1. Shanghai is a much more modern than Beijing.
2. Shanghai women, rather like their reputation, are really more assertive and opinionate. To put it in another term that is more understandable, they’re more bitchy. Although, according to a chatter I overheard on the streets, if you’re tall, handsome and rich, you’ll be fine.
3. Unlike Beijing, where the distance between the rich and the poor are huge and noticable. The middle class has emerged in shanghai. Though still the minority, they’ll determine the future of China.
4. I was surprised that the Cultural Revolution didn’t ravage the cultural sites. More impressively, most European heritages were preserved. I came up with a theory that Shanghai is an unique city that was exposed to the Western culture earlier than others. This in turn produced an educated and thinking bunch, even in high places, that persevere during the Revolution. Of course, not having done any research, I could be totally wrong. Maybe there just weren’t fast enough in destroying everything.
5. Education is, obviously, the way of aligning the mindset of people towards the modern and rich countries. This will take some time. In the mean time, China seems to be doing something similar to Singapore, with its Chinese flavour. Huge posters and billboards are displayed prominently to encourage people to have more social civic. “Hand in hand, heading towards a more civilised society and modern country”, something in that manner to evoke patriotism. Announcements are given in supermarket and subways to ask people to not spit, to not throw rubbish and so on. I wonder however, whether such propangantic methods work. I saw a mom holding a kid up to pee into a rubbish bin, in a high class mall. At least he didn’t pee on the floor.
