Shanghai

I've been in Shanghai for the last 2.5 weeks. So much has been going on, I can't believe I'm only starting to blog about it now. Part of the reason for my slowness has been the Great Firewall. Facebook, YouTube, Google Blogger blogs (like mine), etc. are all blocked. I think I've configured my ISP the right way to reach the NYU VPN (virtual private network) that can bypass the Great Firewall. I'll talk about the Internet and China's policy in a later blog post.

Here's a blurb I wrote in my first couple of days in Shanghai

"I’ve been in Shanghai for only a day and a half, but it’s already been a whirlwind of an introduction. On the ride from the airport, you could see and feel the city growing outside the bus windows, unlike anything I’ve seen in the US or Europe. It resembled India to an extent with the juxtaposition of colossal apartment buildings and slums, the massive power lines running into the heart of the city, the construction of unknown and unnamed projects, the bustle of people, the heat, etc.

Shanghai is broken into two parts – Puxi to the east of the Huangpu River and Pudong to the west (In Chinese, xi means east and dong means west). Pudong contains the futuristic skyscrapers that represent Shanghai in many people’s minds. The Chinese government hopes to make it comparable to lower Manhattan with the Financial District, impressive buildings, etc. The incredible fact is that Pudong’s construction started in 1992. To think that half of one of the most, if not the most, cosmopolitan and vibrant cities in China is younger than I am amazes me.

I’m sure I’ll have plenty of anecdotes throughout my four months in China with a similar storyline. However, it’s still exciting to see and feel this growth, this excitement over the potential of the future, this almost-reawakening for China, at least in economic terms."

For the rest of this semester, I hope to blog as often as I did in Europe. I'll structure it similarly with both trip-based posts with pictures and topic-based posts with my thoughts. I can already tell that in China, there's going to be a lot more topic-based posts. So much is different than the West that it really gets you thinking about the way things are done. On that note, keep reading my blog!