China to me now is really new, new highways, new shopping malls, newly formed cities, new city halls look like a little white house everywhere and etc. China has been changed a great deal in the past 2 decades. Chinese are richer than 30 years ago in many ways including colorful clothes, plenty of foods and allow to own personal properties like houses and cars, traveling with a high speed train and so on.
Shanghai people, or Shanghainese are more proud of themselves. I remember my brother said when he visited the US, "Only Manhattan can be compared with Shanghai now", that's 10 years ago. However, my co-worker went to China this April to attend her brother's wedding in China. Her brother couldn't find a job here and left America for China's adventure 3 years ago. He is an English teacher now in a small city at northern China, about 500 miles north of Beijing. He is an American guy and married a Chinese girl. My co-worker said in her opinion that China is behind the US for 50 years when she returned. That's her conclusion for her 2 weeks' visit at a small city. She got no chances to see Beijing, Shanghai or other cities.
It seems I shouldn't talk about this topic in this blog, but I feel our son soon will connect with our family's past, present and future. Recall when we decided to buy a house in Shanghai in 2003 as an investment and other purpose. I said to myself we were not interested in these things when the developer showed us designed layout for a duplex house and subdivision, which included a room for a child and children's play ground. Today I feel so amazing that the house we bought 6 years ago (completed in 2005) may become a place for our child/children grow up.
