East Eats West

430km/h and levitating

Picture: An old Chinese couple in front of the super-fast German Maglev train. 

From the outskirts of Shanghai to Pudong airport runs the world's fastest train, the German Maglev (for magnetic levitation). It has no wheels and does not touch the ground and its top speed is a whopping 430km/h, faster than any other ground mode of transport! The ride only takes 8min and it is pure joy to see the scenery whizz by. The train uses a very advanced magnetic levitation technique that allows it to go very fast. It is a big tourist attraction also for Chinese travelers. 

More pictures from Shanghai

Click the link below and see a selection of the best pictures from Shanghai: http://easteatswest.typepad.com/photos/shanghai_2009/index.html

What Chinese men work for

 Picture: A new car might lead to a happy marriage.

It takes at least one hour to leave the city center of Shanghai and another 30 minutes until the scenery becomes a bit more rural. Shanghai is massive and is expected to grow to up to 45mio. people in a couple of decades. Driving on the massive and brand new highway is a pure pleasure and one can see from the comfort of a car the development of China: huge factories, massive billboards and gigantic coal power stations. All this splendor is in stark contrast to the frugality of Chinese people. According to an article in The Economist (October 3rd 2009) the thriftiest Chinese are the young and the old. Urban households headed by 25-year-olds save almost 30 percent of their disposable income. One reason they save is that the Chinese have to pay for education and health care. Another reason is because it is hard to borrow money. Therefore only 11 percent of younger households have a mortgage. And Chinese men save because without car and flat they are unlikely to find a girl to marry. Apparently a frequently asked question by Chinese girls is: “How many square meters make up your apartment?”.

Read the article here: http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14530077

Chinese law enforcement

Picture: A variety of Police motorcycles in Pudong, Shanghai. 

Communist countries tend to have a low crime rate and the same is true for China. I guess this is the reason why the city police does not need any big vehicles. 

A boutique shopping experience in Shanghai

Picture: Shopping in old Shanghai-style. 

With the rapid development of Shanghai international departments stores and brands can be found across town. From the super pricey luxury brand at the Plaza 66 to the more mid-market Super Brands shopping mall in Pudong, almost any Western brand can be found in Shanghai, including Ferrari and Bentley. Luxury goods are exposed to a luxury tax and goods tend to be 50-60 percent more expensive than in Europe. Should you look for a more budget and boutique type of shopping experience I can recommend the Tianzifang shopping neighborhood that offers from second hand clothes to vintage sunglasses almost everything. You can also sit down a have a nice Latte Machiatto with a brownie or look at some nice artsy photographs of Shanghai.

 

China, a market for over a billion but hardly for foreigners

Picture: The Super Brands shopping mall in Pudong, Shanghai. 

According to an article in The Economist the Chinese market is impenetrable for most foreign companies due to restrictions by the government, subsidies and other trade protective measures. Apparently only foreign companies that sell very expensive products have a chance to succeed. When I went to the famous Plaza 66 luxury shopping mall I was surprised to see that most Swiss watches cost easily 50-60 percent more than in Switzerland. Well, this is good news for Swiss luxury companies but bad news for Nestlé and Roche.

Read the article here: http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14660438

The hamburger point

Picture: Ingredients for Chinese steam-boat. One adds the ingredients to a hot soup. 

Whenever when I am traveling in Asia I get to a point when I am tired of rice, noodle and turtle-soup, chicken feet and snorting and coughing restaurant clients. This is when I crave a good old hamburger. I call it the hamburger point and thanks to Burger King or a good US hotel I can satisfy my cravings almost everywhere (the hardest was is in India). 

Picture: A typical Chinese moon cake that is somewhat sweet and made out of beans (I would go for Swiss chocolate anytime). 

Classical Chinese Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai

 

Picture: Some old buildings in the Yu Yuan Garden in Shanghai. 

One of the view remaining classical buildings in Shanghai are the Yugarden. A must for every Chinese and foreign tourist. Sometimes a bit crowded but worthwhile a visit.

 

Picture: In the background on the left is the Jinmao Tower and on the right the Park Hyatt Tower, both in Pudong. 

Karaoke, wedding banquets and Sauna with TV

Picture: A provincial hotel in Changzhou, three hours outside of Shanghai.

For the wedding in Changzhou we stayed at the Jinding Mingdu Hotel. The hotel has a very common layout for a Chinese hotel with a big lobby and private dining rooms and a karaoke venue. The rooms are spacious and modern and smoking is allowed everywhere. On the second floor there were a big number of private rooms and the third floor featured a maze of cosy karaoke lounges with young ladies attending, a ping pong table and a so-called “sauna” with relaxation rooms with TV and masseuses. Internet is for free across the whole building. The hotel has three sources of revenues: as a venue for highly standardized and timed weddings, the dozens of private dinning rooms and the entertainment area.

Picture: The karaoke room at the hotel. 

A rare event in Shanghai: blue sky and sunshine

Picture: Normally you would barely see the towers in Shanghai because of the polluted air. 

China is nowadays famous for pollution that hangs as heavy smog in the air diminishing the blue skies and the the sun. So it was a very rare occasion to see blu skies with sun in Shanghai. The reason being a few days of rain before I arrived. I was even able to see buildings a couple of kilometers away in distance, which is very rare. Normally after 200m everything ends in heavy fog.