Expo cranes
(Construction workers: Suzhou, China)
SIP is constantly expanding into the East, edging ever closer to Shanghai. This view is looking back over towards the West, towards where we live. I took this the day before yesterday when it rained incessantly all day with a brief respite in the mid afternoon when I dared emerge from the cosiness of the apartment. This is how I imagine China when people ask what it is like; the question, “So how is China?” is one of the most open and difficult questions to answer, though it is the easiest and most popular inquiry.
The cranes, like the horn honking and fuggy mist are part of the urban Chinese landscape, China’s development could be measured in the frequency of them on the skyline. These men were working in the drizzle – you can see how the moisture affects the visibility here. After staring up at me, they continued with their heavy work, the cranes and finished buildings forming an appropriate backdrop for their labours. This mirrors scenes in Shanghai – tonight Ying and I travel there for the weekend and the cranes will be bowing over the 2010 Expo sites. It will open in three months and hopefully he and I will be able to see some of the exhibitions. This morning I watched a short film about the forthcoming Expo at this link.
http://en.expo2010.cn/sr/video/index.htm
It is a promotional video, so be aware of that before you tire of the clipped American accent and the ‘powerpoint’ style. I think it’s quite interesting and there are some good aerial shots over Shanghai. However, at the 9:30 minute mark, the various pavilions are introduced and this is interesting, especially from a design and architectural point of view. I’m very excited to see how the inverted triangular China pavilion turns out.
As Ying and I are making a trip to Shanghai for the weekend, I won’t be able to update this until we return, but hopefully the pictures will be worth the wait.
