The words that greeted the road-weary Canadians as we sluffed from our sleeper car and pulled our bags with us into the corridor at Shanghai station were urgent: they meant get a move on! and from that point to this it’s been the same.
We notice cabs (invariably VW jettas, by the way, in case anyone feels a Pong coming on) drive through intersections with an elbow on the horn button. Does that help pedestrians and cyclists to get out of the way? We doubt it. They drift along at their own pace regardless. The surprising thing is no one has been hurt–at least not by our drivers.
Advertising is everywhere. What is Communism? The hall where the Chinese Communist Party was formed is now a KFC.
Our colleague and mentor, the well-known urban designer Simon Yue, took us to see the lights, night after night. Thirty floors up is his office, with a night view that would make your Superman comic look outdated. Jar-el, Sit down!
From here we have a 25-hr train ride to Hong Kong. No doubt it will seem like a trip to the country after this place.