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Trip report Shanghai to Hong Kong , 12-31/3/99  

Shanghai – the town

 Contains a wonderful mixture of rampant capitalism and austere Chinese communism, the former in ascendancy.  This is a metropolis to watch for the future, even with recent economic setbacks.  Pudong, a new area of Shanghai developed during the last 15 years, sports more office space and commercial activity than most European capitals.

  Shanghai Harbour , China

Shanghai has one of the largest ports in the world. The city’s importance as a centre of river and sea transportation stems from its location. The Huangpu River, above, links Shanghai to the East China Sea and the mouth of the Yangtze River, a major inland waterway. From there boats can travel north to Beijing via the Grand Canal .

Bruce Dale/National Geographic Society[1]

Four distinct architectural styles mix and mingle: ancient Chinese (fascinating); 1900-1930’s Western (wonderful); 1950-1980’s “people’s” architecture (awful); and the 1990’s mix of Asian and Western ideas (exciting).

Staying at the Peace Hotel on the Bund turned my clock back to pre-war 1930’s, Shanghai ’s heyday.  Large rooms, sumptuous baths, art deco fittings, a world apart from what Taeping can offer.  Why go back to a cold and gray sea when such luxury is yours for the taking?  But my bank manager would withdraw his services and I had a race to finish.

Shanghai’s Zhong Shan Road, China

Shanghai is China ’s largest city and the country’s chief industrial and trade centre. Zhong Shan Road , a popular landmark of the city, runs along the Huangpu River and is lined with parks and European-style buildings. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, during the period of foreign concessions in Shanghai , this boulevard was known as the Bund by Europeans and Americans.

FPG International Corp.[2]  

Old Town , Shanghai , China

Shanghai , on the Huangpu River near its confluence with the Yangtze, originated as a small fishing village about 5,000 years ago. The city grew as the chief port in China during the 19th century, after the Treaty of Nanking ( Nanjing ) opened Shanghai to foreign trade. The city is now the largest in China , and has the highest population density in the country. Shanghai ’s many canals facilitate transport of goods within the city; here a canal passes a teahouse, left, in the Old Town .

Paolo Koch/Photo Researchers, Inc.[3]

The first night Clipper crews spent at the Hard Rock Café sponsored by Tetley’s Tea, with a great live band even by New York standards.  The die-hards stayed on till the morning sky appeared, consuming the Long Island version of iced tea.

The second night the British Consul invited a select group to his residence for an informal dinner.  Got acquainted with the delightful female station manager for Virgin Atlantic in Shanghai .  They are opening the first nonstop flight between London and Shanghai in May.  Later I walked the back-streets, ending up at the Cotton Club – great contemporary blues and jazz.  Met two fellow Norwegians and together we toured the underground club scene.  Checking out this on your own is not recommended.  Dawn was breaking when I crashed back at the hotel.  Don’t ask me about the third day – can’t remember!

Walking the alleys of Shanghai is an attack on all your senses: smell; hearing; and, sight.  Live pigs, ducks, snakes, and other creatures of unknown origin being prepared for lunch and dinner. The Chinese eat most things that move – just add sweet-and-sour!

Nanjing Road , Shanghai , China

Pedestrians spill onto Nanjing Road , right, Shanghai ’s main shopping district. Overpopulation is a serious problem in Shanghai . To alleviate the crowding, the government has relocated some residents to the suburbs.

Wang Gangfeng/Panos Pictures[4]

In the early 1980s the series of economic reforms masterminded by Deng Xiaoping led to a dramatic increase of industrial output and foreign investment, particularly after 1990, when the central government gave local administration freedom to promote development and create a counterweight to Hong Kong . In the early 1990s, a number of large public works projects—including an elevated six-lane highway, new bridges, a subway system, and many residential buildings—were begun to continue the city's economic expansion. Extensive redevelopment, including destruction of much of the old city, centred on the Pudong development zone across the river from the Bund; by the mid-1990's Shanghai was effectively the flagship of China's free market economic reform programme. Population of the municipality (1992), 13,450,000; population of the city proper (1993 estimate) 8,760,000.[5]

The last evening was spent with the Lind family, Norwegian expats.  The cab driver was clueless about directions so I got a two hour tour of the Chinese countryside in the dark.  But arriving made it all worth it, great hospitality and lots of Norwegian waffles, what more can a mortal ask for.  They furnished me with more waffles for the hard ride to Hong Kong and some pate and herring so I wouldn’t suffer.

The following morning it was back on the boat.  But not before the cab driver drove away with the most precious piece of luggage I got.  Six developed films, two logbooks, CD player and collection, linen suit, the list is painful, and not to forget the Norwegian waffles.  I hope somebody in Shanghai is enjoying it.

Shanghai to Hong Kong Race

The hapless Mr. Hua, the pilot up the river, took us out again.  His stomach was empty on arrival so he had nothing to lose.  Taeping’s crew was fired up: enough of this bullshit, time for a place in the top three.

It was cold: 2 degrees Celsius in the ocean, and maybe 6 in the air.  Pleasure cruising it is not.  We had to be extra vigilant for fishing boats.  Some were poorly marked, some did not respect the rules of the sea, and others tried to sell us fish on the high seas.  The worst was at night.  With a spinnaker up our maneuvrability was limited and several anxious moments passed as hundreds of vessels surrounded us, some trawling with nets right below our boat. The race was going well.  Approaching the Formosa Strait we had picked them off one by one, until only Ariel was ahead by ten miles.  We had strict orders not to venture inside the Chinese 12-mile territorial limit, didn’t fancy spending time in a Chinese jail. 

Hong Kong – the town

A colourful kaleidoscope, attracting worldwide interest for its extraordinary, intensely concentrated blend of oriental and occidental culture.  A heady mix of urban and rural sights – a nostalgic past and an aggressive modern present.

Hong Kong Harbour  

Hong Kong Harbour reflects the glittering affluence of this prominent city. Office towers and luxury hotels serve major businesses in banking, shipping, commerce, and foreign trade. My hotel, the Excelsior, is the right-most of the three buildings in the middle.

Bob Davis/The Stock Market[6]

Port of Hong Kong

Hong Kong Island provides a natural barrier for Hong Kong Harbour , which lies between the island and the Asian mainland. The deep and well-protected harbour serves as one of the world's largest container ports.

R. Rathe/FPG International, LLC[7]

The Clipper fleet is anchored at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.  The boats have all been hoisted out of the water, all winches dis-assembled, cleaned and re-assembled.  The hulls are given a thorough scrubbing with new anti-fouling applied.  The feathering propellers are taken apart, greased, and screwed back together.

Chris Patten, Last Governor of Hong Kong

Since becoming governor of Hong Kong in 1992, Chris Patten has pursued a controversial reform programme aimed at extending democratic representation in the territory. The first democratic elections to local government councils were held in September 1994, and elections for one-third of the seats of the Legislative Assembly were scheduled for before the end of 1995. China , which has strongly opposed the reforms, has threatened to replace all democratically elected councils after it resumes its sovereignty over Hong Kong on July 1, 1997 .

REUTERS/THE BETTMANN ARCHIVE[8]  

Not everyone welcomes the transition from Chris Patten and the Gurkhas to Tung Chee-hwa and the People’s Liberation Army.  I attended the International Rugby Sevens final and Mr. Tung’s welcome was anything but warm.

 Tung Chee-hwa

A Hong Kong shipping magnate with pro-Chinese sympathies, Tung Chee-hwa took over as chief executive of Hong Kong after the territory reverted to Chinese control on June 30, 1997 . He was quick to support China 's plans to curb human rights laws in the former British colony.

Reuters/Will Burgess/Archive Photos[9]

Hong Kong ’s success has been a sore point in Beijing and Shanghai .  There is regional contrast between the austere “northerners” and the free-wheeling “southerners”.  Hong Kong residents epitomise traders.  It is an uneasy marriage between them, but neither can live without the other.

Macau , Hong Kong’s little Portuguese brother, will return to China later this year and with it the last vestiges of Western colonial power.  But Western ideals and influence flourishes, especially the US variety. 

Chinese history is like a breathing lung in slow motion: expansion and confidence followed by collapse and internal strife.  Place your bets as to where they go next.  It will affect your back yard.

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