Cam MacMurchy is an experienced journalist and public relations consultant from Canada.  He currently works in the news and education departments in the English Service.  He has visited Hong Kong, Fuzhou, and Shenzhen.  He is now living and working in Beijing.
Since arriving in Beijing, I have heard about the Beijing/Shanghai rivalry.  Shanghai may be more modern, but Beijing is the cultural center of China.  Shanghai may have taller buildings and more excitement, but Beijing offers more trees and friendlier people.  So it was nice, after living in Beijing for the past 8 months, to finally take a trip south.

Nearly 30 CRI staff gathered at Beijing airport for the short flight south, and upon stepping off the plane felt the tropical weather, which was a nice treat.  We get warm weather in Canada, where I'm from, but I'm always flying off to Hawaii to get the tropical climate.

Contrary to what I had heard, Shanghai boasts a large number of parks and offers a plethora of green space.  The expats sat at the back of the bus driving into town, and none of us had before visited Shanghai (I spent 1 fleeing day in the city back in 2002, but just passing through).  Seeing the lush green lawns, park benches, ponds and flowers was a welcome sight from the grey and dusty streets of Beijing.

Our first trip was into the Pearl Tower to get a brilliant view of the city.  The weather didn't fully cooperate, as it was rainy and cloudy.  But at first glance it was clear that Shanghai and Beijing were two totally different cities.  We stopped in at a museum down below, and then spent the evening with dozens of staff walking along the Bund.

Shanghai is home to some brilliant European architecture.  During the early 1900s and up to the Japanese Invasion, Shanghai was one of the world's great cities.  The Bund is home to the Peace Hotel, which was built in 1929 and has been made famous in countless movies.  Or the Development Bank, which displays some stunning murals inside.  (The officer at the Bank ordered us to put our cameras away, however one of my colleagues was able to snap a few photos which turned out well.)

On Day 2, we made our way to Zhou Zhuang, which is a water-village about 90 minutes outside of Shanghai.  The village seemed to be in transition from a distant outpost to a modern tourist destination.  It had some decent restaurants and places to buy film, yet was
still home to a 98 year old woman that we had the good fortune to meet.  It was one of the many instances that I longed to speak Chinese.  I can only imagine the changes in Zhou Zhuang and China that this woman must have witnessed and lived through.

Following our day walking around the village, it was time to get back to the bright lights of Shanghai.  And time to check out the nightlife.  A group of us went to Hengshan Lu, Shanghai's version of Sanlitun.  We actually were able to make two visits to the renowned bar street, and I think it's safe to say that it didn't appear to be much better than the Sanlitun area.  We did find one little watering hole called Zapatas, which would be a regular hangout if it was located in the capital.  It boasted an inside dance club, restaurant, and gorgeous outside patio.  We listened to music under the moonlight until 3am, when we needed to change venues.

On our last day in Shanghai, we were able to visit the famous Nanjing Road and walk around Pu Dong.  Nanjing Road was very similar to Wang Fu Jing Street in Beijing, and Pu Dong was very modern.  Pu Dong could be located in any North American or European city.

I was hoping to find some answers when I went to Shanghai.  To the Beijingers that were with us, there was no doubt which city they would choose to live:  Beijing.  But I would argue that one has to live in two places to really determine which one is better. 

My own conclusion was that Shanghai and Beijing are just different.  Shanghai does offer more parks, more entertainment, and more excitement.  Its geographical location helps too.  Being close to the water and in a temperate climate is certainly attractive.

But Beijing is like an old shoe.  It might not be the prettiest, it might not get a lot of attention, and it might always be overshadowed by the new flashy pair.  But it's a trusty old shoe that works just fine.  And it has sentimental value.
(By Staff Writer Cam Macmurchy )