2/17/2010 ? Maglev Train and Pudong Area in Shanghai

I awoke in the morning to get some breakfast. As I passed my window I was stunned and amazed to Shanghai’s TV tower (one of the tallest TV towers in the world) next to a building that looks similar to the Chrysler building in New York. Next to these two magnificent buildings was another tall, black building with an open square at the top, resembling a bottle opener. This black building is at the moment the second tallest building in the world as I later learned from a tour guide.  The skyline was incredible as our ship was dock on the Yangtze River near the Bund.  It took a few hours for the ship to go through immigrations so I only had an hour or so to explore with my friends before I had to be back at the pier for a faculty directed practicum (FDP) to the Maglev train in Shanghai.

In my small amount of time with my friends I got my first impression of China (now compared to Japan and the U.S.). Upon exiting the ship it was cold. Really cold. I was wearing a sweatshirt underneath a jacket (my basic Oregon winter wear). I even had gloves with me and we still had to be walking to be at a comfortable temperature. I noticed instantly that China was more unkempt than Japan. Trash was just lying around, and the smog in Shanghai was incredible. In all directions there was this purple/pink haze obscuring any scenery or sky beyond the city. However, I did see people on the street, and many of them would make eye contact and smile. This was a little different from Japan, where everybody was going somewhere and very little connection was made during the journey. – One thing to note is that it was the Chinese New Years, year of the Tiger (my year!). Many people had left the city to visit their families in the country for the holidays. 

I was able to find an ATM at a bank and get some local Yuan before heading back to the pier for my FDP.

My FDP was pretty cool and a good introduction to Shanghai. From the window of the bus, on the way to the Maglev Train, I could see new high rises next to older buildings that are literally falling apart, or some that have been recently demolished. After a little drive, and our guide’s introduction, we arrived at the train station.

The Maglev Train in Shanghai is the world’s fastest train. In my understanding, it was built as a prototype for a high-speed rail from Shanghai to Beijing as China continues to develop and grow. Unfortunately, the small amount of track, from the Shanghai station to the Shanghai Airport, cost around one billion dollars. Because of the expense, a different model of high-speed train will bridge the cities of Shanghai and Beijing. But the prototype train is still something to see.

What makes this train so neat (at least to me) is the fact that there are no wheels or rails used to propel or steer the train. The Maglev Train hovers by the use of magnets; it is also propelled by these magnets. With this new technology the Maglev train can reach extremely high speeds: up to 600 km/hr. However, during the mid-day the train only reaches a max speed of 431 km/hr. My ride on the train was great and solely to experience the smooth and quite ride of a train at extreme speeds. At the ends of the trains car was a speedometer, which showed the trains speed as it accelerated and decelerated. In 15 minutes I went form a stopped position, to traveling on the ground at 431 km/hr for a minute, then slowed to a stop once more at the Shanghai airport. Then I took the train back and experienced the smooth acceleration and looked out the window as farmland, run down shacks, and tall townhouses flew by.

Back on the bus our group went into the Pudong area of Shanghai – the business district. Here we entered the Chrysler like building and took an incredibly fast elevator to the 88th floor.  This floor was an observation deck. We could look out and see all of Shanghai (at least as much as the smog permitted). I could even see where the MV Explorer was docked. On my walk around I bought some hazelnut ice cream to savor as I viewed this growing and developing city. In the middle of the observation deck was a circular tube, with glass tilting in ward so one could look down. I looked through the glass and saw all the way down the center of the building until the lobby on the first floor.  The building was built as a circle and there was an open hallway on each floor looking out over the lobby. It was beautiful, and the people below were tiny.

As I left the building there were two things of notice. One thing of great notice was … Jackie Chan!!!! There he was looking all posh and amazing. He even agreed to take pictures with a few of us! I was blown away, and had no idea I would run into a famous guy in Shanghai. That was absolutely amazing!!*

The other is the world expo guy who was everywhere in Shanghai as it is going to occur in only a few months. Toys, posters, and cardboard cutouts of a short, blue Gumby with hair are all over because this little blue guy is the mascot of the world expo.

*Jackie Chan was a very well done and tall model of the real person