Shanghai was already dubbed as the “Paris of the East” 50 years ago when it was as well known as cosmopolitan cities like London and Paris. Today, it is seen as a “global business hub” and it is only a matter of time before it becomes the “New York of the East”。
Last month, I visited Shanghai for the first time and, during the brief four-day and five-night stay, experienced first-hand the buzzing dynamism of modern Shanghai.
The city has a population of close to 17 million which underlies its immense market potential. Depending on their spending powers, Shanghainese from different strata of society can take their pick from a wide range of choices - from paying three yuan for a bowl of traditional la mian to 20 yuan for a cup of cappuccino.
Sandwiched between the very rich and the very poor are those who enjoy a comfortable standard of living and the middle-class.
Businesses can thus find a niche for themselves by catering to the needs of different groups of consumers.
The eagerness of Shanghainese to keep up with the latest in fashion is a big boost to the market. Memories of foreign settlements 70 or 80 years ago make it much easier for Shanghainese than Chinese in other parts of China to join the mainstream of international consumer trends.
Indeed, the many facilities developed by foreigners in Shanghai in the early 20th century have laid the foundation for modern Shanghai to rejoin the ranks of global cities.
First-time visitors to Shanghai will invariably first be captivated by the soaring skyscrapers that symbolise the metropolis' wealth and glamour.
Across the skyline of Puxi is China's tallest building - the 88-storey Jin Mao Tower - in Pudong New Area. But it is said that the tower will cease to be the tallest when the Global Financial Centre project, a 94-storey edifice by Japanese investors, is completed in 2007.
Meanwhile, it is also said that the plan for the BionicTower, a breathtaking 300-storey residential-cum-commercial building has been drawn up.
The towering skyscrapers are signs of Shanghai's prosperity and the magnets that attract both local and foreign talent to converge on the metropolis. On the other hand, people are spoilt for choice by the variety of recreational and entertainment activities that demonstrate how colourful and interesting life is in Shanghai. It is no wonder that Chinese and overseas tourists are flocking to the city.
Shanghai presents a unique mix of East and West as well as new and old in wining, dining and merry-making. While the choices are increasingly global, consumer goods are cheaper than in most big cities. Not surprisingly, discerning tourists recognise it at once as a shoppers' paradise when they arrive in Shanghai.
The vast variety of merchandise alone may not be enough to make the tourists come back. But meticulous and excellent service will. The Shanghainese whom you see on the street will remind you of the congestion and apathy typical of a thriving city. Yet, step into any fast-food restaurant and you will be greeted with warm and friendly service from young waiters and waitresses. They will make you rethink what makes the city tick.
Just raise your hand and no matter how busy the waiters and waitresses are, someone will attend to you with a reply： “Right away！” They speak clearly and know their job well and I'm only talking about ordinary service personnel. This is a good indication of how competitive the young people in Shangnai are.
The tour guide in Shanghai who showed us around speaks fairly good English. He came from Xiamen and has just graduated from a Shanghai university.
“It's easy to find a job in Shanghai but hard to get one that one is perfectly happy with,” he said.
I told him： “It's not easy now even for graduates in Singapore to land a job. Singaporeans are also choosy. And the worst thing is there aren't that many jobs in the market.”
He said with a smile： “At least the people in Shanghai don't have to worry about that.”
Well, I did not come into contact with that many young people in Shanghai during my trip, but those whom I've met at fast-food restaurants and cafes no doubt struck me as highly-efficient, quick-thinking and full of drive. Young Singaporeans seem to lack the astuteness and dynamism that they possess.
It is true that a people's character is, to a great extent, shaped by the environment they live in. But if we rest on our laurels, we risk losing our vitality. And a city with little life will not be able to attract tourists, let alone retain its talent.
（The writer is a senior reporter of Zaobao. Translated by Yap Gee Poh.）
五十年前的上海已有“東方的巴黎”之稱(chēng),和國(guó)際大都會(huì)倫敦、巴黎齊名；今天的上海被視為“全世界的商業(yè)城”,遲早會(huì)成為“東方的紐約”。
上個(gè)月筆者首次到上海,在5天4夜的短暫逗留中感受到現(xiàn)代上海的大都會(huì)動(dòng)力。
上海人口近1700萬(wàn)。人口之眾,決定了市場(chǎng)潛力。在上海,上中下各階層各有消費(fèi)天地。人民幣3元吃一碗拉面,或是人民幣20元喝一杯cappuccino,豐儉由人。
在貧富兩極之間還夾著小康之家、中產(chǎn)階層,這樣的市場(chǎng)構(gòu)造,讓不同市場(chǎng)定位的商品都找到所屬的消費(fèi)群。
消費(fèi)的一大推動(dòng)力,是重儀表趕時(shí)髦。七八十年前,英法德美日租界割據(jù)所遺留下來(lái)的歷史記憶,讓上海人較其他地區(qū)的中國(guó)人更容易投入現(xiàn)代城市國(guó)際化的消費(fèi)趨勢(shì)。
事實(shí)上,20世紀(jì)初外國(guó)人在上海建設(shè)的設(shè)施,是今日上海重新躋身國(guó)際城市之列的基礎(chǔ)。
初訪者對(duì)這座城市的第一個(gè)深刻印象必然離不開(kāi)那些象征了一個(gè)城市的財(cái)力和氣魄的高樓大廈。
外灘建筑的天際線景觀,遙對(duì)浦東新區(qū)的88層樓高的金茂大廈。金茂大廈的上海建筑記錄只能維持多5年。據(jù)說(shuō),到了2007年,由日商投資興建的94層浦東上海環(huán)球金融大樓預(yù)計(jì)將竣工。
而另一棟擁有300層樓高的住商綜合摩天雙塔Bionic大樓已完成規(guī)劃草案,全球屏著呼吸,拭目以待。
如果說(shuō)高樓林立代表了上海的經(jīng)濟(jì)繁榮,吸引了國(guó)內(nèi)外人才匯集此地大展拳腳。那么休閑娛樂(lè)選擇之多,則表現(xiàn)了上海多姿多彩的城市生活,吸引了海內(nèi)外游客紛紛前來(lái)上海觀光旅游。
新事物快速誕生,舊事物卻來(lái)不及被淘汰。上海吃喝玩樂(lè)的選擇獨(dú)具中西交匯,新舊合璧的特色。日趨國(guó)際化的選擇,消費(fèi)卻比一般大城市便宜,難怪中外游客初到上海,馬上感覺(jué)到消費(fèi)天堂的召喚。
一個(gè)旅游天堂,光是設(shè)備包羅萬(wàn)有未必能吸引游客再三到訪。留得住游客的是殷勤的服務(wù)態(tài)度。走在街上的上海人讓人感受到大城市的擁擠和冷漠。但是,走進(jìn)任何一家上海的快餐店,年輕侍應(yīng)生積極友善的服務(wù)態(tài)度,讓人重新估量這個(gè)城市的無(wú)限活力。
顧客一個(gè)舉手動(dòng)作,侍應(yīng)生再忙也會(huì)先來(lái)一句：“馬上來(lái)?！眲?dòng)作熟練利落,說(shuō)話清楚明白,普通的服務(wù)生都有這樣水平,上海年輕人的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力可想而知。
招待我們的上海導(dǎo)游是一個(gè)從廈門(mén)赴上海念大學(xué),大學(xué)剛畢業(yè)的年輕小伙子。英語(yǔ)說(shuō)得不賴(lài)的他說(shuō)：“在上海找工作,一點(diǎn)也不難。但是,要找一份滿意的工作就不容易了?！?BR> 筆者告訴他：“新加坡大學(xué)生現(xiàn)在找工作卻不容易。工作選人,人更會(huì)選工作。最糟糕的是,工作其實(shí)不多?！?BR> 小伙子笑笑：“這點(diǎn),上海人倒不擔(dān)心。”
此行,筆者所接觸到的上海年輕人其實(shí)并不多,但是在快餐店、咖啡座所碰到的,態(tài)度積極,效率高,一臉的聰明伶俐。本地的一般年輕人似乎就缺少了那份機(jī)靈和朝氣。
雖然說(shuō)民族的氣質(zhì)和個(gè)性,很大程度上是生活環(huán)境造就的,但是如果我們繼續(xù)安于安逸,腦筋懶得變通,現(xiàn)有的城市活力不但不會(huì)增長(zhǎng),還會(huì)一點(diǎn)一滴干涸。
一個(gè)缺乏活力和生機(jī)的城市難吸引游客,更別說(shuō)留住人才。
Last month, I visited Shanghai for the first time and, during the brief four-day and five-night stay, experienced first-hand the buzzing dynamism of modern Shanghai.
The city has a population of close to 17 million which underlies its immense market potential. Depending on their spending powers, Shanghainese from different strata of society can take their pick from a wide range of choices - from paying three yuan for a bowl of traditional la mian to 20 yuan for a cup of cappuccino.
Sandwiched between the very rich and the very poor are those who enjoy a comfortable standard of living and the middle-class.
Businesses can thus find a niche for themselves by catering to the needs of different groups of consumers.
The eagerness of Shanghainese to keep up with the latest in fashion is a big boost to the market. Memories of foreign settlements 70 or 80 years ago make it much easier for Shanghainese than Chinese in other parts of China to join the mainstream of international consumer trends.
Indeed, the many facilities developed by foreigners in Shanghai in the early 20th century have laid the foundation for modern Shanghai to rejoin the ranks of global cities.
First-time visitors to Shanghai will invariably first be captivated by the soaring skyscrapers that symbolise the metropolis' wealth and glamour.
Across the skyline of Puxi is China's tallest building - the 88-storey Jin Mao Tower - in Pudong New Area. But it is said that the tower will cease to be the tallest when the Global Financial Centre project, a 94-storey edifice by Japanese investors, is completed in 2007.
Meanwhile, it is also said that the plan for the BionicTower, a breathtaking 300-storey residential-cum-commercial building has been drawn up.
The towering skyscrapers are signs of Shanghai's prosperity and the magnets that attract both local and foreign talent to converge on the metropolis. On the other hand, people are spoilt for choice by the variety of recreational and entertainment activities that demonstrate how colourful and interesting life is in Shanghai. It is no wonder that Chinese and overseas tourists are flocking to the city.
Shanghai presents a unique mix of East and West as well as new and old in wining, dining and merry-making. While the choices are increasingly global, consumer goods are cheaper than in most big cities. Not surprisingly, discerning tourists recognise it at once as a shoppers' paradise when they arrive in Shanghai.
The vast variety of merchandise alone may not be enough to make the tourists come back. But meticulous and excellent service will. The Shanghainese whom you see on the street will remind you of the congestion and apathy typical of a thriving city. Yet, step into any fast-food restaurant and you will be greeted with warm and friendly service from young waiters and waitresses. They will make you rethink what makes the city tick.
Just raise your hand and no matter how busy the waiters and waitresses are, someone will attend to you with a reply： “Right away！” They speak clearly and know their job well and I'm only talking about ordinary service personnel. This is a good indication of how competitive the young people in Shangnai are.
The tour guide in Shanghai who showed us around speaks fairly good English. He came from Xiamen and has just graduated from a Shanghai university.
“It's easy to find a job in Shanghai but hard to get one that one is perfectly happy with,” he said.
I told him： “It's not easy now even for graduates in Singapore to land a job. Singaporeans are also choosy. And the worst thing is there aren't that many jobs in the market.”
He said with a smile： “At least the people in Shanghai don't have to worry about that.”
Well, I did not come into contact with that many young people in Shanghai during my trip, but those whom I've met at fast-food restaurants and cafes no doubt struck me as highly-efficient, quick-thinking and full of drive. Young Singaporeans seem to lack the astuteness and dynamism that they possess.
It is true that a people's character is, to a great extent, shaped by the environment they live in. But if we rest on our laurels, we risk losing our vitality. And a city with little life will not be able to attract tourists, let alone retain its talent.
（The writer is a senior reporter of Zaobao. Translated by Yap Gee Poh.）
五十年前的上海已有“東方的巴黎”之稱(chēng),和國(guó)際大都會(huì)倫敦、巴黎齊名；今天的上海被視為“全世界的商業(yè)城”,遲早會(huì)成為“東方的紐約”。
上個(gè)月筆者首次到上海,在5天4夜的短暫逗留中感受到現(xiàn)代上海的大都會(huì)動(dòng)力。
上海人口近1700萬(wàn)。人口之眾,決定了市場(chǎng)潛力。在上海,上中下各階層各有消費(fèi)天地。人民幣3元吃一碗拉面,或是人民幣20元喝一杯cappuccino,豐儉由人。
在貧富兩極之間還夾著小康之家、中產(chǎn)階層,這樣的市場(chǎng)構(gòu)造,讓不同市場(chǎng)定位的商品都找到所屬的消費(fèi)群。
消費(fèi)的一大推動(dòng)力,是重儀表趕時(shí)髦。七八十年前,英法德美日租界割據(jù)所遺留下來(lái)的歷史記憶,讓上海人較其他地區(qū)的中國(guó)人更容易投入現(xiàn)代城市國(guó)際化的消費(fèi)趨勢(shì)。
事實(shí)上,20世紀(jì)初外國(guó)人在上海建設(shè)的設(shè)施,是今日上海重新躋身國(guó)際城市之列的基礎(chǔ)。
初訪者對(duì)這座城市的第一個(gè)深刻印象必然離不開(kāi)那些象征了一個(gè)城市的財(cái)力和氣魄的高樓大廈。
外灘建筑的天際線景觀,遙對(duì)浦東新區(qū)的88層樓高的金茂大廈。金茂大廈的上海建筑記錄只能維持多5年。據(jù)說(shuō),到了2007年,由日商投資興建的94層浦東上海環(huán)球金融大樓預(yù)計(jì)將竣工。
而另一棟擁有300層樓高的住商綜合摩天雙塔Bionic大樓已完成規(guī)劃草案,全球屏著呼吸,拭目以待。
如果說(shuō)高樓林立代表了上海的經(jīng)濟(jì)繁榮,吸引了國(guó)內(nèi)外人才匯集此地大展拳腳。那么休閑娛樂(lè)選擇之多,則表現(xiàn)了上海多姿多彩的城市生活,吸引了海內(nèi)外游客紛紛前來(lái)上海觀光旅游。
新事物快速誕生,舊事物卻來(lái)不及被淘汰。上海吃喝玩樂(lè)的選擇獨(dú)具中西交匯,新舊合璧的特色。日趨國(guó)際化的選擇,消費(fèi)卻比一般大城市便宜,難怪中外游客初到上海,馬上感覺(jué)到消費(fèi)天堂的召喚。
一個(gè)旅游天堂,光是設(shè)備包羅萬(wàn)有未必能吸引游客再三到訪。留得住游客的是殷勤的服務(wù)態(tài)度。走在街上的上海人讓人感受到大城市的擁擠和冷漠。但是,走進(jìn)任何一家上海的快餐店,年輕侍應(yīng)生積極友善的服務(wù)態(tài)度,讓人重新估量這個(gè)城市的無(wú)限活力。
顧客一個(gè)舉手動(dòng)作,侍應(yīng)生再忙也會(huì)先來(lái)一句：“馬上來(lái)?！眲?dòng)作熟練利落,說(shuō)話清楚明白,普通的服務(wù)生都有這樣水平,上海年輕人的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力可想而知。
招待我們的上海導(dǎo)游是一個(gè)從廈門(mén)赴上海念大學(xué),大學(xué)剛畢業(yè)的年輕小伙子。英語(yǔ)說(shuō)得不賴(lài)的他說(shuō)：“在上海找工作,一點(diǎn)也不難。但是,要找一份滿意的工作就不容易了?！?BR> 筆者告訴他：“新加坡大學(xué)生現(xiàn)在找工作卻不容易。工作選人,人更會(huì)選工作。最糟糕的是,工作其實(shí)不多?！?BR> 小伙子笑笑：“這點(diǎn),上海人倒不擔(dān)心。”
此行,筆者所接觸到的上海年輕人其實(shí)并不多,但是在快餐店、咖啡座所碰到的,態(tài)度積極,效率高,一臉的聰明伶俐。本地的一般年輕人似乎就缺少了那份機(jī)靈和朝氣。
雖然說(shuō)民族的氣質(zhì)和個(gè)性,很大程度上是生活環(huán)境造就的,但是如果我們繼續(xù)安于安逸,腦筋懶得變通,現(xiàn)有的城市活力不但不會(huì)增長(zhǎng),還會(huì)一點(diǎn)一滴干涸。
一個(gè)缺乏活力和生機(jī)的城市難吸引游客,更別說(shuō)留住人才。