A city of 18 Million: Shanghai, China!

I have just spent three very interesting, tiring, and exciting days in Shanghai, China: a city of 18 million people! My time here was spent navigating through crowds of people, learning about the culture (and some language!), and seeing how a country with 1.3 billion people operates. We were lucky enough to visit during Chinese New Year, which gave our visit a different type of flair; we were able to see families celebrating and on vacation, and also see families light their own fireworks!

The first day I went with a group of friends and explored Shanghai, including the Bund (the old historic part of Shanghai), and took The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel across to Pudong, the new part of the city. The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel was a crazy experience in itself. We went into a clear pod, and went through a narrated light show..it was interesting, to say the least! I captured a video on my camera that I can hopefully share once I get back to the states. In Pudong we saw the Oriental Pearl Tower, which is 378 meters tall! The rest of the day was spent searching around Pudong, looking at street vendors grilling different types of meat), and realizing that it is much harder to breathe in China due to air pollution and a number of smokers! We had dinner at a local restaurant, and despite some language confusions, we had a good time. Though it was clear we were some of the first non-Chinese to eat there; all of the other diners were staring at us most of the time!

Throughout the three days in Shanghai, I kept an eye out for family structure dynamics. Last semester in Global Environmental Politics, I wrote my major research paper on the One Child Policy, and am very passionate about it, so I thought it would be really interesting to see the policy in context. I’ve noticed that “the little emperor/empress” syndrome is alive and well. This phrase describes the attitude some only children in China have, as they are doted upon by their parents and grandparents. Many children I saw were yelling at their parents or controlling the situation. Also, many stores in the malls were dedicated to entertaining children, feeding children, or dressing children. This was even more exaggerated than in the United States. Although I do not wish to make a political statement, my main issue with the policy is the fact that it is a Human Rights Violation under Reproductive Rights. It was interesting, during a day trip, our Chinese tour guide was talking about the Policy. Some of her wording made it seem like some couples are very lucky to pay for a birth of a second child, and that country families are even more lucky because if they have a girl first, they are entitled to another child automatically. I am saddened by the lack of freedom families have; although the policy has aided in lowering population growth, it has come with severe consequences, including a very skewed ratio between male and female births. But enough about that, and on to less serious topics!

Yesterday I took a Semester at Sea guided trip to Suzhou, which was known as the passageway into China during the start of trading between China and other countries. Suzhou is somewhat like a Venice of China, with canals meandering throughout the city. During the tour, we went to three gardens, one of which is a Unesco World Heritage Site and it absolutely beautiful. I took many pictures capturing the architecture and landscape of the garden. What is interesting to me is the contrast between the organized, serene gardens and the chaotic, pushy environment outside of the garden walls. It was nice to see a more peaceful side of China during my visit. We also were lucky enough to visit a silk weaving factory, where we were able to see the process of spinning silk from cocoons and also see the process of making a silk quilt (it takes 6,400 cocoons to make one)! It is an amazing process, and one that I am glad to have seen! Finally, we took a canal ride through the historic part of Suzhou. We saw many people out celebrating the New Year with family and friends and we were able to take many pictures. Many people we saw were incredibly friendly, waving and smiling at us as we passed. The day allowed for a different view on Chinese culture and Chinese society, one that is less hurried and crowded than Shanghai.

My final day in Shanghai was spent with a small group of friends exploring the Bund side of the city rather than Pudong. We walked on a street to People’s Square, and literally passed THOUSANDS of Chinese out shopping on the 5th day of the New Year, the most important day. Families, friends, and loved ones were out celebrating the day by eating, walking, and shopping. While we were walking, many men came up to us, trying to sell us products. It was clear that we stuck out like sore thumbs! Even amongst thousands!! While the men came up, I got to practice the word for “no” in Chinese: “bu”; luckily saying this firmly got the point across! While we were walking, a young man came up to us and was talking in English, asking if we needed a guide, where we were from, etc. We finally got him to leave us alone, and then we went and found a place to eat, had lunch, and walked some more. About an hour and a half later, we were walking on the same road to a metro station. All of a sudden, I hear “Remember me?” It was the same man who had found us earlier!!! My roommate Ashley and I started saying “Oh my gosh…” and he interrupted us and said “Oh my God!!” and laughed. We all were cracking up at the situation. Either we really stuck out like sore thumbs, this guy was kind of creepy, or a combination of the two. He did luckily leave us, but we found it funny that in a city of 18 million, the same guy found us twice! The rest of the day was spent bargaining with vendors (the key is showing that you respect them and their products), and enjoying the city. It was nice to have a positive final experience in Shanghai.

After we left Shanghai, we had a formal sit down dinner on the ship while were traveling to Hong Kong, so there are a few pictures from there, including one with our favorite waiter, Perry! It will be interesting to see what the future for China, and the next generation of only children, holds. Without a doubt, U.S.-Sino relations will be some of the most important in my generation’s future. I once again apologize for the lack of blog updates; it all depends on internet availability and affordability! I hope you all are doing well and I will update my blog after my stay in Hong Kong!!