Today was orientation day to China and to Shanghai. Our CIBER group visited the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum; toured Old Shanghai City; had a presentation by the Chairman of UBC Bearings; and had a quick tour of the famous Bund.
The Shanghai Urban Planning Museum has an immense scale model of the city of Shanghai. It takes up most of the fourth floor of the building. The Museum also has displays featuring the 2010 World Trade Fair that will be held in Shanghai. The population of Shanghai is some 17 million.
http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/asia/china/shanghai/attraction-detail.html?vid=1154654615933
The Shanghai Museum is one of the best places to see ancient Chinese art. I have placed a link in a previous blog entry. I enjoyed the many paintings and calligraphy displays. We had tea in the traditional tea room where four professors discussed the automobile industry.We spent the afternoon at the Old Shanghai City which is a collection of traditional-style buildings with market stalls. Much of what is for sale is tourist kitsch. The Old City is quite near the river on the other side is the “new” city of Pudong. The tallest buildings in Shanghai are the ones in Pudong. It is quite a sight to see a 140 story building soaring above a traditional Chinese temple and knowing the building has to be a mile or more distant.
We had a presentation by Mr. Domingo Penaloza who is the chairman of UBC Bearings. He is a citizen of the Philippines whose company manufactures and distributes industrial bearings. Bearings are used in most machinery. Currently, a large part of the demand comes from the need for bearings in windmills used in electrical generating wind-powered turbines.
Mr. Penaloza discussed his company’s strategic plan. (BUS 481!) One handout showed the market position and another the competitive advantages of the firm. He noted that the slowing world economy is hurting plans. UBC is a foreign owned manufacturer that contracts manufacturing facilities in China to produce its products. http://www.ubc-bearing.com/
We then had a quick walk on the Bund. This is the historical waterfront of Shanghai. Parts of the movie “Empire of the Sun” features the Bund. Across the river are the lights of Pudong. The distinctive TV tower and super skyscrapers are light up with Times-Square like advertisements.
I really know I am in China while standing on the Bund looking over the water at Pudong! What a sight and what a thrill!!
Walking on the streets can be a challenge particularly when walking in a group of foreigners. We are constantly accosted by people selling things. A woman walks up to you “Lady want to buy Rolex? Gucci?” then she pulls out of her pocket a printed full color brochure of goods available. Another popular item with the sidewalk hawkers is an item that looks like a pastel ball. The hawker dashes it on the sidewalk where it turns into a flat-splattered pastel plastic slime. This reminds me of the beach where there is always the popular thing to have for the season.
Younger people with an over-shoe kind of half roller skate rush up to you asking if you like to buy the skates. They are of course not carrying the inventory so they must have co-workers nearby with the goods. It can be very overwhelming.
I am writing this at 3:00 a.m. Shanghai time. Jet-lag! Please leave a comment or question. Love to have some!
1 comments:
In the Urban Planning Museum, was there any particular statement on how the city authorities planned to let the city expand? Were there any plans which specifically facilitated/ encroached upon businesses? Since the 60's, many city planners in the US have developed policies which were harmful to manufacturing businesses located within the city, preferring to cater to office developments. Does Shanghai currently have manufacturing 'districts' or is it mostly an administrative center like Manhattan? Did the idealized 2020 city have space for vast warehouses or were they tastefully not included?
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