Shanghai Tang

The Pearl of the Orient, the Paris of the East...surely the place needs no introduction. Once the darling of colonial times, now Shanghai is the epitome of modern China. The city is the financial and cultural capital of the PRC, growing at a breakneck speed. The city currently houses more than 25 million people, and during rush hour, 8-9 million people are on the move. That's like a small country, never mind a city!

In the above photo of Pudong, the ultra modern east of the city, one can readily see the Pearl of the Orient tower on the left. But the tallest building in Asia, and one of the tallest in the world, is the slimmer Jin Mao tower to the right of the photo. Rising up to an incredible 88 floors, the topmost level has a glass floor observatory for those with no fear of heights.

And what, I hear you say, is Dan Roy doing here? The answer takes us deep into the heart of Chinese society, and its political machinery. Modern China is many things, and to view it with one perspective is to miss the many colors of the rainbow. But at the end of this rainbow, there's no pot of gold. There is danger, intrigue, and for the characters in our story, a climax to end all climaxes.

Above all, as Dan Roy explores China, he finds more than a country, he discovers an entire new civilization. A new way of thinking, and of looking at the world. As this world unfolds before my eyes, I cannot type fast enough to bring it to you.

But I am trying. Soon we shall be saying, Ni ho ma? or How are you? ( Or even Ni hau)

Zai jian for now and Xie xie for reading. See, you know what that means, don't you?