Chinese people can’t wait in lines. They push, shove, and cut entire lines without a care. The concept of personal space does not exist in the least here. Regarding the buildings here, it seems as if once construction is completed, the building is used and runs its course without any maintanence whatsoever. It’s as if the philosophy here stands as “if it starts to fall apart, just knock it down and build something new.” This seems pretty accurate when noting the amount of construction going on in nearly every city we’ve been to. New skyscrapers pop into the skyline daily. Perhaps this rate of expansion uses all construction and finishing resources, making repairs and routine building maintanence impossible. This attitude towards repairs is most noticeable within our hotels. Most of the hotels are “almost really nice.” The lobbies are covered in marble with large pillars and decorative furniture; the elevators are clean and modern; the rooms are spacious, nicely layed out, and equipped with sliding glass door showers and adequate furniture. These qualities, however, are offset by the lack of concern for simple care and repairs. The corners of wallpaper in rooms are often peeling off, the bathroom countertops need wiped off, the plumbing beneath the sink is often exposed, and the bed sheets and towels are often still damp from lack of sufficient drying. These opposing good and bad attributes make most modern structures here in China, “almost really nice”, but not quite. Perhaps once the constuction boom slows, China will begin to focus more on the structures it has already built rather than just building something new.

Location: Shanghai, China