Shanghai, a city of a thousand building

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Shanghai, China

The day I put my feet down in Shanghai, I recalled one of my friends who said that "Asia is rising and the West is falling." After a few days in the Chinese city on the western coast of the Pacific Ocean, my friend's comment seems true.

Asia is currently gaining pace in its development, heading towards a more affluent society. This is very obvious in Shanghai, dubbed "the city of a thousand buildings".

New building constructions are visible on every corner of the city, giving rise to the local boast: "Each day, a new building is constructed in Shanghai."

Strolling along Shanghai's main business district, one can sense a busy and competitive mood. Young people are seen wearing fashionable and expensive suits, walking hastily to their workplaces.

Everywhere one looks are modern buildings and luxury cars that make one jump to the conclusion that the city is prospering.

Indeed, Shanghai is a wealthy city, at least from the perspective of economic statistics. The annual income for Shanghai, as the fastest growing industrial city in China, is US$4,162 per capita. It also has a rapid economic growth of 10.8 percent.

The wealth in which Shanghai people are indulging today has its roots in the Chinese economic liberalization (socialism with Chinese characteristics), an ideological breakthrough by Chinese leaders in the 1980s.

"No matter the color of your cat, the most important thing is that he can catch mice," quipped Deng Xiao Ping, China's respected reformer.

Deng carefully opened up the country's economy to the world, worried that liberalization could bring harmful consequences for national stability and give leeway to secessionists in China.

Therefore, instead of embarking on a full-fledged liberalization of the economy, China moved forward incrementally under Deng to a half-hearted socialism. In 1984, in a bid to test whether a liberal economy could result in prosperity and, at the same time, endorse political stability in China, Deng also allowed some regional entities in China to enjoy greater freedom in governing their own economic affairs. The entities given special autonomy included Shanghai and Guangzhou.

In following the policy of opening up to the outside world, Shanghai has enhanced its economic relations with other parts of the world. During the 1978-1997 period, the city's cumulative foreign trade volume totaled US$179.367 billion. The greater part of this was gained after the open-door policy, that is, US$112.435 billion, or about 60 percent of the total foreign trade since 1978.

Such figures prove that Shanghai has become a bright lamp, attracting many people of various backgrounds to the bustling city.

"Many people from outside Shanghai flock to this city to make a living. As a result, the population has increased dramatically and the unemployment rate has soared," said Pei-Pei, a Shanghainese who has just graduated from the Shanghai University.

There are 16 million people currently living in Shanghai.

Despite all the good points about Shanghai, flaws can also be found. The past socialist-communist regime prevented free fight liberalism and socialism, which assured that goods and services were distributed equally among residents.

However, the rapid development, spurred on by a blend of free fight liberalism and socialism, has taken its toll. After the economic liberalization had taken place, the system wiped out social security schemes and eventually, a social gap prevailed. Those who have skills and decent capital would win, while others would have to lose the battle.

Just like any other big city in the world, Shanghai also faces social problems although it is on a minor scale.

Beggars, sidewalk vendors, and even prostitutes will not be seen wandering around the streets during the day, as authorities would definitely chase them out for giving a bad impression of the city.

At night, though, they can be found all over the city. Street vendors sell their wares, from shoes to pirated VCDs. A street vendor accompanied by his wife and 3-year-old son sells shoes at an overhead crossing near the Equatorial Hotel. He begins selling shoes from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the chilly weather.

Prostitution is also rampant in China, and although the prostitutes are hardly ever found on the streets, there are many barbershops providing sex services. First-time visitors must have been suspicious of these barbershops with dark corridors that remain open until midnight.

The barbershops also provide massage services for 30 yuan (US$3.66). Although these shops have hair cutting equipment in the front, they provide several beds separated by wooden partitions inside the shop for massages. Sex services, on the other hand, completely depends on negotiations between the customers and the prostitutes.

"The authorities will be suspicious if they found out those barbershops were providing rooms for their customers, and they will close the shops down," said a friend of mine.

However, Shanghai is still predicted to endure fast growth for at least a few decades ahead. The dynamic of its people, widespread Chinese connections throughout the world, a conducive economic atmosphere, and a regime that is able to assure stability would sustain Shanghai as a prominent business center in Asia or, even more likely, in the world.

"The future of the world does not lie in the Western perimeter, but in Asia, and Shanghai will be its center," said Wandy Hadi, an Indonesian executive working in Shanghai.