May 17, 2006 Now I’ve been Shanghaied
We’re in Shanghai, now, awaiting the arrival of the remnants of the typhoon–the first one they say ever in May.
Shanghai means above the sea, and this city of 19 million is as much fun for me as any city in China. It is very Western, a product of its history–if you have seen Empire of the Sun, you may recall the opening scene with the Japanese marching into the Bund. When Americans and Europeans crossed the ocean their first view of China was the Bund, a series of buildings European style that reflected the fact that Shanghai was an international settlement, controlled until 1943 (legally anyway) by the foreign governments, who used their own stamps (till 1921), their own laws, and their own policy, etc.
We are in a new section for me, west of the downtown area I usually stay at. That meant a morning of exploration of new territory, down what was once the French concession–narrow streets with old villas and leafy sycamore trees the French planted to make the city less hot during the summer. The trees are still known as the “French” trees. Many of the old villas are still here, including one used by the Belgian consul, and an old Russian Orthodox church that now serves as a theater. One of the things I have noticed different this trip is that for one reason or another, the Chinese are acknowledging their western-imposed history. Many of the houses have plaques explaining the architectural history and sometimes the ownership. That is new—since 2005.