A Model City

Shanghai is a city ripe with museums.  In a city that loves their Starbucks, there are possibly more museums than Starbucks.  Nobody could possibly visit all of them.  Quite frankly, nobody ought to visit a good number of them.  However, the 4th floor of the Urban Planning and Exhibition Museum is highly recommended.  The 1st floor is essentially a lobby, 2nd floor has some history of the Bund, Xintiandi, and mansions, the 3rd floor is ironically dedicated to promotion of eco-friendly cities and technologies, 5th floor shows some of the massive projects underway, 6th floor has some odd art, but the 4th floor has a massive model of this massive city.  It doesn't sound so awe-inspiring, but it'll make your jaw drop when you take in the scale and detail of the model while getting a better sense of how immense this city really is.  It feels like a big city, but this model really shows it.  And the boundaries of the model only cover maybe two-thirds of the city.

The other thing you'll note as you tour the museum, which I find fascinating about China in general, is the number of large-scale projects undertaken, underway, and planned.  The construction and development here is on a scale you can't imagine.  You seemingly can't walk four blocks in Shanghai without passing a major construction site.  Qingpu, 45 minutes outside the city, had no less than 100 high rise building under construction.  In Hangzhou, an hour fast train ride southwest, you could look up and find 10 cranes at work no matter where you were in the city.  Near the Shanghai Circuit, a 40 minute subway train ride northwest, 25 more high rise buildings under construction.  You have the fastest train in the world with the Maglev, the not so long ago completed Shanghai-Pudong airport, Shanghai Tower, the list goes on and on.  Right or wrong, and certainly not without it's drawbacks, they build, build big, build often, and build fast.  Another of those on display in the museum is the Yangshan Deep Water Port.  Haven't heard of it?  Neither have I.  It's just a 32.5km bridge (the second longest ocean bridge in the world) out to a deep water port built around a few small islands to circumvent issues with large container ships entering the shallow water of the Shanghai port.  Oh yeah, they also built a round community around a round lake where the bridge meets land just for the heck of it.  Completed in 2005, I don't think it even registered on the news or any of Discovery/NatGeo/History channel's Engineering Marvels, Build It Bigger, and whatever other shows are out there.  That's how much is going on here.

The Urban Planning and Exhibition Museum.

Model as you enter on the 1st floor

The 4th floor model

Model of Yangshan Deep Water Port

Deep water port constructed around Greater
Yangshan island and Lesser Yangshan Island

Game 1 & 2 Slipped Away

In an avalanche sort of way on the scoreboard.  I suited up for my first two footy matches last Saturday and got smashed.  We split up into three squads (Crows, Dockers, and Eagles) to play three intrasquad matches with each team playing the other two.  I played for what proved to be a disadvantaged Dockers team on the field and on the scoreboard.  We had no sub, an essentially immobile player toughing it out up front with a pulled hamstring, two first time ever players (one being me), and one player with improper footwear for the conditions (also me).  The field was pristine, but a persistent rain turned it into an ice rink for anyone without cleats.  I think I was the only one, and it showed.

We played 9 a side with three forwards, three midfield, and three defense.  I played forward the first half of the first game and unfortunately had an easy go because we got CRUSHED!  I only had two real goes at the ball as the Eagles kept possession deep and lit us up for 5 goals (6 points each) and 2 behinds (1 point each) while holding us scoreless.  I played defense for the second half and the entirety of the second game and we began to hold our own.  Still outscored and fighting heavy pressure in our own end throughout, but we got our shots in to maintain some respectability.

The game and conditions ... and possibly age ... took it's toll.  My complete inability to keep my feet left my legs, back, and rump the worse for wear through this whole last week.  There were countless awkward slides, falls, and tumbles to be had.  I felt like a newborn giraffe on an icy pond with all four legs splayed.  Not ideal when I'm one of the least flexible people I know.  Imagine my excitement when we did tackling drills at practice on Tuesday.  By then my swollen hand, strained fingers, and bruised bicep were good to go, but oh the legs.

With proper footwear and a bit of experience, I hope to have a better run this coming Saturday.

A Test of Character

A couple of weekends ago, LT and I attended the Shanghai Formula1 race.  The race proved to be a test of character for drivers and fans.  The Shanghai Grand Prix Circuit was designed to mimic the the first of the two Chinese characters for "ShangHai".  Boy would we have been in for a treat if they tried to race on a circuit mimicking the second character.  The track is a 5.45km (3.39mi) circuit built on old swampland boasting the longest straightaway in Formula1 racing allowing drivers to reach speeds in excess of 320kph (198mph).  We sat near the end of the straightaway where drivers must hit the brakes hard in preparation for a tight hairpin turn.  Two driver's days ended on that hairpin, one in mildly spectacular fashion, the other because his wheel finally fell off as he made the turn while limping to the pits.

The race itself was won and dominated by Fernando Alonso of Ferrari.  He took the lead on lap 5 and essentially held it from there with the exception of pit strategy juggling.  I think he took the lead for good somewhere around lap 30, pulling so far ahead he was able to pit on lap 41 and still pull out of the pits some 12+ seconds ahead.  It has to be somewhat of an embarrassment for 2nd and 3rd to even take to the podium following a race in which the field was so thoroughly dominated.

The reported attendance for the event was in excess of 190,000, and all were treated to dramatic Melbourne-esque weather shift.  We left the house prepared for sunny and 75, and that's exactly what we got when we arrived.  As the race approached a strong, cold, wet, and persistent wind kicked up and the temperature continued to drop.  The temperature had easily plummeted 25 degrees by lap 20 and Laura was in a constant shiver despite having the foresight to bring a sweater.  This led to an exit shortly following Alonso's final pit with the conclusion seeming inevitable.  The early exit also saved us from the discomfort of 45 minutes on one of two trains in which as many of 190,000 spectators as possible would be trying to cram into.  And they aren't shy about cramming.

From www.entershanghai.info
ShangHai in Chinese characters.  The first character is Shang
(falling tone) meaning "above" and the second character is
Hai (dipping tone) meaning "sea".  Mama huhu, which literally
translates to "horse horse tiger tiger", means "so-so", so feel free
to use your imagination on what "above sea" might really mean.

Map of the Shanghai Grand Prix circuit.  We were
in the pink block just above the hair only head.

Back of the Grandstand

Laura hanging out with Bernard Ecclestone, the "Leader
 of Formula1 Grand Prix".  Not a chatty fellow.

From our seats.

Some might mistake this for the Finnish
line, but it's just the Finnish fans.

Pre-race flag walk.  No Stars and Stripes
here, you have to be able to turn right.

Lined up for the start.

Coming back into view on Lap 1.

First victim of the hairpin.

The helmeted one is Mark Webber who, minutes before,
had been screaming down a straightaway at 322kph.
After his wheel fell off, he returns to the pits at 20kph
on the back of a scooter.  This made me laugh ... a lot.

Mark Webber's car getting a lift back to the pits.  Not as funny as a scooter.

Fernando Alonso about to make another pass.  It was no contest.

Propaganda...

Jeff and I visited the Shanghai Yang Pei Ming Propaganda Poster Art Museum a few weeks back.  We had read about it in one of the guide books and decided to give it a go.  To our surprise, it's in the basement of an apartment complex right next to ours...which is kind of strange.

The security guard at the front gate happily
gives you a map to determine which
peach colored building to go into...

This sign clued us in that we were at the right place.  The name in the
beginning paragraph is the official Chinese name.

The museum has hundreds of posters from 1910 to 1990, and it is utterly fascinating.  It includes government propaganda posters, as well as Shanghai Lady Calendars.

According to the website, www.shanghaipropagandaart.com, "these posters are how Mao and his group informed and restored the collective mind of the Chinese people."  

According to our visit (and not the website), these posters also show that China has long opposed the US imperialist and capitalist ways...some were quite damning to the American, British, and European people...

We purchased a book of the posters, and Jeff has scanned some in for your perusal.  Or, you can visit the website to get a full account of the posters on exhibit.  The book is called, "Chinese Propaganda Poster Catalogue 2011".

1952:  Build Modern Defense Under Chairman Mao's Leadership
for Peace in East and World - Xin Li Liang

1951:  Expose the US Paper Tiger, Children Play - Shang Shishan

1951:  People all Over World Firmly Support Peace - Yi Miao

1952:  Our Great Leader Chairman Mao and Stalin

1951:  Long Live Victory of Korean People's Army
and Chinese People's Army - Zhang Ding, Wu Guanghong

1953:  Future of our Motherland - Jing Xiuchen

1955:  It is People to Destroy the Bomb and
not the Bomb to Destroy People - Liu Rude

While I may not understand or necessarily agree with the messages of the posters, they are vibrant, colorful, and a great way to see history.  And, it's a great way to spend a couple of hours and a bit over $3.00.

Drafted

Through 18 months in Melbourne, I attended many Australian Rules Fooball games.  However, for one reason or another, I never made it out to have a kick of the footy.

Our footy-mad Aussie mate Michael arrived last Saturday evening.  This past weekend was the opening round of the 2013 AFL season and his team played Sunday afternoon.  As such, we found a bar in Shanghai that had the game live and tossed back a few fermented beverages while enjoying the spectacle.  As we watched his team pull away near the end of the third quarter, a large bloke approached and introduced himself.  Turns out he plays for the Shanghai Tigers, the local Shanghai AFL team, and wanted to know if we'd like to join the team.

Tuesday at 8:00pm, Michael joined me for my first AFL practice.  Despite similarity in ball shape, there is a very different technique to kicking an Australian Rules football than an American football.  Arriving slightly late due to unfamiliarity with the practice location, I took my first kick of the footy during drills.  It wasn't pretty, but I essentially accomplished the objective.  Combining an AFL-style ball drop with a NFL-style punt finish, I booted a low liner with a spiral that was in the vicinity of my target.  Pretty sure everybody knew I was American at that point as the footy is supposed to have a reverse end-over-end spin to it.  Despite one major flub, I think I held my own amongst the 25 guys that showed for practice.  Michael boosted my confidence by confirming I "wasn't the worst" on the grounds.  He reckons he was the best kick.

I'm not sure what will come of this.  It's a fun game.  I think I'll head out for another practice solo and see how it goes.  It seems to be more of a pick-up league than anything too serious.  I think they play mostly intrasquad, but I have seen past results with matches against Beijing, Hong Kong, and some Asian AFL championship thing in Cambodia.  Might need a few more handballs and kicks under my belt before heading off to Cambodia.

From www.shanghaiaussierules.com

Got That Monkey Off My Arm

Our Aussie mate, Michael, made a pretty spontaneous decision to come visit us for a week and he got a quick introduction to the bazaar encounters one might have in China.  Shortly after his arrival, we made a longer than we thought walk for a sichuan dinner.  We turned down a street that had more beggars than we've seen anywhere and a fellow with something on a leash.  From a distance, we assumed it was a dog.  As we got closer, it turned out to be a small monkey.

We were running late for our dinner reservation and I have fully embraced the charge ahead attitude of the Chinese pedestrian (it's also in my blood from my old man).  The thought that it may not be the best idea to expeditiously make my way through the collection of people in close proximity to the monkey never crossed my mind.

The monkey jumped onto my leg.  I stopped and had two thoughts.  First, "boy I sure hope he doesn't pee on my leg."  Second, "how do I get this little guy off me without touching him?" I didn't want to hurt him by flinging him off with a leg kick.  As the second thought was processing, the little bugger made a bold move taking a hop up my leg, a second unto my torso and a third onto my arm.  It happened very quickly, but it just as quickly turned into one of those slow motion moments in my head.  I'm not sure what happened during the monkey's ascent to make him angry, but I noted a facial expression that indicated my arm may soon make the transition from jungle gym to food source and much of the concern for the well-being of the monkey dissipated.  With a quick flick of my arm, the monkey was back on the ground on all fours and I was off to dinner.

As we moved away from the monkey, Michael asked "soooooo is that normal?".  Laura and I continue to utter in disbelief "I/you had a monkey on my/your arm".

From www.ar15.com
I think this is the monkey breed.  He looks cute ....

From www.iamthemill.com
... until he makes a face like this while hugging your arm!