Every last one of those pictures have been photoshopped to death in order to eliminate evidence of air pollution. Pudong hasn't had air that clean since well before any of those building were a gleam in an architect's eye.
The thing is, when you get up close, you realize a lot of those buildings aren't *quite* up to western construction standards. In a word, they're cheap. We could build a lot more stuff like that if we didn't have irritating things like building codes.
While the US has been wasting trillions on its wars (and paying the price for that with the worst post-1929 recession), the Chinese have been building their cities.
And if you have to wear a mask around town because of the smog, and you can't actually see all those great edifices....
One also doesn't normally hear of this recession being a byproduct of war, as opposed to the whole out-of-control financial sector thing. But I'm sure the causes are manifold.
I went to China in the summer. It is hopelessly polluted and the difference between rich and poor makes the UK look socialist.
Here is my picture of the same vista of Pudong. Shanghai was almost entirely under scaffolding and roadworks when I was there, in preparation for next years "Expo.
Speaking of the Shanghai expo (slogan: better city, better life - mascot: something almost indistinguishable from Gumby), my cab went by the site there last week. It's pretty amazing. Especially what I think is the Chinese Pavillion which appears to be a real-life lego building.
China Pavillion
UK Pavillion
Of course, it would all be a happier story if the local government hadn't obtained by the expo site via forced expropriation. Compensation to local landowners: free tickets to expo!
I was in China in the summer, admittedly mostly in the SW, but also in Beijing. There was much less pollution than I expected and Chengdu is great, although the traffic is insane. Actually, come to think of it, most aspects of China are insane, but often highly impressive.
I was in pudong in 2001. All of those buildings were a couple of years old, and almost completely empty. I suspect they are probably full now though. With a lot of those buildings, I suspect that the attitude is build it and they will come.
No, not at all! Shanghai rocks. You've got your maglev, your blade-runner skyline, your 1930s geist in the Bund and the French concession, some OK football (by Chinese standards, anyways - Shenhua are always there or thereabouts). I'm a big fan.
The pollution is what it is. Take it in stride and just marvel at what's going on around you.
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