Shanghai - China ...the up and coming economic and most likely... world superpower. Just got back from Shanghai in early March. This was my second visit (the first was in early 1999 to Beijing). This was a first visit for Kimo who came along this time. My first view of Shanghai the morning after arriving late at night was from the 47th floor of our hotel room window and it stopped me dead 
in my tracks... I saw before me a vision of futuristic earth: over-populated, over-constructed and generally speaking devastated! I saw a massive, chaotic megalopolis of crowded construction, enveloped in a grey haze and dust stretching before me all the way to the horizon. "Cholera jasna!" I said to Kimo. "Where's the camera??? This is like something Arthur C. Clarke described!". I am convinced that the human species, are definitely parasites on this planet. The evidence is here, in front of me. There is no other species which has the ability to destroy natural Earth the way we do. I think we really must be from another planet - one that we had destroyed! My impressions of China did not get any better. Kimo - the inveterate animal lover, noticed the relative lack of birds in the city. There are always birds in big cities! Pigeons, sparrows whatever! After keeping an eye out for birds we finally saw a few here and there but in MUCH smaller numbers than we're used to. And I'm talking in comparison to Washington DC, Warsaw, London, Paris, etc. At one point, in the area called the Bund, we heard birds chirping. Excitedly we followed the sound... and
there they were: Mynah birds (I think that's what they're called - according to Kimo) locked up in bamboo cages hung on the branches of a tree... I needed a drink - fast! We plodded back to our 5 star hotel, weaving around throngs of people and dozens of "entrepreneurs" offering us (via photos they pulled out of their jackets) Rolex watches, Prada purses and God knows what else! Chasing them away was annoying. We discovered that speaking Polish was most effective. They did not know how to respond. I guess it's not a major language in commercial circles - I'm proud to say! We took a day trip from Shanghai to Suzhou in order to get to see something outside of Shanghai. We drove close to 2 hours out of Shanghai, to Suzhou, on a big, highway packed with vehicles of every shape and size, all squeezing into any open space they could. We did not see any open spaces. The mega-monster-construction just kept going and going and going. Cranes, huge buildings, billboards, billboards and billboards. 
Will the Chinese make all the same mistakes that early capitalism made? I hope not, but it sure seems that way. The nicest place we saw was Xintiandi, an area in Shanghai which was bought by an modern developer who kept the old style shikumen houses, restored them - primarily for foreigner visitors to enjoy. Cute sidewalk restaurants and very expensive stores, galleries, cinema, etc. And right there, next door is where the Communist Party of China was established back in 1921. At least it's a nice site for the de facto cemetery of communism! I realize that Shanghai is a major city, financial center and commercial port. I'm sure there are lovely spots in China, in fact my visit in 1999 to Beijing did not depress me quite as much and I know it because I got to see some trees, grass, hills - the Great Wall of China knocked my socks off! But still I think I prefer places with less humans per square meter! OK, I'll have that drink now!
Cheers!
in my tracks... I saw before me a vision of futuristic earth: over-populated, over-constructed and generally speaking devastated! I saw a massive, chaotic megalopolis of crowded construction, enveloped in a grey haze and dust stretching before me all the way to the horizon. "Cholera jasna!" I said to Kimo. "Where's the camera??? This is like something Arthur C. Clarke described!". I am convinced that the human species, are definitely parasites on this planet. The evidence is here, in front of me. There is no other species which has the ability to destroy natural Earth the way we do. I think we really must be from another planet - one that we had destroyed! My impressions of China did not get any better. Kimo - the inveterate animal lover, noticed the relative lack of birds in the city. There are always birds in big cities! Pigeons, sparrows whatever! After keeping an eye out for birds we finally saw a few here and there but in MUCH smaller numbers than we're used to. And I'm talking in comparison to Washington DC, Warsaw, London, Paris, etc. At one point, in the area called the Bund, we heard birds chirping. Excitedly we followed the sound... and
there they were: Mynah birds (I think that's what they're called - according to Kimo) locked up in bamboo cages hung on the branches of a tree... I needed a drink - fast! We plodded back to our 5 star hotel, weaving around throngs of people and dozens of "entrepreneurs" offering us (via photos they pulled out of their jackets) Rolex watches, Prada purses and God knows what else! Chasing them away was annoying. We discovered that speaking Polish was most effective. They did not know how to respond. I guess it's not a major language in commercial circles - I'm proud to say! We took a day trip from Shanghai to Suzhou in order to get to see something outside of Shanghai. We drove close to 2 hours out of Shanghai, to Suzhou, on a big, highway packed with vehicles of every shape and size, all squeezing into any open space they could. We did not see any open spaces. The mega-monster-construction just kept going and going and going. Cranes, huge buildings, billboards, billboards and billboards. 
Will the Chinese make all the same mistakes that early capitalism made? I hope not, but it sure seems that way. The nicest place we saw was Xintiandi, an area in Shanghai which was bought by an modern developer who kept the old style shikumen houses, restored them - primarily for foreigner visitors to enjoy. Cute sidewalk restaurants and very expensive stores, galleries, cinema, etc. And right there, next door is where the Communist Party of China was established back in 1921. At least it's a nice site for the de facto cemetery of communism! I realize that Shanghai is a major city, financial center and commercial port. I'm sure there are lovely spots in China, in fact my visit in 1999 to Beijing did not depress me quite as much and I know it because I got to see some trees, grass, hills - the Great Wall of China knocked my socks off! But still I think I prefer places with less humans per square meter! OK, I'll have that drink now! Cheers!
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