The latest fall-out of this development was evidenced in the headlines of both of the English-language newspapers delivered to my room today. The articles are about the government's crackdown on foreign investors in real estate- a one year minimum residency, higher percentage down, etc. There are concerns that all this foreign money is dependant upon speculation rather than a long-term commitment. While these changes will likely discourage the less-motivated investors, the papers tell me it won't change much around here. Progress marches on.
This is the Bund and was a corn field just 8 years ago. A corn field!(This is also the view from our restaurant last night.)
Despite a really stark contrast between old and new Shanghai (usually within the same block), all of this foreign investment and the RIDICULOUS amount of change has forced foreigners and natives, alike, to find new ways to relate to one another.
Old & New China, on my walk to work.
Which brings me to my point...finally.
I'm mute in China. Incapable of speaking. Silent. How do I get by, you ask? Little cards with destinations written in Chinese on them, that's how. I hand them to my friendly cab driver, nod when he hands it back to me, and hold on. *Hoping* that I'll make it to where I think I'm headed, when really, it's a total crap shoot. Mute!
Try it for a day in your own town. Get someone else to write down where you're headed-using a different alphabet (Cyrillic would probably work in Portland)-and hand it to the cab driver. See where you end up and how you feel on the way there. Amazing.
The (flimsy) bridge between east and west.------------
And sorry for the lack of posts the last couple of days. While blogger is free, it isn't trouble free. Grrr.
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