But, I get ahead of myself. A business trip takes me to China, and Deb is able to come along. We plan for a total of 11 days away, and so, on Saturday, April 1, we are aboard Air Canada flight 037 to Shanghai. It’s a long trip—13 hours in all as we touch down on time at Shanghai’s grand new (and huge) Pudong Airport on April 2. After clearing customs (very straightforward) we are met by a representative of the company I will work for and driven into the city. First impressions are that it is very large (there are 23 million people in the Shanghai area!), terribly traffic congested, and very hazy. As we travel along the eight lane expressway there is a whoosh overhead—the MagLev just flew by!

Our first day is a short one, we walk the area around the hotel a bit, noting the traffic patterns. Cars, buses, motorcycles and bicycles everywhere seeming to drive wherever they please at almost anytime—traffic is organized chaos—but it seems to work. The city is undergoing huge transformation, as old sections are knocked down and replaced with huge multi-story high rises. We learn this is really the case—to accommodate the expected growth of another 10 million over the next ten years.

Monday, April 3—We’re off to five days of work in the town of Suzhou, about an hour (or two due the traffic) from Shanghai. The ride there in the mini bus is an experience, the expressway traffic is quite something as well. Other than a drive down a freeway entrance against the flow of traffic and then across the median to the right side (it saved 10 minutes says the driver!) we get there without incident.

Suzhou is lovely—a small city set in classical Chinese gardens. This is what we often have in our minds about China—lakes, pagodas, greenery—all a delight for the senses. You can get here by rail—all I see is one train passing us, an electric locomotive and around ten cars. After a successful week, we head back to Shanghai on Friday afternoon, April 7th where we will stay for the next four days.

Saturday, April 8—our first full day in Shanghai. We put many miles on our feet, walking into the city from our hotel along one of the main thoroughfares, Hauihai Lu (street). It is an interesting walk, taking us through one of the major shopping districts. Watching the traffic is entertaining—we learn how to cross the streets—wait for the walk sign, then go—dodging everything from bicycles to motorbikes to taxis to buses that also go at the same time. Buses (diesel and trolley) are all over the place, as are taxis, and two wheeled conveyances. The city is modern and crowded—jostling on the sidewalks is also the norm.

We get to the famous Bund (the bend in the Huangpu River) where the classical colonial buildings are on the city side and the new Pudong skyline is across the river, centered by the Pearl TV Tower. We take the Bund Tourist Tunnel across—a cable car system under the river that takes you though a laser light show as you transit to the other side. Then its up to the 259 metre level of the Pearl tower for a view of the skyline—quite spectacular indeed.

Back to the city by ferry (fare 2 yuan or about 25 cents), then walk back up the Bund promenade to the main shopping street—Nanjing Rd. Here it is very crowded, so after a bit too much squishing and jostling, we opt for the subway (Metro) to get us back out of the centre of town.

Shanghai has a very modern and efficient subway system, with four lines operating and three more under construction. We find our way to Line 2 (the green line) and try the ticket machines. Although they have English, we cannot quite figure them out and it is very busy, so opt for the ticket window. Here we get our tickets at a cost of 4 yuan (50 cents), and enter the subway. The system has a full positive fare control system—you can buy cards and put funds on them which then reduce with each trip, or buy the single trip tickets as we did. The trains are full size and frequent, and very crowded this Saturday afternoon. We go one stop to Peoples Square, then change to Line 1 (Red Line) to continue out to the area near our hotel. It is swift, air conditioned, and familiar—the cars are built by Bombardier. It is also easy to use the system—stations are signed and announced in both Chinese and English.

Sunday, April 9—it is cooler today and threatening to rain as we head off for another day, this time walking on Huashan Lu. Our first goal is the Jing An Temple and it is a lovely walk along tree lined streets for about an hour. The temple is reached just as the rain starts, and we enjoy a look around. It is still raining as we leave, so we head straight for the Metro Line 2 station and board the subway again. It is not as crowded on Sunday AM, we actually get a seat and ride almost to the end of the line, getting off at the MagLev station.

Connecting is easy—just exit the Metro station and enter immediately the MagLev station. We check out ticket prices and opt to do “VIP Class” round trip (cost 160 yuan or about $20 each). VIP class gets you 2—2 seating in nice leather seats in the first car of the train—the remainder (“Ordinary Class”) and we board for the 1100 departure. The VIP section is about 50% full, the remainder of the train quite full.

The Shanghai Maglev Train (SMT) is the first commercial MagLev technology train in the world in revenue service (you may recall a small demonstration line at Expo ‘86 in Vancouver). The SMT uses German technology and was inaugurated on December 31, 2002. It rides on a cushion of magnetic levitation, and is propelled by Linear Induction Motors (as is Vancouver’s SkyTrain). The dual guide way line is 30 km in length and travel time is seven minutes station to station! Two trains are in operation, but only one guide way giving a 20 minute frequency of service at the moment 0700 through 2100 daily. The brochure proclaims this to be “The modernest overground transportation too!” At 1100 precisely the doors close, the train lifts vertically a small amount, and we pull out of the station. (Photo above) Acceleration is brisk and steady as we watch the speed climb. At 200 km/h you can barely tell we are moving by the motion, at 300 there is some motion, but as we get to 400 km/h you can definitely feel us going. Raindrops have long since disappeared from the windows, and the traffic on the expressway below is standing still even though roadspray appears from the wheels!

Shanghai Main Railway Station is a disappointment—not that the station is not good, but that the station cannot be accessed without a valid ticket to travel that day. It is modern and huge, and fronted by huge plazas with vendors and, like everywhere else, hoards of people. But, we can’t see inside. We take a quick look from the plaza in the rain then find a place for lunch.

Monday, April 10—Our last full day here, and a wet day at that. We spend our time touring Old Town Shanghai under umbrellas, with visits to the famous Yu Garden and Temple of the Gods. Our visit ends with an evening trek back to the Bund to see the skyline floodlit at night—quite a sight, in fact a spectacular sight, it is indeed.

Tuesday, April 11—We return on Air Canada, the return trip made interesting by the timing. Our flight departs Shanghai’s Pudong Airport at 1625k, we fly for 14 hours, and land at Vancouver the same day at 1230k!