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Shanghai girl in England raves about hometown
By Gao Ceng |
May 18, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
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BEING a Shanghainese studying and living in England lately gives me many chances of striking up a conversation with any encounters here.
Usually, after learning I am from Shanghai, they would say, "Oh, that's the city where the world's fair is happening."
Some of my classmates and teachers said they had changed their China travel plans because of the Shanghai Expo.
A British Turkish friend originally planned to go to Beijing to climb the Great Wall and then go to Xi'an to visit terra-cotta warriors. "But now, I am planning to visit the Shanghai Expo first. The UK Pavilion and the China Pavilion seem amazing," she said.
I asked her why not list Shanghai in her travel plan in the first place. "I've been to Tokyo and Hong Kong before. Shanghai is quite similar to them, isn't it?" she replied.
I temporarily was speechless. Too much similarity means lacking personality. Shanghai, for many British, is a city like Dubai filled with modern architecture.
One day, a British friend came to my room and said excitedly, "Ceng, I saw your hometown Shanghai on TV last night. It's so incredible that there are so many luxury shops and skyscrapers. The people there look so rich."
Alas, this description of Shanghai is only half true. British media coverage of Shanghai is partly to blame.
Search news about Shanghai from a number of British media, and you will find that most are about the city's business and economy. Cultural and historical stories have been somehow marginalized.
As a Shanghainese, I like the city for her mixture of East and West cultures. Only when you walk through or live in the Shanghai lanes can you feel the warm neighborhood relationship in this city. Only after you visit Shanghai's former old French Concession streets will you understand this city's accommodation or even promotion of diverse cultures.
The Shanghai World Expo, which runs for half a year, offers a foreign visitor a great opportunity to discover a Shanghai beyond luxury shops and cold business statistics.
Usually, after learning I am from Shanghai, they would say, "Oh, that's the city where the world's fair is happening."
Some of my classmates and teachers said they had changed their China travel plans because of the Shanghai Expo.
A British Turkish friend originally planned to go to Beijing to climb the Great Wall and then go to Xi'an to visit terra-cotta warriors. "But now, I am planning to visit the Shanghai Expo first. The UK Pavilion and the China Pavilion seem amazing," she said.
I asked her why not list Shanghai in her travel plan in the first place. "I've been to Tokyo and Hong Kong before. Shanghai is quite similar to them, isn't it?" she replied.
I temporarily was speechless. Too much similarity means lacking personality. Shanghai, for many British, is a city like Dubai filled with modern architecture.
One day, a British friend came to my room and said excitedly, "Ceng, I saw your hometown Shanghai on TV last night. It's so incredible that there are so many luxury shops and skyscrapers. The people there look so rich."
Alas, this description of Shanghai is only half true. British media coverage of Shanghai is partly to blame.
Search news about Shanghai from a number of British media, and you will find that most are about the city's business and economy. Cultural and historical stories have been somehow marginalized.
As a Shanghainese, I like the city for her mixture of East and West cultures. Only when you walk through or live in the Shanghai lanes can you feel the warm neighborhood relationship in this city. Only after you visit Shanghai's former old French Concession streets will you understand this city's accommodation or even promotion of diverse cultures.
The Shanghai World Expo, which runs for half a year, offers a foreign visitor a great opportunity to discover a Shanghai beyond luxury shops and cold business statistics.
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