China: The art of getting more expensive by the minute

Shanghai

After approximately one year since my last trip to China, here I am in China again. This time I'm visiting Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. Much has changed since my last visit to China infrastructure-wise, but even more obvious (to me, at least) was the $ka-ching$ factor. With the weakening of the U.S. dollar, the booming Chinese economy, and the steady rise of the Chinese yuan, China really has become much less of a "bargain" place to go, especially in the big cities.

Shanghai definitely is overflowing with money today. I heard that mutual funds are being snapped up until they're sold out the day they come out. We're talking about mutual funds here, not stock IPOs. That's ridiculous in my book, but then again probably not in China. There are billions of yuan looking for a place to call home, provided you have an idea that will make money. Going around town, it is obvious that the people of Shanghai are adjusting to their new-found wealth - nice suits, nice cars, nice condos - you get the picture.

As you can see, there are not many pictures taken this time - I was so swamped with work that I hardly had time to sleep, let alone go sightseeing. Nevertheless, since I had recently bought a Canon Powershot S3, it would have been unforgivable if I didn't try to at least take a few good pictures. The picture above was taken near 人民广场 (People's Shopping Center is probably the best translation I can think of), where my hotel is located. Looks like a red-light district, doesn't it? Well, it's not :D

The best part of Shanghai is the food - the dish that I remember the most is "水煮鱼" (water-cooked fish is the literal translation). Don't let the name fool you - it's actually served in a huge bowl of pure cooking oil, plus spices and peppers inside.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong has always been, and still is to some extent, the bastion of chinese economy, although it definitely is getting a lot of competition from Shanghai. In many ways, Hong Kong is where the "old money" is. It feels a bit more sophisticated than Shanghai; Shanghai feels more energetic, although a bit rough around the edges. Kind of like comparing an Audi TT to a Subaru STI, if you know what I mean.

This photo is a photo of downtown Hong Kong taken across the channel from Kowloon, where my hotel is (I love my new camera ^^).

I'm off to Beijing tomorrow, then I'm heading back to California. Not a moment too soon, too. I need a vacation...