Touchdown

Shanghai is buzzing. I knew that before I even got there. Rakesh, the east indian man sitting next to me during the 14 hour flight had just moved to Shanghai from Singapore to invest for Kodak in the region. I’ve never had a stranger on the plane be so excited for me!

Pudong Airport was so spotless and orderly that it reminded me much of my hometown airport in Vancouver, British Columbia, as designed by James Cheng. Sweeping steel frames with transparent glass makes the entire place feel light and modern. My search for driver Joe coming out of the baggage claim area confirmed to me that the world of business is descending upon this city. The few dozen signs people were holding included company names ranging from Intel to KLA Tencor to the ‘Lucky Group’. I’m pretty sure that this is not a special occasion either and that the airport is likely filled with crowds like this every day.

The highway from Pudong airport is the longest widest stretch of highway I’ve ever seen. The amount of red paint alone to keep the guard rails shiny must rival what’s need to keep the Golden Gate Bridge in tip tops shape. Yet, kit wasn’t until we entered the city proper that I experienced (or suffered) from Driver Joe’s mad driving skillz. Incredibly, weaving through people and cars and bicycles piled so high with oranges that you can’t even see the driver, we made it to the office.

IDEO Shanghai by night is a beautiful thing. Nestled in the middle of a historic area, just footsteps away from Dr. Sun Yat Sen’s old home, the building also houses Steelcase in a stunning glass box. In the background is Fuxing Park. Strangest to me is that IDEO Shanghai locks up much like a street side store front would, although it is on the fourth floor of a very modern building with two guards at the front desk. Driver Joe and I had to get the rolling gate up before we could get in. I think the Chinese must have a fascination with gates, doors and locks. When we got to my apartment on Fuxing Lu, we sort of had to break through the front gate. And then poor Driver Joe took about ten minutes to try to get through the solid front door of my house only to be greeted by a second solid front door. That’s right – about 12 inches from my front door, there’s a second front door with a second key! 20 hours after closing my front door on the other side of the world, I have managed to break through the front door on the other end!