Okay, folks. This will be my last travelogue on China. I hope I haven’t bored you to death or driven you off. But it was an amazing trip and so many people have asked about it and asked that I share a little since they will likely not get over there.
One of the things that we found interesting from day one was the architecture. Much of it was very imaginative – in some ways more interesting than what is usually found in the United States. It was not always the best use of the land. It might not utilize the space as well. But it was interesting. (Yes, those are offices in the cantilevered section at the top.)
Yes, there were hundreds or thousands of thirty story condo and apartment buildings that looked the same. But many of the office buildings were dramatic, different, imaginative.
The use of
color was delightful. I guess we imagined it would be too uniform, all controlled by the state, much in Mao blue. In fact, I’d have to say that red was the favorite color. Many of the large cities made extensive use of lights and while it 
wasn’t exactly Las Vegas at night, it was close. Landscaping of public area was beautifully done, with extensive use of flowers.
I’ve spoken about the rationing of cars in many large cities in China. What I did not mention earlier was the wide array of exotic automobiles. Think of an expensive car, one you would not see often in the U.S. and there was a dealer devoted to that car in the large cities of China. Cars that I only saw in James Bond films were sold throughout China.
Shanghai is China’s
bid to replace New York as the financial center of the world. Wander around in this city of a few days and you can believe it might achieve that goal. At about 25 million people, it is the largest city in China. It is considered the world’s largest container port.
And then there is Hong Kong. From the mid-1800’s
until 1997, Hong Kong was under the control of Great Britain, except for the years 1941 – 1945 when it was occupied by Japan. Now, it is considered a “Special Administrative Region,” under the principle of “one country, two systems.” Hong Kong has it’s own money system, based on the Hong Kong Dollar, and a different political system than mainland China. Just to make matters even more different, automobiles drive on the right side of the road in mainland China, but on the left side of the road in Hong Kong. But because of the population density (Hong Kong is on the order of 20 miles by 20 miles), it has one of the most developed mass transit systems in the world, and it’s rate of use is considered the highest in the world.
For shoppers, it is the place to be. You see all the high dollar, expensive brands, but in Hong Kong, these stores are larger than those in other world cities. Though Hong Kong is not as large as many countries, its currency is one of the most widely traded. And its per capita income is much higher than cities in mainland China.
All in all, our trip to China was delightful and informative. People always ask about the food. We ate 
whatever they served and had no problems at all. But, if you were worried, you could always find a McDonalds, a KFC, or Subway. We even found one Dairy Queen. If the opportunity presents itself for you to visit China, take it.
Oh my goodness, Jim this was fantastic. I enjoyed the book-side travel. I don’t know what travels are in my future, but you have made China more alive (thank you). I waited till the end of the travel to write and I loved it.
Thanks, Augie, for such a nice comment. I’m glad I could share a little of the excitement we found on the trip.
Wow to the pictures with flowers and sculpted greenery. Very beautiful. You can add more next blog and I wouldn’t mind.
Thanks, Lesley. I’m glad you enjoyed the pictures. We found the way they sculptured flowers and bushes to create beautiful pictures amazing. And maybe I’ll throw in a picture now and then.
I enjoyed the China series very much. Most interesting to learn about another country. You are so blessed to have had this opportunity. We wouldn’t mind hearing more about the trip and more pix would be great. Bring it on!!
Thanks for your comments and your willingness to here more. I’ll wait a little while, but may revisit the subject again. And I still have many, many pictures. Between what I took and what my wife took, we have thousands. (But, I promise not to inundate you with too many.)
That building is something to see!!!
It was, Linda. I’m told that IBM has an office in that cantilevered part. Thanks for stopping by.
I don’t expect to travel to China, Jim, so I loved reading this series. Great photos and information on what the two of you saw.
Thanks for the comment, Eileen. It was a great trip and I am happy to share some notes and pictures from it.
Not bored in the least. Undoubtedly we will not be going there so we enjoyed the free trip. Thanks so much for the lovely pictures and the professional presentation.
Thanks for the kind words, Suz and Fred. But, be careful, I might show you many more pictures of our trip to China.
China is indeed a wonderful country. It’s been a few years since I visited so thanks for the recent photos.
I imagine it has changed a good bit since you were there. I think it is changing every day. And the trip certainly changed our perception of China. Thanks for your comment.
James, I haven’t been driven away! And it’s a place I’ll never visit so I have enjoyed this very, very much. The photos were topnotch, too, really delightful. Good job! And thanks~
Marni, you are too kind. But I am glad you enjoyed it. I’m sorry you won’t get to see it. We are delighted. And it changed out perception of China greatly. Thanks for your generous comment.
Thanks, Nancy, for you comments. We loved it and will certainly keep some items to remind us of our wonderful experience in China.
Wonderful series! I had fun recognizing so much from my husband’s business travels, comparing notes. He loves Hong Kong so much we have art of that skyline hanging in our home office. Thanks for enriching everyone’s travel knowledge.