The Jin Mao Tower and Pollution
In Shanghai, there's an impressive new building piercing the skyline: the Jin Mao Tower, an 88-story skyscraper in the new Pu Dong district- the financial core of the city. Its design recalls the form of tall pagodas, and its ornamentation speaks of the industrialization of China. From the top, one can see a 360 panorama of the city, marked with skyscrapers in every direction. Berlin times 10. On a clear day like today, you can even see the blue edge of the East China Sea.
Out on my aunt's balcony, you can see a similar panorama of the city, except looking towards Pu Dong and the Jin Mao. However, I've noticed that when the wind doesn't blow away the smog at night, the Jin Mao along with most of the other buildings disappear from the skyline underneath a thick layer of brownish-grey smog. Normally, a society prides itself on the objects that it produces. The irony is however is this: at the peak of its productive capacity, its own toxic exhaust obliterates the view of these objects. In other words, the more we produce, the more we're unable to enjoy the things we produce."
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Sunday, July 25, 2004
Don't plan to watch "Friends" in China
I've had to deal with stomach problems and fever over the past three days, and it's probably from something I ate. (It might've been my unfortunate discovery of the 1 rmb red-bean popsicle that other night.) As a result, I've had to rest at my aunt's place. I finished reading the last 300 pages of the Fountainhead. I finished the last 200 pages of another book. When I got bored, I watched TV. In China, English TV can be agonizing if you watch it alone because most of the time, you're staring in disbelief and you'd wish someone was there helping you make fun of it. That's because there's only one English channel, a publicly funded channel that has no commercials. It relays the same five shows throughout the day. The news shows are perhaps the most annoying- the anchormen were probably plucked off the street just because they could speak a hint of English. They have white dudes with British accents, but are quite ugly. The weather-man is a lanky guy, and REALLY ugly. The Chinese reporters are not ugly, but their English is often inflected with a ridiculous accent so disturbing that has made my gastro even worse. "Dialogue", a talk show much like Larry King Live (they even have the small round lights in the background), is not so much a debate, but a bunch of people attempting to understand what the other is trying to say.
I've had to deal with stomach problems and fever over the past three days, and it's probably from something I ate. (It might've been my unfortunate discovery of the 1 rmb red-bean popsicle that other night.) As a result, I've had to rest at my aunt's place. I finished reading the last 300 pages of the Fountainhead. I finished the last 200 pages of another book. When I got bored, I watched TV. In China, English TV can be agonizing if you watch it alone because most of the time, you're staring in disbelief and you'd wish someone was there helping you make fun of it. That's because there's only one English channel, a publicly funded channel that has no commercials. It relays the same five shows throughout the day. The news shows are perhaps the most annoying- the anchormen were probably plucked off the street just because they could speak a hint of English. They have white dudes with British accents, but are quite ugly. The weather-man is a lanky guy, and REALLY ugly. The Chinese reporters are not ugly, but their English is often inflected with a ridiculous accent so disturbing that has made my gastro even worse. "Dialogue", a talk show much like Larry King Live (they even have the small round lights in the background), is not so much a debate, but a bunch of people attempting to understand what the other is trying to say.
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