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POLI/ASIA 347: Urban Lab Shanghai
The student blog for Rice University's Urban Lab in Shanghai.
 

Day 4 – An Insight Into Shanghai Media

March 6th, 2014 by mjr8

Day 4 gave us all a little insight into how the media works in Shanghai. Firstly, we had visited one of the most popular newspapers in Shanghai called the Global Times.

Global Times is a newspaper that highlights what is happening around the world, in addition to what is happening locally in Shanghai and China. Again, I would agree that a lot of our skepticism was dispelled after meeting with the head of the newspaper. The most contentious issue that I would say many people care about in China is whether or not media operates as an autonomous entity. We were told that though Global Times is owned by the state, the content is what the writers want it to be. She stressed to us that nobody is forced to write anything by the central government. From the outside, it is understandable to think such a thing. After all, each country has its own slant or bias when reporting on other countries. I think it is highly important that people should become impartial and not let government actions craft our opinions on the people of other nations, as we probably did before we found out that many of the preconceived stereotypes we had were untrue.

Besides the political side of the meeting there were some universal issues that were addressed, such as whether newspapers are a dying form of media or not. Based off of her opinion and ours, collectively, we agreed that newspapers are in fact a dying form of media. Despite the 1 million people who are subscribers of these newspapers, Global Times has shifted their focus to the internet. In a world where technology is easily accessible to people, it makes sense that businesses and media groups would look to be available to as many customers as they can. They even have versions of their news in English, reinforcing the concept that news outlets want to reach a wider array of audiences. Shortly after the meeting, though, we got a brief tour of the offices where people work on the newspaper and online website. Most people never get this chance so I definitely felt privileged to not only gather so much information about the newspaper from the director of it, but by also being able to have first person access to the “production” of the paper.

Next on the itinerary was to visit the Shanghai Media group or SMG. SMG is a multimedia broadcasting company that has a large influence on the media in Shanghai. When we got to the SMG’s building of operations we had first gotten a tour of the editing room, broadcasting set, and public relations office. Let me tell you, setting foot on the set where news anchors broadcast to millions of people each day is overwhelming.

After the quick tour of the building we met the directors of the SMG in a conference room. They were there to answer all of our questions on the role and responsibilities of news outlets in China and Shanghai. Though it was a bit of a reiteration of the meeting with Global Times, it was satisfying to get to see how other people’s mentalities are developed. At SMG, I got the sense that they were industrious when something relates to their job, in addition to being very fervent about it. They were quick to quell any disbelief we had about the role of media in Shanghai and as a matter of fact, in China. Again, they made sure that we understood that the central state, despite technically “owning” their company, had no role in what was broadcasted over the TV. Also, what seemed to be a serious concern for most of us on this trip, when interviewing people, is the pollution problem here in Shanghai. Unequivocally, most people in the West think in a parallel way to this. It is the collective belief that the government does not allow pollution and environmental concerns to be reported. According to these people, as well as most of the people we talked to, the Chinese government views pollution as an impediment to their goals of growth and as a detriment to people’s health. As a result, they encourage and allow people to highlight these issues by any means of media.

It always is important to take things with a grain of salt. This is exactly what I have done for the most part of this day. Although these people have influence and authority in what they do, it is always wise to question what comes out of their mouths. On the contrary, it is also important to be open minded and impartial to ideas in the world. If we were all close-minded to new ideas and thoughts, then the world would be a much different place, and not in a good way. So while I do still have some reservations and doubts about the handling on environmental issues here in Shanghai and China, at the same time I truly believe something is being done to alleviate the problems associated with it. No country wants to deal with this problem because not only does it affect the population’s health in the short term and long term, but it impacts the economy, something the Chinese government cannot afford.

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March 6, 2014 | Day 6 in Shanghai

March 6th, 2014 by hb10

We spent today learning a little about the private sector in Shanghai. We had the opportunity to meet with part of the leadership team of a textiles manufacturing company. The company has a great story– the founder developed technology to improve textiles manufacturing while he was in school and now has a company that sells its products around the world and has twenty offices in China. What I found most interesting about our conversations with the company’s leadership was the influence of Buddhism on their company’s culture and practices. We were told that Buddhism’s philosophies of remaining respectful to all people, sharing in others’ happiness rather than being jealous, and aiming at doing good so that it might benefit others are what drive this company to succeed. As we toured the factory at around 5pm, we noticed that most of the space was empty –our lecturers mentioned that their company allows its employees to leave early in order to high traffic. I was very impressed with the thought and consideration offered to the factory workers in the organization, it was the prefect exemplification of the values they mentioned earlier in the day.

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Day 5: Environmental Issues and Undergraduate Facts at Shanghai Jiao Tong University

March 6th, 2014 by Tina

Today, we listened to an Associate Professor and Dean Assistant on foreign affairs in the School of Environmental Science and Engineering give a lecture titled, “Environmental Issues of Shanghai, and It’s Sustainable Development” at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Here is a sample of some of the things I learned:

–          Shanghai’s environmental issues include water, air, solid waste, and noise (I hadn’t really thought about how noise could be an environmental issue before).

–          With its increase in GDP, Shanghai has increased its investment in environmental protection.

–          Shanghai’s hottest months are July and August, and its coldest are January and February.

–          At the national level, the Special Project on Water Pollution has a Three Year Environmental Action Plan it’s implementing.

–          The professor defined sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

–          The professor said she feels that the topic of the environment is accurately represented in the media, and that people are generally aware of the environment (it’s issues).

Before I came to Shanghai, I was expecting lots of visible pollution in the sky. I wasn’t expecting a nice light blue sky. Granted, this is just one week out of the year, but I would not have believed there not being visible pollution in the sky had I not come to Shanghai and seen it for myself. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to come here and see, listen, and learn.

Jie Wang, the Dean of the School of Humanities, gave the second lecture. Here is a sample of some of the things I learned from his lecture:

–          There are three ways SJTU recruits students: by the national exam score, through active recruitment, and if the student has a special talent, such as athletics or music.

–          Every year, SJTU admits 3,500 undergraduates and about 3,500 graduate students.

–          SJTU has several colleges, two of which cooperate with international schools (one with the University of Michigan and the other with the University of Paris, in technology and engineering, respectively).

–          The idea that the country had to be saved by STEM fields has been around for a long time (after the Sino-Japanese war, the government wanted to strengthen China in these fields).

–          There are three types of scholarships – central government scholarships, university scholarships, and corporate scholarships. It costs about $500 a year to attend SJTU, and the dean said that there isn’t really a financial burden on families to pay the cost.

–          SJTU’s goal is to develop students in an economic, ability, and moral sense.

Before I listened to the dean speak, I had thought that extracurriculars were not heavily emphasized in China, because I had given a tour to a group of English-Language teachers from northern China before the trip, and one of the teachers I spoke to said she always had her head in the books, and did not do any extracurriculars.

–          A prime example of generalizing being a bad idea.

The dean said that China’s trend is focusing more on extracurriculars, not the opposite. The dean said that the university actually invests money and funds students to compete in competitions, and the students can get credit for extracurriculars too. Going to Shanghai got rid of that perception for me.

Also, SJTU’s School of Media and Design is ranked 10th in China.

Later, we visited the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, which gave an amazing glimpse into future plans for the city.

 

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Day 5 Reflection – Melissa

March 6th, 2014 by mrv3

One thing learned today: Shanghainese love tiny models of things.  We visited the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center in the morning, and there was a huuuge model of downtown Shanghai (an immense area) on one of the floors – similar to but much larger than the one we saw in the Shanghai World Financial Center.  The urban planning museum was fantastic because it had lots of old pictures from the late 1800s to early 1900s that compared the old days to contemporary Shanghai – one of the things I find the most fascinating about Shanghai is that it has a rich history, not only in a Chinese context but in an international way as well.

Another thing learned today: protesting is a round-the-clock thing, and, yes, Chinese citizens are allowed to protest.  The Urban Planning Center is in People’s Square – the location of the city government – and there were lots of different groups of people protesting outside when we walked by around lunchtime.  I am interested to learn what, exactly, they were protesting, but it was hard to determine at the time.

Yet another: college campuses are very different in Shanghai, but not at all in a bad way.  It was a cold day, but people on the campus of Jiao Tong University were lively and active.  Students and faculty biked to and from dorms and academic buildings, several people were playing tennis, and groups were gathered at the outdoor food vendors.  The dorms were very different and the buildings were more spaced out than at Rice (the campus was ginormous), so it didn’t seem like a very convenient place to live and study.  However, there were a lot of food options, a bank and a 24-hour convenient store in the student center, and lots of park-esque areas with benches, creeks, and fields.  All-in-all, JiaoDa’s seems like an amazing place!  I’m super glad we got to visit.

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Day 4 Reflection – Melissa

March 5th, 2014 by mrv3

A consistent theme of this trip has been eye-opening experiences.  I am no longer surprised at being surprised – in fact, at this point I almost expect it.  This day was no exception.  We visited an English-language newspaper (Global Times) and an international TV channel (International Channel Shanghai), and I was pleasantly surprised although vaguely skeptical at the level of optimism of the reporters we met with, as well as the degree of freedom with which they do their work.  It is really hard to tell at this point whether what we’ve been told by the American media about the Chinese media is true – that their reports are strictly censored, they can only cover certain topics, and they’re not allowed to criticize the government – or whether what I’ve heard from the Chinese media members here is true.  Perhaps it’s all relative, and there is not one real “truth” regarding media coverage.  This trip has made me realize that the Chinese government and its relationship to the citizens is not at all what we’re made by the American media to believe it is.  Every single person we have met with here has been incredibly positive about their government and the country in which they live, and it’s very refreshing given the level of negativity towards the American government that I consistently sense in America (and with expats living outside of America).  With the American government, it seems that the general consensus is that we’ve reached a point where productivity is impossible, cooperation even more impossible, the government arrogantly believes it’s the best in the world and doesn’t want to learn from others, and the people in charge of the government are not working in our best interest.  I don’t necessarily believe all or any of those to be true, but it’s something that I hear quite often.  In China, however, people seem incredibly positive that the Chinese government is constantly desiring to better itself and work towards bettering the lives of the people, that the officials are interested in learning from other countries in order to improve their own policies, and that growth and continued prosperity is a given.  This could obviously be because we’ve only met with successful people living in an overall very affluent city in China, but it could also be that this is the general agreement among Chinese citizens.  If it is, then perhaps everything we have been taught in the West about modern China is flawed.

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Day 1- First Day in the Big City

March 5th, 2014 by glb1

As I prepare for day 2 of this Shanghai trip, I am still trying to process the fact that I am literally on the other side of the world! The first daunting aspect of the day was first the dreaded 15 hour plane flight; which, turned out to not be as enduring as anticipated with the help of several in-flight movies and sleeping for about 6 hours of the trip. My first impressions of China itself were highly influenced by the massive and very nice airports in both Beijing and Shanghai. While they weren’t near as populated as they usually are due to the timing of our arrival, how clean and well-kept and impressively constructed they are provided an early picture of what we were to see in the rest of the city for the day. You are literally thrown into the fast-pace of the city once the high-speed train takes you 300km/hr on a quick 7 minute trip into the city and then you experience the every astounding driving culture that is bold, aggressive, and efficient all at the same time. The “difficult” drivers and driving conditions that we say are in Houston pale in comparison to what is here!

We kept the day rolling not taking a significant moment to rest (which I prefer) by having our first session about the Shanghai education system which featured a teacher from one of the top high schools in the city and another man who helps write the standardized tests for the middle school students. What I found the most intriguing was the different point of emphasis here in China for the selection of the students who are deciding on a college to attend after high school. The approach is not only very selective but primarily based academic merit and performance on the entrance exams. Compared to the general approach here in the US where, while a major component is how well your grade point average and SAT/ACT scores are, your extra-curricular activities, community service, and other marks of merit are taken into consideration. Continuing this point I asked whether or not exceptional athletes (the ones that are on the track to compete professionally) have to go through the same testing process, and it turns out that athletes don’t go through this college acceptance process but instead focus solely on their sport. This allows for the athletes to pour themselves into to being as best they can without the heavy burden of school along with it. Then after their career is over with, however old they may be, they have the opportunity to attend any top university that they would like. This is completely contrary to what is done in the states, and as a collegiate athlete myself, I see the substantial difference this would make by completely focusing my will power and efforts. While musicians weren’t brought up, I would assume they would follow a similar process. Overall, the perspective gained from this session was very insightful and it provided a great perspective on the comparative aspects between the American and China education systems.

This introductory day to this great city was capped off with a trip to the Bund. Walking amongst the many high rise buildings lite up down Nanjing road really was awe inspiring and along with the first authentic Chinese dinner, provided for the best way to end this first, sleepless day.

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Introduction

March 5th, 2014 by glb1

Gabe Baker is a senior at Rice University and will be finishing his degree in environmental engineering with a minor in business this May. In addition to his interests in environmental sustainable ideas, a major aspect of his university involvements is being on the varsity football team. He has enjoyed working experiences the past few summers, one in which was at the Harris County Judges Office as an intern for Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. Due to still having one more year of football eligibility this fall, he hopes to spend time working in the energy industry this summer and explore his career interests in energy trading and environmental sustainable efforts.

 

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Environmental Issues in Shanghai

March 5th, 2014 by efd1

So far we’ve been pretty lucky with the air quality during the time we’ve been in Shanghai. But, as news reports earlier this year indicate, the environment, especially air quality, is still a very relevant concern in Shanghai. One of the most interesting lectures we’ve had so far was a lecture by an environmental engineering professor at Jiao Tong University. The professor broke Shanghai’s environmental issues into four major components: air quality, water quality, solid waste, and noise. Her statistics indicated that for the most part Shanghai’s environmental issues are improving. To some extent these improvements are due to new environmental regulations and technology. But the professor indicated that the majority of these improvements is due to heavy industrial activities moving out of the city, especially to western regions of China.

Are these improvements then simply a matter of redistributing pollution to other areas of the country? To some extent spreading pollution out does serve to decrease its impact on the environment. One of the major concepts she talked about in her presentation was the idea of “environmental capacity”, which is the amount of pollution the environment can dissipate. Shanghai’s waterways in particular are over capacity, so moving pollution away from the city can significantly improve water quality on an aggregate level. Another major advantage of redistribution is that the actual effect of pollution on humans is decreased by moving polluting industries away from densely populated areas.

At the same time it seems like redistributing pollution isn’t a real solution to the problem of pollution. Recently, the rise of microblogging in China has made it difficult for companies to relocate some industries. The professor gave the example of Project PX, which was a chemical plant that was forced to relocate several times due to citizen complaints. In the long term only technological development will decrease pollution levels without restricting economic activity. Moreover, air and water pollution is not truly local. Eventually China will need a true solution to these environmental problems.

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Day 3 – Shanghai Subway System

March 5th, 2014 by mjr8

This morning, the morning of Day 3, had to be the most exciting morning I have ever experienced in all my life. We had traveled to Pudong, or better known as the financial district of Shanghai, and visited a very special building. This building is called the Shanghai World Financial Center. Standing at an impressive 1,614 feet this building remains one of the largest in the world. Even more impressive, the second largest building in the world is being built literally right next to it. This area of Shanghai makes me think that Shanghai really has the potential to become a global city. I have rarely seen such intricacy and modernism all clumped into one area. There were dozens and dozens of skyscrapers all resembling something of the future; there were overhead walkways all above the streets; and there were so many shopping centers. You cannot tell me that Shanghai is not ready to hold a status of being “global.” Sure, the outskirts may be not a developed, but as far as I know, not many businesses and MNCs like to operate of the outskirts of a city anyway. In terms of having a business environment that would allow corporations to thrive, I truly believe that Shanghai falls within that category.

Later on in the day, after lunch, we had a scheduled meeting with a very animated character. He goes by the name of professor Su Yunsheng. He works at the Shanghai Tongji Urban Planning & Design Institute as well as being the co-founder of a magazine called “Urban China.” I must say that this man knew his stuff. Although it was a very brisk presentation, we learned just how complex urban planning is. Since he had helped coordinate the Shanghai 2010 World Expo, he had showed us diagrams and renderings of how each building was built. For example, the Chinese Pavilion was built with a sustainable design in mind. It had natural ventilation, in addition to thermal insulation. It even had solar panels on the roof that helped generate electricity for the building. This was just one building that was built “green.” Almost every single exhibit was built with conservation in mind, resulting in the usage of less building materials, harvesting of rain and sunlight for energy, and natural ventilation. It was extremely surprising to see just how much emphasis was put on sustainable designs. Back home, many people assume that China is not even concerned with pollution or the environment, but after going to this lecture I would say that that is quite untrue.

We had saved the best for last. Our next meeting was with a lady who worked for the Shanghai Subway Company. She had provided very relevant details for my project, so naturally, I was very excited. This was the one lady who was able to answer my much needed questions. Here are some of the facts that I had gathered:

  • The subway solves over 50 percent of the traffic problems in Shanghai.
  • Some parts are built in China, some with French and German cooperation, and some are imported.
  • 6.9 million people ride the subways in Shanghai each day.
  • A station will be built with the “anticipated rider” flow in mind. The larger the flow, the larger the line.
  • The total length of the subway system is around 538 km. The plan is to build, in total, 1000 km with 800 km already in the works.
  • Shanghai has the longest subway in the world.
  • Safety is their biggest concern. They want to make sure that everybody is safe first and foremost.
  • They are hoping to get more carts added to the subway system to ease crowding.

These are most of the key facts pointed out during the lecture. Having ridden the subway here in Shanghai many times, I would say that you could tell it was top of the line just riding it. Getting this facts helped me further grasp the magnitude of their operations and future planning. What is really admirable is that the government invests so much money into infrastructure development in Shanghai. Even though it might be to unclog the streets, it helps with pollution and helps people with low incomes. In the United States I really feel that infrastructure is not a priority. Most of the cities in the United States I have been to lack much needed public transportation from the level of subways down to taxis. As we see with Shanghai, not only will the extensive development of public transport result in better traffic conditions, but it will also help the finances of lower income people and it will help the environment. We really could learn from cities such as Shanghai. Yes, it may cost a lot of money initially, but as I have seen, it looks well worth it.

 

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March 5, 2014 | Day 5 in Shanghai

March 5th, 2014 by hb10

We spent our fifth day in Shanghai at an urbanization museum and in lectures about the environment and higher education. I have been interested in education reform in the U.S. for a number of years so I was interested in what education policy looks like here in China. I leaned that going to university here is quite inexpensive– a semester’s tuition is about three-hundred dollars.  That being said, in order to get to the top schools, students in China have to spend a lot of money on personal tutors in order to prepare for the standardized admissions exams. I asked our speaker a question about universities’ social responsibility to accept students of all economic backgrounds and learned that the familial income is not a consideration when universities are accepting students. There are schools in the U.S. that do the same thing, this schools classify themselves as need-blind. There are, however, universities that look at  a student’s economic background when determining who will be accepted. I was hoping to get an understanding of the economic diversity top universities in China display, but don’t have a clear answer yet. Our lecturer did mention, however, the various scholarships students are awarded upon admission. There are both need-based and merit-based scholarships available to students. Unlike like U.S. Chinese universities admit athletes after they have finished their careers. Yao Ming, for example, is a student at the university we visited. These students follow specialized degree programs to cater to their needs and abilities, and are welcomed to the university as what U.S. schools would call “non-traditional” students. I think it’s great that Chinese schools have programs that promote education even after many have found great success in their careers.

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