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Pudong Starbucks is Nice The best thing about Starbucks in Shanghai, and any Starbucks around the world, is that even if it is completely full, you can bring a book, a laptop computer, or work you need to do, and sit for hours with out being hassled, as long as you buy a drink. There are few places in Shanghai where you can do that, and so when I was still living in China, Starbucks was a great place for me to do work outside of the office or to work on my graduate school applications. (Though the beautiful Old China Hand Reading Room on Shaoxing Road, is a pleasant exception.) |
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Welcome to the God of Fortune "Everybody has the right the protect the lifestyle they enjoy"? Well Stephen, I don't know where you're from, but as a foreigner (which your comments imply that you are) I would think the locals have a stronger right to protect their lifestyle and tradition. They are at home and this is there culture. Furthermore the "civilization" vs. "tradition" comment is quite condescending. The Chinese, as you probably are aware, have had the longest continuing civilization on this planet. While China is far from perfect, I definitely would give great deference to cultural traditions. Also, the midnight issue is not a really reasonable argument, as during the festival, nearly everyone is awake after midnight celebrating the New Year with your family. Is it uncivilized for New Year's revelers to be noisy in Times Square in New York, the Champs Elysses in Paris? Anyway, one of the biggest joys I found living as an expat in Shanghai was experiencing the energy of the local celebration of Chinese New Year. I found it amazing to see this city explode those two nights every year. And if you want to avoid the noise, do what I did last year. There is an incredible view of the fireworks around the city in the bar atop the Westin in Puxi, which is high enough so that you won't be able to hear the booms. |