Shanghai - China’s largest city

Shanghai and China poses some interesting and sobering facts:

With a population of 1.38 Billion, China is the most populated country in the world - followed by India at 1.29 Billion  and the USA in position number three at a mere 329 Million. YUP - that is considerably less than 25% of China’s population.  It takes  a moment to fully absorb that littl factoid.  From a marketing perspective - that’s the equivalent of saying that if 25% of the Chinese population prefers Dunkin Donuts over Starbucks, it is the same number as 100% of  the American population preferring Dunkin Donuts over Starbucks. (More on Starbucks later.)  So, when it’s reported that there are more consumers drinking wine in China then in any country in the world, what is that report actually saying? Is it then any wonder that a wide variety of brands are focused on a rising middle class in Asia? The numbers are fascinating.  

This Shanghai Urban Planning Museum 2010 model, indicatesin yellow all then current structures and lighted planned projects, now completed on both sides of the Huangpu River,

Shanghai, with a population of 34 million  is the most populated city in China and yes that’s more than 10% of the entire USA’s population and over 4 times larger than NYC’s population of 8 million. Shanghai is also the most populous city in the world. Although growth began in the late 19th century, Shanghai has experienced  a population growth of 37.53% since the year 2000. It is known for its architecture, temples, and gardens.  More recently, it has become the financial and industrial center of China, and increasingly considered its art and fashion capital, rivaling Paris and London.

The Huangpu River divides and, in many ways, defines Shanghai. The Huangpu  is 70 miles (113 kilometers) long and was man made in 221BC as a major tributary to the Yangtze River, which then empties into the China Sea.    (Yes, the river was excavated and completed by 221BC, another factoid that takes a moment to absorb.) The river defines Shanghai’s two primary districts. On the western shore is the historic area of Puxi, home to The Bund which is known for its historic early 20th century Beaux Arts style architecture that housed international consulates, trading and banking houses On its eastern shore is the modern area of Pudong, home  of the iconic pink Pearl Tower. The Communist Party of China (CPC) was founded in Shanghai by Chen Duxiu and LI Dazhao on July 1, 1921 in the neighborhood referred to as the French Concession. Today, Rodya, Shanghai is the home to two branches of the China Stock Exchange, cementing its importance as a Chinese financial center. One should take care to not confuse Communism as a form of governing with its underlying free market economy. Anyone would be challenged to find such a rapidly growing, prosperous midlle class in any American or western city.  The economic change here in the last decade is simply jaw dropping. 

We were last here in 2007,  the year before returning for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. There was the unique and  iconic pink Oriental Pearl Tower. along with a handful of low, bland buildings on the Pudong side of the river.  (When Steve had been here in in 1999 Pudong was farmland being plowed by water buffalo, so to him, even this initial transformation seemed exceptional.)  However, over 25% of the world’s  building cranes were also here in 2007. Today the Oriental Pearl Tower blends in with a bevy of internationally designed,  modern, high tech architectural wonders. This vertcal building boom inspires architects to create multi-use structures built to withstand typhoon winds and reduce carbon footprints by increasingly utilizing wind turbines and rainwater collection to work with building materials to warm, cool and light. Today there are over 30,000 buildings with a minimum of 24 stories in Shanghai, including the 128-story Shanghai Tower - the tallest in the city and 2nd largest in the world. 

There is a light show for several hours every evening, before the buildings go basically dark to conserve electricity. Thousands flock  to The Bund for photos. Absorb the full affect by taking an evening cruise  on the Huangpu. It’s an event to remember. 

By comparison, the Hong Kong’s nightly laser show pales in comparison. Might there be a message there? 

And what about everyday life?

Ia country that prescribes a specific amount of green space per capita, Shanghai is no concrete jungle.  Particularly on the weekends people get outside for socializing and fun.  ThecPeoples Park Matchmaking Corner is not to be missed. Beyond the usual city park activities, parents come here to pin the bios of their adult single children to umbrellas, hoping to meet and exchange information with other parents who are “shopping” for potential suitors for their single children. Bios include height, weight, education, interests of both the suitor and the person they desire to meet.  Very important is if there is a “marriage home”, because who really wants to live with their in-laws? AND if the parents have already met and like each other, then that removes a huge potential barrier to a promising match.  Parents generally scope out “their soot” among the hundreds who come here. Not  so surprisingly, this meeting and exchange becomes a weekly social event. Who needs to go on-line? This could truly be an exportable idea!

This entire love lorn concept, may also attract just a bit of theatre.  Here we find a young man who claims that after seeing this beautiful Chinese woman on-line, he has spent years searching her out.  He has traversed  oceans, travelled thousands of miles, conquered multiple challenges and all for love. And yes, today he is going to meet her for the first time.  The crowd gathers.   The girl is ushered in by his friends who capture on video the long anticipated meeting.  She seems in awe, shyly smiles, is smitten and after a short time is literllly carried away. Will they reappear next week to again live out this tender moment? We’ll never know.  

Parks are also a place for older people to gather daily during the week.  Retirement is mandatory at 55 for women and 60 for men.  There is time to be filled; with city parks and senior centers waiting.  Besides morning Tai Chi, there are a wide variety of activities throughout the day. I wandered through Fuxing Park, built in 1909, in the French Concession.  Dancing is VERY popular. But there are coral groups, musical instruments to learn to play - including Maraca, the card game  Dou Dizhu, aka “fighting the landlord” , Mahjong and chess. Maybe  you want to practice your painting or character making with sumi brush and water?  This man writes - “beautiful land” - the Chinese characters for America.