Shanghai | Pudong

Pudong

Up until the 1990s, the Pudong area was predominantly farmland, but that has forever changed. The farmers who worked this land have been paid off and displaced by the Chinese government, and many now live on the outskirts of Shanghai in large town-homes or single-family houses.

Explosive development has taken place since the area was designated to be a "Special Economic Zone," and today Pudong is one of the most modern and wealthy areas of the world.

Pudong's New Wealth

Ex-Chairman Mao Tse-tung (aka Mao Zedong) must certainly be rolling over in his grave at the staggering new wealth, and subsequent growing gulf between rich and poor in modern China. Yet in spite of the conspicuous consumption of luxury goods taking place by the new rich of China, there does not seem to be any signs of social discontent emerging - at least for now.

The supply-side style theory of economics claims that "a rising tide lifts all boats," and China's poorer classes seem to be willing to put up with a massive income disparity in order to have a modestly better life. As a matter of fact, the dogma that is often spoon-fed to Westerners is that "Mao Zedong closed China, and Deng Xiaoping opened China," as if to say that Mao's "Cultural Revolution" is indeed dead, and a Capitalist revolution is its reincarnation.

All over Pudong there are newly built, 'up-scale' gated housing developments that resemble something you would expect to see in Silicon Valley. There are also ample numbers of Bentley and Ferrari dealerships, as well as high-end clothing, jewelry, and luxury goods stores to keep the Yuppie population of Shanghai more than satisfied.

Perhaps one of the last vestiges of Mao's Cultural Revolution is the hold-over policy of not allowing private property ownership. The new rich of China must be content, and trusting, of a 70+ year lease on homes, condominiums and commercial space. It must give Western investors sleepless nights, pumping 100s of millions of dollars into development projects that they do not hold title to.

Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone

The 'Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone' is 28 square kilometer plot of ground at the western tip of Pudong, that is slated to be the next financial center for Shanghai and China as a whole. The "Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone" is located in the so-called "golden section" of the 'Pudong New Area,' just opposite of the Bund on the Huangpu River.

Shanghai's MagLev Train

As with most cities that have rapid growth, there are some growing pains, one of which is the interminable traffic. A trip from downtown Shanghai to the Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) was a 45 minute, to 1 and 1/2 hour affair. With the introduction of the 'Shanghai Transrapid' MagLev Train, the journey from Longyang Road in Pudong has been reduced to an incredibly short seven minutes.

The train is by no means the fastest magnetic-levitation train in the world, but it does reach an impressive maximum speed of 268 mph (431 km/h). This is the first leg of a rapid transit system that will eventually run to Hangzhou and beyond. The 19 mile long system took 2.5 years to complete, at a cost of nearly 1.2 billion dollars US.