Summary of Shanghai

As my time in Shanghai is coming to an end, I thought it appropriate to post a brief summary of my time in China's major economic hub (we all count HK as it's own region). If I had to sum up the city in one word, I'd say the city is a contradiction. Even if you've never been to Shanghai before, the basis of the city is a contradiction itself...a major capitalist centre in a communist country. And if you have been to Shanghai or seen pictures, then you'd know what I'm talking about. For a city run by supposed communist policies, massive department stores full of brand name shops (which would put many of the malls in Toronto to shame) are as rampant in the city as the number of wild cats roaming the streets (...seriously, I've never seen so many wild cats before, and there's a whole family that keeps visiting our backyard at home...the parks are full of them!). But the contradictions run beyond just the surface. For instance, everyone physically pushes others, J-walks, and cuts lines with no shame (to get onto the subway or bus, to catch the elevator or a taxi, to pay for things in the supermarket...the list goes on), yet the pedestrians on the sidewalk walk at a ridiculously slow pace (probably due to the humidity). The majority of Shanghai's residents could never afford a car, and yet there are so many cars on the streets that the traffic is as bad as rush hour on the DVP for most of the day (probably due to the massive amount of people here). The city almost never sleeps (but not to the same degree as what I've heard about NYC), and yet almost all the subway lines (except for maybe 2 I think) are closed by 10 PM (thankfully the taxis are relatively cheap for us foreigners). The food is very oily here (if you order soup, the top layer is usually completely oil), and yet most people here are very thin. With around 20 million people staying in the city during any one day, most of which are Chinese nationals, there's a Chinese woman on the arm on almost every expat here (it's quite a site to see, it's like golddiggers' central in the expat areas). In a country where the law is quite strict, "no smoking" signs are blatantly ignored, and the pedestrian walk signals are never followed (my Turkish friend who's visited Shanghai many times before was telling me the pedestrian green light doesn't mean it's safe to cross, but that it's probably the best time to cross, while the red light doesn't mean not to cross, it simply means you should be more cautious if you decide to cross hahaha). The place is heavily urbanized, and yet there are so many damn mosquitoes! I was bitten NINE times in one morning during class, and on another day, I was bitten three times within a minute, each less than an inch apart, while walking to the subway stop. The city is rife with poverty, and yet even in the poorer areas (like where I stayed) people pamper their dogs while there are so many people who can't afford a decent meal everyday - I saw so many people walking their dogs that had their own slippers and shirts.


One of the many homeless in Shanghai. Borrowed from a friend.

I could go on and on, but I don't want to spend more time writing this post haha. So would I ever come back to Shanghai? Well, that would depend mainly on where I would be staying. If you've read my previous post about SISU, then you can probably tell that the particular experiences have tarnished my trip to Shanghai a bit. But if I was to discount those experiences, then I'd say I had a pretty good time, mainly thanks to the new friends I made here. Like any other metropolis, Shanghai has its good and bad. If you're looking for nature spots, this isn't really your place. In my opinion, the tourist spots here aren't that spectacular either compared to other major cities (or at least nothing to make a special trip here to see, and nothing you can't find similarly in another other city)...I visited every spot I wanted to see here and then some with lots of days to spare...if I really wanted to, I could've done it in a max of 4-5 days. But if you like bustling metropolitan areas and Chinese culture, then this may be your place (amongst others)...within certain areas of the huge city. So would I come back again? With good friends or to take on a well-paying job, then yes, most likely. Would I come back for any other reason...we'll I'd have to see haha...maybe in 10 years when the city has had more time to continue modernizing and cleaning up?

I'm going to be busy almost everyday while I'm in HK as I make last minute preparations for my trip to Japan, so I may only get to make a couple posts. I will definitely try to finally get some pictures up though, so keep an eye out for photos appearing in all my previous posts!

UPDATE:
Some pics of the people I met:

Me and Stefano (from Italy).


Me and Davide (from Italy). They both caught me when I was about to go to sleep, thus the pajama bottoms.


Me and Wang Chun (or Trent, his English name; from Shanghai). We're in the lobby of the dorms. As another friend pointed out, it was always Christmas at the SISU Guesthouse...those lazy SISU employees haha.