Day: September 19, 2006

Last Updated on September 27, 2006 by stlplace

I visited my childhood home yesterday. There are lots of change because of economy development. The old gravois road is wider and paved, with side walks and lights. 

There are no rice field any more. Almost all the lands are used for manufacturing companies or sold to developers. Even the brook by my house is also reconstructed; I remember I used to catch small fish there when I was a little kid. Now the water is not as clean as it used to be. The plan to construct highway and railway is also on the schedule. Last but not least, the elementary school I went during 1st to 4th grade is combined with another large school in town (I went there for 5th grade), now the kids have to take shuttles (15-20 minutes) to school.

While I cherish the economy development and the opportunities it bring to the young people, I am also very concerned on the environment and its impact on older people. I think the development of my hometown is very typical “China growth” story in past 10 years. I hope the growth can be sustained and people can all benefit from it.  

Last Updated on September 19, 2006 by stlplace

I used to think Shanghai is very big, until a few days ago I took the taxi from Lu Jia Zhui (the financial district in Pudong) to Jing An Temple in West Nanjing Rd. It’s only 5 km (3 miles) and 15-20 minutes drive during non-rush hour. I remember in mid 90s I walked half that distance on East Nanjing Rd (from YiBai to Bund), and I felt tired. 

Automobiles dramatically changed our perspectives about the distance and our life styles. Shanghai is definitely growing, same as my hometown. While I am glad to see people have more spaces to live (I remember in 90s I shared a room with 3 co-workers in my company’s dorm), more and more people got cars; I also see a few new things from car ownership.

First the parking. I don’t know if I can park my car in those apartment complex or on the street. One has to be very good at “Parallel parking” to do that. A smaller car may make the parking easier. But when I asked one taxi driver what car he like, he said “Buick”. Come on, a few years ago the average Buick drivers’ age is 66 in the States; while here Buick is doing very well because its size and (dare I say), its marketing. On the other hand, the smaller and more efficient VW Bora (Jetta), Golf, and Polo are not selling well.

Cars also helped the spending. When I was in graduate school and got my first car in the States, my friend told me “you will spend money more quickly”. That’s very much true, because you can get to the shopping place whenever you want. The spending is more spontaneous. I remember at one time I got an habbit of driving to Wal-mart after 12am, just to get a few things (BTW, at that time, the gas is about $0.80 per gallon, or RMB 1.6 per liter). Today I am seeing similar behavior from people in my hometown, with the opening of super-market, and shopping malls.