Shanghai: the economic powerhouse

Shanghai is one of China’s most massive and vibrant cities. Somehow typifying modern China yet unlike anywhere else in the land. It’s modern, commercial, brash, self confident and touristy, yet it could not be labeled international. There are no ancient sites here – no terracotta warriors, great walls or dusty old temples – instead there are art-deco buildings, colonial architecture, sky-rocketing towers, European streetscapes and pedestrian precincts. The movers and shakers are interested in money and Shanghai is where they hold it and invest.

It’s a ‘new city’ that has grown from a small fishing port following the arrival of the British in 1842 after the First Opium War. The French and the Japanese weren’t far behind and parceled up the burgeoning city into autonomous settlements, immune from Chinese law. By 1853, it had overtaken all other Chinese ports. By the 1930s, built on the trade of opium, silk and tea, Shanghai had 60,000 foreign residents and was the busiest international port in Asia.

But the locals were dreadfully exploited in workhouse conditions, crippled by hunger and poverty, sold into slavery, excluded from the high life and parks created by the foreigners, the poor of Shanghai developed a voracious appetite for radical opinion. The Chinese Communist Party was formed here in 1921 and, after numerous setbacks, liberated the city in 1949. Later, during the Cultural Revolution, the city was the power base of the Gang of Four.

shanghai-china-suenson-taylor-003The strength of the economy here surpasses Beijing. Across the river from the ‘old city’, new skyscrapers in Pudong are constantly under construction and provide a dazzling, modern, high rise counterpoint to the more austere, colonial structures of the Bund.

During our stay, Expo 2010 had just opened drawing in Chinese and foreign visitors alike. The Chinese were fascinated by what they perceive as the major western countries: US, UK, France, Germany and Spain in particular. These are the destinations they would most like to visit, if only they could. I’m pleased to report that the British pavilion was the most popular with queues, reportedly, of three hours. The locals were very proud to be hosting the event and underlined its importance by raising all their prices.

Even without the price hikes, Shanghai is easily the most expensive city in China (Hong Kong, although Chinese is not yet regarded as an integral part of the country and is not covered by our Chinese Visa). Four drinks in a cocktail lounge cost us the equivalent of £50 – the equivalent of four days food and drink in any other city. A trip up the Pearl TV Tower cost £30 in an elevator to the 57th floor.

shanghai-china-suenson-taylor-012However, I have to say, the view was very impressive back across the river to the older part of the city and it had a glass walkway that not many had the strength of mind to tread upon. Us included, I’m sorry to admit, but looking down with only a bit of communist toughened glass between us and concrete three hundred metres below, we were gripped by a fear of heights. I did manage to lie on my back for a photo but then lost my water bottle which rolled to the outermost part of the glass walkway. Much amusement was had by onlookers as I crawled on all fours to retrieve it.

Nearby was the Shanghai World Financial Centre, a 500 metre high ultra modern building that is shaped like an old bottle opener. At the moment, it’s the highest building in China and the third highest in the world, with the world’s highest observation deck on the 100th floor. At night, it provides a stunning addition to the new city skyline with blue lights striping up its side and strobing white stars on the top. We gave it a miss.

shanghai-china-suenson-taylor-006The weirdest lighting we encountered was in the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel that connects the old and new cities under the river. We think it’s supposed to emulate a journey from the centre of the Earth to outer space but doesn’t quite work and we were sped by train module through a mind warping array of garish lights. We have to admit it’s different.

shanghai-china-suenson-taylor-001On the ‘old’ side of the city the tunnel emerges on The Bund (an Anglo-Indian name for the embankment of a muddy waterfront), the city’s equivalent of Wall Street. Lined with colonial buildings (some very similar to the edifice of Water Street, Liverpool), it used to be a place of feverish trading, of fortunes won and lost, of rooms behind grand porticos where the rich and famous socialised and sealed deals, but now houses Communist Party Apparatchiks, bars and restaurants.

shanghai-china-suenson-taylor-002We strolled along the river embankment, alternatively photographing the bones of the past on the Bund side of the river with the futuristic geometry of the new Pudong shoreline. We shared the walk with countless Chinese tourists who snapped everything and everyone indiscriminately. Our image rights were violated on several occasions and Debbie’s attire (t-shirt, shorts and walking boots) drew dumfounded looks from the fashion conscious, designer logoed females. So as not to let the side down, when asked, we said we were Belgian.

shanghai-china-suenson-taylor-014The main shopping area abuts The Bund and is a pavement walkway known as East Nanjing Road. Like every other Chinese city, it is replete with designer branded shops many of which are Chinese creations trying to appear western. Every few strides we are attacked by hawkers, people selling tat and shop workers desperately trying to get us inside their expensive emporia. Having been accosted 15 times in 300 yards, we headed elsewhere, looking for the area that used to be the French Concession.

It’s a residential, retail, restaurant and bar district with tree lined streets and atmospheric old French-style lampposts. Many of the buildings have been restored and there are small alleyways that open into squares where boutique-style cafes, wine bars, lounges and nouveau restaurants attract wealthy locals and visitors. It was a pleasant place to spend an evening and eat something other than Chinese food – it certainly is not authentic China but certainly a style to which China aspires.

In a total contrast, the Shanghai museum focuses on China past. It is a small building that houses some fascinating old treasures. Ming and Qing dynasty furniture of the most intricate and, in some cases, garish nature that included a couple of items that Debbie thought would ‘look good’ in our dining room. Then there were rooms of Jade, bronze, Calligraphy, painting and, of course, porcelain. As eny fule kno, the Chinese invented porcelain as a fine, strong and light alternative to clay pots. Often known in the west as china, it allows the objects to be more vibrant, more colorful and altogether more attractive than its clay based alternative. And some of the stuff is worth a fortune, Ming vases that would set the numbers on Sotheby’s electronic bidding displays racing with laundered cash.

We did not stop long in Shanghai. To be honest we are a bit city-weary and are looking forward to spending the remaining days of our visa in more rural locations. But it was a fun place to be and the contrast with other Chinese cities was worth experiencing. Despite the fanfare and its modernity, I would not call it an international city: it simply cannot compare with the effortless cosmopolitanism of cities such as Sydney. Maybe it’s held back by China’s constant ambivalence regarding the outside world but as the country becomes wealthier and more outward-looking, I am sure it will be the first Chinese city to reap the rewards of its country’s economic dominance.

Shanghai: the economic powerhouse
0 votes, 0.00 avg. rating (0% score)

Subscribe

Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter to receive updates.

One Response to Shanghai: the economic powerhouse

  1. WordPress › Error

    There has been a critical error on this website.

    Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress.