Rapid Changes in Shanghai

Things move fast here in Shanghai! Here’s a wee example from the last week. It starts off in Scotland, when I was home at Christmas-time. I was up visiting Wendy & Gav, and we were standing in a field, surrounded by sheep, chatting with their shepherd about ….sheep, and sheepdog trials. They’d been looking out for a watch with a stop-watch, but hadn’t managed to get one. No problem, said I, I live in the country of cheap copy-watches. So, a week past Saturday, while browsing down Nanjing Road with my mum, I came across the ideal watch. It came in black, blue and purple, so, of course I choose the purple! Mum took it back to Scotland, and sent it up to Wendy & Gav’s. Just the ticket – but maybe I could get another in black, or something a bit more conservative (for the heilan’ shepherd – I should have known better!!). So this Sunday, I went back to Nanjing Road, to the same shop – and it’s gone! It’s all boarded up, and the walls are being knocked down ……..but I was just there the week before! What do I do about a watch now??? I searched all over town, and there was nothing! How can that be? Did I stumble on the only suitable watch in China? Last night, I popped into my local supermarket for a pint of milk. It’s in the basement of the building across the road, and to get to it I have to pass through lots of stalls. Last night, I realised that the stalls were all selling…….watches. I was getting a bit despondent after looking at 20 stalls without an appropriate watch, but the last one – it was there! So, I got it and will post it off this week!

On the subject of the fast-changing face of Shanghai, I’ve discovered what they’re building across the road. 6 months ago, there was a row of restaurants, with houses behind, and then they disappeared – knocked down. They’ve been working on the site ever since – and the foundations are laid now. Well, a week past Saturday, just before mum & I’s stroll down Nanjing Road, we went to the Urban Planning building. It’s great! There’s a model of downtown Shanghai – it’s amazing to see. There’s a raised walkway all around, so that you can easily find your way around. I eventually found my place – and discovered that the building across the way will be one of the highest in Shanghai!!

On that Saturday, when mum & I were out exploring Shanghai – it took us an hour to cross the road!!! No, the traffic is not quite that bad! We were using the underpass and got distracted by a replica of a street from the 1930’s, and ended up sitting outside a café, under the false sky having lunch (borsch soup, believe it or not!). Back to crossing the road – mum developed a technique for crossing the road – similar to her approach in Rome (which was wait for a nun to come along, and cross with her – she never had to wait very long either). Her Shanghai approach was – get herself in the middle of the Chinese folk waiting to cross, and stay there until the other side – worked like a charm!