Small Town China

摘要

In his Shanghai office Gu Jianping sits opposite me, hands folded in his lap, I refusing to betray the slightest flicker of concern about the global financial crisis. Gu is the general manager of the Shanghai Tower Construction and Development Company, and is leading the development team on the 632m-high Shanghai Tower, a beautiful, twisting cylinder that is probably China's most ambitious project. He says: "Our building will be ready in six years. By then the market will be stronger than ever. We have spoken to economists. We are confident." This sanguine attitude stands in sharp contrast to the reality I experience as I travel in China. The hustle and bustle of the world's most populous country is still there-street hawkers and DVD sellers lie in wait at every turn - but in upmarket restaurants and department stores, there is less of a frenzy than I've seen in previous years. On my first night in Shanghai I am the sole diner in my hotel restaurant, where I have the full attention of five miserable waitresses whose red Santa outfits clash with their long faces.