By Rama Gaind
The successful Beijing Olympics and the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai lend a certain air of success that’s well-deserved for China.
It’s not hard to be fascinated by country’s energetic phenomenon. Growth and change is apparent in the country.
Wherever you go, you will also find a touch of India: numerous Indian restaurants, Indian businesses and Indians walking the streets. This was not commonplace when I last visited China in 2001.
How many Indians live in China? While there are no exact numbers, an estimated 1000 Indians are registered in Beijing and twice that number in Shanghai. A large number are also registered in Shenzhen ad Guangzhou.
However, large concentrations of Indians are to be found in the market towns of Zhejiang and Jiangsu like Yiwu and Shaoxing.
What about Indian outlets? A few are listed here, but there are many, many more.
Indian restaurants are aplenty in Shanghai. To name a few, there’s Bangra Bar, Indian Kitchen, Bombay Bistro, Hazara, Karma, Papadom Curry Restaurant and Red Chili Spicy Café, Muse Curry , Tandoor, Punjabi Restaurant and Vedas Restaurant.
Then there’s Indian Kitchen Management Co (ZhuHai) Limited, in Guangdong; in Guangzhou, there’s the Natural Door Indian Chef, Taste of India, Maharaja Indian Kabab Corner, Spice Island, Jewel of India, Ashoka Indian Restaurant, Punjabi Restaurant in Nanjing.
Businesses include State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, ICICI Bank, TATA Autocomp Systems Limited, Satyam Computer Services Ltd, TATA South-East Asia Limited, Shipping Corporation of India, Confederation of Indian Industry, Air India, Cognizant Technology Solutions and Bhaiya Fibres Ltd.
Shanghai
Shanghai’s growing splendour is most engaging.
Walk around the heart of the city and you feel very small, overwhelmed by an abundance of skyscrapers.
The Shanghai Tower is a super tall skyscraper which is under construction in the Pudong District of Shanghai. It will be the tallest of the group of three super tall buildings in Pudong – the other two being the 88-storey Jin Mao Tower (meaning Golden Prosperity Building) and the Shanghai World Financial Center (492-metres high).
Upon completion, the building will rise approximately 632 metres (2,073 ft), have 121 stories and contain an area of 380,000 m2 (4,090,000 sq ft). It will be the tallest building in China, and the second tallest in the world, surpassed only by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai until Pingan International Finance Centre is completed in 2015.
Prosperity is obvious as you walk into the city’s abundant restaurants and bars, drive around in limousines and watch the endless parade of smartly dressed women and men.
Shanghai, a cosmopolitan city, is the hotspot of modern China. This is where a lifestyle revolution is underway, showcased in the architectural temples of art, fine dining and contemporary urban living on the Bund, which many say is the heart of modern China.
The Bund (means an embankment or an embanked quay) is a symbol of Shanghai where the buildings, which are restricted in height, are harmonious in colour and style.
It is an area of Huangpu District in Shanghai, which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River, facing Pudong, in the eastern part of the district. The Bund, which usually refers to the buildings and wharves on this section of the road, as well as some adjacent areas, is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai.
The 24-hour traffic of freighters, ferries and barges on the Huangpu River forms the backdrop to the 1920s streetscape, framed by gigantic skyscrapers that demonstrate the city’s expansion.
Another amazing site is the Pudong where rice paddies are being cultivated into the world’s most modern city.
Pudong has become a New Open Economic Development Zone and has emerged as China’s financial and commercial hub. Pudong is home to the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, the Shanghai Stock Exchange and a skyline that includes the symbolic Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jin Mao Building and the Shanghai World Financial Centre, reflecting Shanghai and China’s rapid economic development.
Not only is the Pudong home to Asia’s tallest building, an amazing new airport and – thanks to German technology – a 400-km/h maglev train which one day may extend to link Beijing with Hong Kong.
Every designer label can be found in the huge shopping malls and ultra trendy boutiques. Even the five-star hotels are virtual palaces, featuring sumptuous spas.
If only I’d had more time for enlightenment. In the years since my last visit, the landscape had certainly changed – all for the better!
The writer was a guest of Helen Wong’s Tours
