"Witness the Great Transitioni ..." a Shanghai Travel Page by Amareyui

I have heard and read a great deal about the rapid development and modernization of Shanghai, the focal point of the "New China". Shanghai, many proclaim, has become a metropolis that rivals Hong Kong and Singapore, and establishes as the Eastern world's answer to New York.
My curiousity and interest about this brewing sensation, along with the urging from numerous people about the necessity to witness this place firsthand, transform to great eagerness to pay another visit.
1987 was literally a time of last century in Shanghai's calendar.

Shanghai, as with much of China, was a ramshackle pile of grey, concrete, ugly buildings. Even the sky was painted in heavy grey from the general use of coal. Many interesting, albeit crumbling, houses were along the alleys, but unfortunately even more were bulldozed for sad looking concrete boxes designed by the same architect. Everything was square, and grey.
The level of crowdedness was impossible to put into exact numbers. Everywhere was horde of people. Without adequent public transport, it was no exaggeration to say the city was always holding a Tour de France.
Sure, there were the Bund, and Yuyuan, and other sights. But these were also poorly maintained. Besides, Shanghai was never known for its history and sights. Shanghai was Shanghai because of the city's role of ambassador in the earlier part of the twentieth century. But that aspect of the city was nowhere to be found.
The whole city scene looked like what one would reasonably expect; a city under communist rule which had just begun a great transition to capitialism. As a reminder to that, the development of Pudong was still a few years away. In 1987, Pudong was a suburb of only farmland.
1987 was indeed as distant as the term last century sounds.

Or is it?
Is it really possible, with the assistant of major capitals flooding its way, that a city can simply pretend nothing has happened for decades and punches its name among the ballot for the leading city in the world?
Despite having one of the best newest highway network, intercity roads are often confusing and pathetically inefficient. No question huge amount of fund has supported the construction of the road system, but the lay out is curiously negligent. Even worse, the drivers who inhabit the roads are reckless, poorly trained.
-shopping malls.
-airport
-culture
-great effort to beautiful herself, upgrade herself to match up with the "best"
-most "user friendly", almost non-functional in some important aspects, like the roads
-ironically, despite having one of the best, newest highway network, intercity roads are often confusing and pathetically inefficient (merging lanes at the most curious sections of the road)
-most stupid should be the pay parking entrance of the train station that requires the pssengers to pay
-lack of attention to humanity and detail

http://www.shanghaidiaries.com/