As Seen by TV

On August 8 Typhoon Haikui came whipping just south of a direct hit on Shanghai.  Only 2 people were killed in the city, but many more were affected in the regions that felt the full force of the storm.  This was the 3rd tropical cyclone within a week in the greater area…!

I had called my office earlier that morning stating that I did not think it was wise to come into the office, they told me I had no choice.  I got a taxi and came in late, around 11am, less than 2 hours later they told us all to hurry home as the Shanghai municipal government had just issued a “red warning” (the highest level).  Morons.  So, now that the storm was right over the city they ordered us to go home (keeping in mind that bus and taxi services had been suspended)!  I was stuck at the office.  I waited for hours until a lapse in the storm then rushed home… all these pictures were taken only just outside my office building.

As a side note, I am happy they renamed Typhoon Haikui, because getting seriously injured by Typhoon Longwang would not have been funny.  Well, maybe just a little.

For 9 days in mid-November I had to document an Executive Eduction Tour by a Russian delegation visiting China (more pics on that to follow).  Touring around Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou we visited companies and tourist attractions.  This set of images was taken at a Chinese Opera performance on and in Hangzhou’s mystical West Lake, while it was raining.  It was quite beautiful to say the least.

…and with that I wish you all a HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

Rented a motorbike and hit the town… in the rain.  Checked out Uncle Ho’s mausoleum, the one-pillar pagoda and the strangest museum I’ve ever seen.  I was very much dissapointed that Ho Chi Minh wasn’t lying in his mausoleum, but apparently he hits a Russian spa each year for 2 months to get his embalming treatment.  Since I have already seen Mao in Beijing, I was hoping to see another comrade in the flesh.  Oh well.

Seriously… the Ho Chi Minh Museum makes ZERO sense.  Wikipedia statses that, “it is a museum dedicated to the late Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam’s revolutionary struggle against foreign powers.”  But… I don’t know, look at some of the pictures I took and you’ll see it was a whole mix of bizarre crap that doesn’t make sense… reproductions of Mondriaan’s “Broadway Boogie Woogie” painting? …a large exhibit of oversized fruit on table?? ….a Ford Edsel smashing through the wall!?!  I don’t get it.

Then a final picture from the balcony at our hotel……….. g’night Hanoi.

Crisis averted… although somewhat unluckily, as I was strangely looking forward to a good ol’ typhoon.  It’s a shame that Typhoon Muifa (link has impressive satellite images) changed its mind last minute and diverted course north-wards along the coast.

Anyway, here are the images I took over a 24hr period that Muifa [rather silently] passed by Shanghai.

Sweating in the rain is a new sensation for me… mix that with some hardcore air-conditioning and, well, you can do the math.  So now, I’ve been sick (again) for a while, and not happy about it.  Got caught in a downpour on Guangyuan Road on my way back from the bank this weekend.  Luckily I had my cam with me, but yeah that’s about it really, sorry no excitement to report!

I live a 4 minute walk from the Jiatong University campus, decided to wander and meander around… this is from over a month ago (work has been keeping me too busy!).

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!