As Seen by TV

Another, somewhat coldish night… hit up Lujiazhui, Pudong [again] with the dope wide angled lens.  Booyakasha.

The Super Brand Mall is located right at Lujiazui, the epicenter of crazy Pudong.  This immense mall has everything, including 2 of every western fast-food restaurant, a movie theater and one of those sushi restaurants with the conveyor belts.   Over 250,000 square meters spaced over 13 floors, seeing traffic close to half a million daily on the weekends.

Check it out… we always hit up the Korean BBQ spot on the… uhm… something floor.

I still prefer my name for Holland Village… SHANGSTERDAM.

Holland Village [map], another housing project part of the “1 City – 9 Towns” initiative the Shanghai Planning Commission set up in 2001.  Designed by Dutch architects, this project, like Thames Town (see my posts of Thames Town here and here), is not quite a success, partly because it is located too far away from the city (20min walk to metro, then over an hour to Peoples Square), and partly because Chinese tastes do not suit with Dutch architecture, nevermind the price tag of 35,000RMB per square meter.  Hardly as intricate as the “British” Thames Town (not even a single bike stall!), but definitely worth a visit and walk around.  Just about as much as a ghost town as the “British” Town, but a few more locals walking around, as Holland Village (aka Shangsterdam!) is better integrated with the surrounding town of Gao Qiao, whereas Thames Town was a seriously locked-down housing complex (with only 2 entrances/exits).

To visit Shangsterdam, you can easily walk from the North Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone station, the second to last stop on line 5.  Then an easy, and picturesque (see previous post) 20min walk following the river through traditional Chinese streets and you’ll eventually see the windmill located on an island in the middle of the river you’ve been following.

During the Chinese New Year holiday we hit up Gao Qiao, located on the northern tip of Pudong, just over an hour north via subway from downtown Shanghai.   Our mission was “Holland Village,” a residential complex built by Dutch architects to reflect living in Holland which is part of the “1 City – 9 Towns” initiative.  On the 20min walk from the metro station to this new town, we were fortunate to follow along a picturesque, and relatively traditional Chinese street. 

@ Sanjiagang Beach Resort, Pudong, Shanghai

* it wasn’t full moon

Went to the Super Brand Mall in Lujiazui, Pudong to have some Korean BBQ with my Mom who was visiting. 

 The new elevated walkway was finished and open, so I took just a couple shots.

So I finally got my first taste of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo, which opened back on May 1, and runs until the end of October.  Took a weekday night ticket, in the rain, and there were still massive crowds (June 24th: 447,100 visitors)… I can only imagine what it’s like on a sunny weekend. 

“Better City, Better Life” is the motto, and the site itself is MASSIVE (interactive map).  This first trip was only through [part of] Zone C which houses most of the European Pavilions as well as Canada, US, and Africa.  And to say the Expo has transformed Shanghai city life is quite the understatement: 

• 41 billion US dollars were spent on preparations (more than the 2008 Beijing Olympics);
• 18,000 families & 270 factories were relocated;
• 190+ nations and 50+ world organizations taking part (largest ever);
• Expo site covers 5.28 km², also the largest in Expo history (which equals about 987 football fields including endzones);
• 10,000+ new Shanghai taxis;
• 6 new metro lines;
• 1.7 million volunteers were trained specifically for Expo help;
• 70-100 million visitors are expected to pass through the gates;
•  metal detectors (nuisance!) in every subway station throughout Shanghai; 

The image above (UK Pavilion) is just a taste of the CRAZYNESS that is to come, I took 397 images and am still working through them, so check back soon as I will be updating them below!

Opening in 2004, the Shanghai Magnetic Levitation Train (official | wiki), was the first commercial high-speed maglev in the world, recording a [non-commercial] speed of  501 km/h (311 mph).  It connects Shanghai’s Pudong Airport with Longyang metro station in the outskirts of Shanghai (restricted to 430km/h).  The 30km trip takes just over 7 minutes and I must admit is somewhat pointless as you still have to transfer to metro line 2 for another 20 minutes before you are in the city center… but it sure is fast!

The planned 200km extention (via South Railway Station, which is 3 metro stops away from my house!) was halted in 2008 due to radiation fears, but has since resumed (underground) and will connect Pudong Airport with Hongqiao Airport (55km in roughly 15 minutes) and extend to the city of Hangzhou. 

I apologize for the dismal photography, but I was using a point-n-shoot (and shooting through windows), and was going to the airport to pick up my Mom who is visiting for 3 weeks… hence, not carrying my Canon in the 36C weather.

And HERE IS THE VIDEO I took.