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December 28, 2007
Observations of China
I am in Shanghai on Christmas vacation with my family. So far we have visited Beijing and Xian and I was particularly struck by:
1) The playgrounds are used more by adults, especially senior citizens, than by children. It is exactly the opposite of the US, where swing sets, jungle gyms and sandboxes abound. In China, there are cross-country exercise devices, ping pong tables and chin up bars, all in use by avid seniors. There are junior sections of equal size in the playgrounds as well.
2) Planning is on a long time horizon, and city ambition is boundless. For example, the Xian airport, built about three years ago, is about an hour outside of the center city (think of Dulles Airport from center of Washington DC). There is literally no development along the highway for much of the ride. However, it is expected that the city will grow in that direction. Given the quite empty retail space adjoining the museum housing the Terracotta Warriors, this is no certainty.
3) Nationalistic feelings are quite evident in the displays of historical artifacts. For example, the skin on the large drum in the Xian Drum Tower that was badly damaged by the Japanese Army in World War II or the scars on the large bronze in the Forbidden City from Allied forces during the Boxer Rebellion are duly noted by signs and by tour guides.
4) The use of technology is impressive and intelligent. The Shanghai Museum employs a lighting system that illuminates ancient scrolls only when you stand in front of the artifact; this has the dual benefit of saving electricity and reducing the wear on the painting. The maglev train from the Shanghai airport reaches a maximum speed of 430 kilometers per hour; the journey to central Pudong from the airport takes under eight minutes.
5) Modern art reflects the nostalgia for the older China that is rapidly being replaced by a newer, more global version. Photos at Factory 798 in Beijing, a renovated industrial facility now home to several galleries, often show the contrast of large office complex against a small, traditional style house, a bit down at the heels but charming and human scale.
6) Current price incentives are not sufficiently restraining the demand for automobiles. New auto registrations are auctioned in Shanghai, with market level now around $6,000, certainly in excess of the low-end cost of a car, with little evidence of diminished demand. Our guide in Beijing, a newlywed, lives on Ring #5, well outside of the center; she commutes with her husband by car because mass transit takes even longer. Beijing will impose an odd/even license plate system for driving during the Olympic Games while Shanghai is considering a congestion charge similar to that imposed in London.
7) The State Council Information Office (SCIO) held a press conference on Thursday that committed the Chinese Government to continued progress on supporting the media. According to China Daily, the English language newspaper, Minister Cai Wu said at the event, “If practices show that it will help the international community know China better, it is a good policy (referring to a new policy enacted for the Beijing Olympics which commits the country to more transparency, such as granting overseas reporters the right to conduct an interview with only the interviewee’s permission).” The SCIO organized 72 press conferences for central government agencies. Central departments also held 547 press conferences and provincial governments held 789 press conferences in 2007, about 33% more than in 2006. The SCIO is training spokespeople at a national and provincial level to write press releases, write white papers and hold media briefings.
This has been a bit of a sentimental voyage for me and my bride of 21 years. We celebrated our first weeks as a married couple on a honeymoon in China, including a night of dodging mosquitoes in the Peace Hotel in Shanghai because there were no screens on the windows (guaranteed to enhance romantic pursuits, let me tell you!). I wish each of you a fun-filled and prosperous New Year. See you in the blogosphere in 2008.
Richard Edelman at The Great Wall
Posted by Edelman at December 28, 2007 10:31 AM
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Comments
Having grown up in the DC area, and seeing the corridor out to Dulles go from woods to endless rows of buildings and housing developments, I assure you that the same exact thing will happen in Xian. In terms of urban planning, whoever decided to stick Dulles way out there made the right decision. It's is a much more efficient airport for it.
Enjoy the rest of your travels.
Posted by: Steve Shannon at December 28, 2007 11:13 AM
My uncle told me that playgrounds are being used by adults more often than the youngsters do. Well, China has always been different; the Chinese do not always “conform” to what is usual and ordinary. I think it’s sort of cute that the adults are the ones who use the playgrounds more often. After all, age is not a hindrance to having fun.
Posted by: jen_chan, writer surefirewealth.com at December 29, 2007 2:11 AM