Now this Pepsie sign is significant.  I was told by a Chinese executive on one of my previous trips here that "the Chinese only buy the leading brands.  That's why there is no Pepsie here," he said (only Coca-Cola).  Well, lookie, lookie here... it seems that my Chinese friend was engaging in a bit of a hyperbole.

And after taking the above shots from the riverfront, I went back to the hotel to warm up a bit.

Shanghai by Night

From there, I took a series of photos as the night was falling, the fog rolling (in), and then lifting again...

With the fog (left) and without (middle left); with the fog (middle right) and without (right).

And that's all she wrote from Shanghai on this now chilly but clear night.

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