Comments on: Surreal Shanghai http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/ Learning with the Read/Write Web Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:36:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Brain Dump for the week at The Thinking Stick http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/comment-page-1/#comment-34350 Brain Dump for the week at The Thinking Stick Sun, 23 Sep 2007 13:07:45 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/#comment-34350 [...] I’m still reflecting on conversations I had with Will, Sheryl and Wes while they visited Shanghai after the conference. I love it when people come to visit…you get to see Shanghai through new eyes. Most people are overwhelmed and I think Wes, Will, and Sheryl are no exceptions. It’s not the China you picture in movies, it’s fast pace, in your face, look out here we come and yet parts are still slow calm 3rd world. I challenged Will to try and put it into words…and as only Will could do….he got as close as you can without experiencing it yourself. [...] [...] I’m still reflecting on conversations I had with Will, Sheryl and Wes while they visited Shanghai after the conference. I love it when people come to visit…you get to see Shanghai through new eyes. Most people are overwhelmed and I think Wes, Will, and Sheryl are no exceptions. It’s not the China you picture in movies, it’s fast pace, in your face, look out here we come and yet parts are still slow calm 3rd world. I challenged Will to try and put it into words…and as only Will could do….he got as close as you can without experiencing it yourself. [...]

]]> By: Catshanghai » Images, Voices and Autopilot http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/comment-page-1/#comment-34180 Catshanghai » Images, Voices and Autopilot Fri, 21 Sep 2007 07:59:47 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/#comment-34180 [...] Contrast this with Will Richardson’s recent impressions of Shanghai. And then there is the old part of Shanghai, the “real” China, the part where a restaurant may be a couple of chairs and a table on a street corner where people can sit after buying some type of meat or fish on a stick that’s been barbecued on a makeshift grill built on to the back of a 30-year-old bicycle. A place where people dry their clothes and their linens on lines or fences or poles…anything that works. A place where you can buy these large, loud crickets housed in clay pots or small, bamboo cages and then enter them into some type of insect cage match for sport. A place where in almost every dimly lit storefront or window you can see people selling and bartering during the day, and lazing about, smoking cigarettes, playing cards or board games at night. A place where elderly couples stroll slowly along the sidewalks while half-crazed scooter drivers and cyclists weave in and out among them. A place where, according to Jeff, blocks of people may be “removed” overnight, their homes razed with amazing speed to make room for new big, Western buildings. A place where you can fill yourself up on really good dumplings for a dollar or less. [...] [...] Contrast this with Will Richardson’s recent impressions of Shanghai. And then there is the old part of Shanghai, the “real” China, the part where a restaurant may be a couple of chairs and a table on a street corner where people can sit after buying some type of meat or fish on a stick that’s been barbecued on a makeshift grill built on to the back of a 30-year-old bicycle. A place where people dry their clothes and their linens on lines or fences or poles…anything that works. A place where you can buy these large, loud crickets housed in clay pots or small, bamboo cages and then enter them into some type of insect cage match for sport. A place where in almost every dimly lit storefront or window you can see people selling and bartering during the day, and lazing about, smoking cigarettes, playing cards or board games at night. A place where elderly couples stroll slowly along the sidewalks while half-crazed scooter drivers and cyclists weave in and out among them. A place where, according to Jeff, blocks of people may be “removed” overnight, their homes razed with amazing speed to make room for new big, Western buildings. A place where you can fill yourself up on really good dumplings for a dollar or less. [...]

]]> By: Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/comment-page-1/#comment-34163 Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach Fri, 21 Sep 2007 01:03:25 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/#comment-34163 You have captured this so beautifully. It gives wings to the experiences we had - a trip not soon forgotten. You have captured this so beautifully. It gives wings to the experiences we had – a trip not soon forgotten.

]]> By: Weblogg-ed » Back in the U.S.S.A! http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/comment-page-1/#comment-34101 Weblogg-ed » Back in the U.S.S.A! Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:41:25 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/#comment-34101 [...] And just one more quick thing that I found of interest for now (although I’m sure I’ll be blog processing this trip for weeks to come), Tom Friedman’s column yesterday spelled out a lot of the same themes I wrote about the other day. In some cases almost eerily so. In talking about the Chinese city of Dalian which is almost as big as New York but has no name recognition at all, he writes I am not blaming them. It is a blessing that their people are growing out of poverty. And, after all, they’re just following the high-energy growth model pioneered by America. We’re still the world’s biggest energy hogs, but we’re now producing carbon copies in places you’ve never heard of. Yes, “Americans” are popping up all over now — people who once lived low-energy lifestyles but by dint of oil wealth or hard work are now moving into U.S.-style apartments, cars and appliances. [...] [...] And just one more quick thing that I found of interest for now (although I’m sure I’ll be blog processing this trip for weeks to come), Tom Friedman’s column yesterday spelled out a lot of the same themes I wrote about the other day. In some cases almost eerily so. In talking about the Chinese city of Dalian which is almost as big as New York but has no name recognition at all, he writes I am not blaming them. It is a blessing that their people are growing out of poverty. And, after all, they’re just following the high-energy growth model pioneered by America. We’re still the world’s biggest energy hogs, but we’re now producing carbon copies in places you’ve never heard of. Yes, “Americans” are popping up all over now — people who once lived low-energy lifestyles but by dint of oil wealth or hard work are now moving into U.S.-style apartments, cars and appliances. [...]

]]> By: Weblogg-ed » Back in the U.S.S.A! http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/comment-page-1/#comment-34102 Weblogg-ed » Back in the U.S.S.A! Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:41:24 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/#comment-34102 [...] And just one more quick thing that I found of interest for now (although I’m sure I’ll be blog processing this trip for weeks to come), Tom Friedman’s column yesterday spelled out a lot of the same themes I wrote about the other day. In some cases almost eerily so. In talking about the Chinese city of Dalian which is almost as big as New York but has no name recognition at all, he writes I am not blaming them. It is a blessing that their people are growing out of poverty. And, after all, they’re just following the high-energy growth model pioneered by America. We’re still the world’s biggest energy hogs, but we’re now producing carbon copies in places you’ve never heard of. Yes, “Americans” are popping up all over now — people who once lived low-energy lifestyles but by dint of oil wealth or hard work are now moving into U.S.-style apartments, cars and appliances. [...] [...] And just one more quick thing that I found of interest for now (although I’m sure I’ll be blog processing this trip for weeks to come), Tom Friedman’s column yesterday spelled out a lot of the same themes I wrote about the other day. In some cases almost eerily so. In talking about the Chinese city of Dalian which is almost as big as New York but has no name recognition at all, he writes I am not blaming them. It is a blessing that their people are growing out of poverty. And, after all, they’re just following the high-energy growth model pioneered by America. We’re still the world’s biggest energy hogs, but we’re now producing carbon copies in places you’ve never heard of. Yes, “Americans” are popping up all over now — people who once lived low-energy lifestyles but by dint of oil wealth or hard work are now moving into U.S.-style apartments, cars and appliances. [...]

]]> By: Gwendolyn Martin http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/comment-page-1/#comment-34087 Gwendolyn Martin Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:18:49 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/#comment-34087 This piece is why we read your work. I was anxious to learn what reactions you would have to the city I have called home for 4 years. I laughed out loud, I nodded in agreement, and I read parts to my office mates. Your last paragraph brought it all together for me. Looking forward to the book that must be in process. This piece is why we read your work. I was anxious to learn what reactions you would have to the city I have called home for 4 years. I laughed out loud, I nodded in agreement, and I read parts to my office mates. Your last paragraph brought it all together for me. Looking forward to the book that must be in process.

]]> By: Cheryl Oakes http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/comment-page-1/#comment-34060 Cheryl Oakes Wed, 19 Sep 2007 22:44:37 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/#comment-34060 Will, Thanks for taking us on your trip. The words were sheer poetry. Cheryl Will, Thanks for taking us on your trip. The words were sheer poetry.
Cheryl

]]> By: Sarah http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/comment-page-1/#comment-34055 Sarah Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:56:08 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/#comment-34055 I join the others in praise of this post. Great descriptions and personal, emotive content. Your reactions to Shanghai remind me a bit of my own sentiments when living in Australia for four months...which leads me to wonder whether being in a foreign environment engenders a certain degree objectivity not as easily accessible on one's home turf. In Australia, I spent time in western, modern cities like Sydney, and also hiked through the Outback in the Red Center and the tropical rainforests up North. I was struck by the juxtaposition of ancient cave drawings and remnants of Aboriginal culture 40,000 years old with bustling, polluted cities. Of course, this dichotomy is present in nearly all industrial and industrializing nations--including the U.S. But something about seeing it elsewhere, as an outsider, makes it all the more salient. Again, thanks for bringing this issues--that impact us all--to light so colorfully. It seems to me that our greatest resource to engage and confront these realities is our shared humanity...as you seem to conclude in your final paragraph. I join the others in praise of this post. Great descriptions and personal, emotive content.

Your reactions to Shanghai remind me a bit of my own sentiments when living in Australia for four months…which leads me to wonder whether being in a foreign environment engenders a certain degree objectivity not as easily accessible on one’s home turf.

In Australia, I spent time in western, modern cities like Sydney, and also hiked through the Outback in the Red Center and the tropical rainforests up North. I was struck by the juxtaposition of ancient cave drawings and remnants of Aboriginal culture 40,000 years old with bustling, polluted cities. Of course, this dichotomy is present in nearly all industrial and industrializing nations–including the U.S. But something about seeing it elsewhere, as an outsider, makes it all the more salient.

Again, thanks for bringing this issues–that impact us all–to light so colorfully. It seems to me that our greatest resource to engage and confront these realities is our shared humanity…as you seem to conclude in your final paragraph.

]]> By: Will Richardson http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/comment-page-1/#comment-34048 Will Richardson Wed, 19 Sep 2007 19:07:31 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/#comment-34048 More pictures, btw, at http://flickr.com/photos/wrichard/sets/72157602067108131/ More pictures, btw, at http://flickr.com/photos/wrichard/sets/72157602067108131/

]]> By: Will Richardson http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/comment-page-1/#comment-34046 Will Richardson Wed, 19 Sep 2007 19:05:32 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/#comment-34046 How cool is that? Blog post as required reading! Thanks so much to all for the kind feedback. There are times when the moment requires only, as Walter Smith famously said, sitting down to write and "opening up a vein." It's such an amazing place... How cool is that? Blog post as required reading! Thanks so much to all for the kind feedback. There are times when the moment requires only, as Walter Smith famously said, sitting down to write and “opening up a vein.” It’s such an amazing place…

]]> By: Diane P. http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/comment-page-1/#comment-34042 Diane P. Wed, 19 Sep 2007 18:12:00 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/#comment-34042 Like Diana I am planning on reading this to my 7th graders when we study China. Thanks for the insights and the photo. Like Diana I am planning on reading this to my 7th graders when we study China. Thanks for the insights and the photo.

]]> By: Barbara http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/comment-page-1/#comment-34034 Barbara Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:43:59 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/#comment-34034 Our 8th grade teacher just made this post required reading. This particular class had a skype call with Jeff's school last year so this post will have special meaning for them. Hey Will you didn't know you were writing curriculum did you! Thanks for the great post! Our 8th grade teacher just made this post required reading. This particular class had a skype call with Jeff’s school last year so this post will have special meaning for them.
Hey Will you didn’t know you were writing curriculum did you! Thanks for the great post!

]]> By: Jennifer Wagner http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/comment-page-1/#comment-34026 Jennifer Wagner Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:23:26 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/#comment-34026 This post was one of your best -- and the last paragraph was unbelievable. You were an artist with words!! Thank you!! Thank you also for sharing your trip with us. Many of us have never crossed the ocean (and probably will not).......the visons you saw and shared on your blog, allowed us to participate in the journey with you. You have an amazing way with words -- thank you for this post. Jennifer This post was one of your best — and the last paragraph was unbelievable. You were an artist with words!! Thank you!!

Thank you also for sharing your trip with us. Many of us have never crossed the ocean (and probably will not)…….the visons you saw and shared on your blog, allowed us to participate in the journey with you.

You have an amazing way with words — thank you for this post.

Jennifer

]]> By: Angela Yao http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/comment-page-1/#comment-33998 Angela Yao Wed, 19 Sep 2007 04:14:15 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/#comment-33998 Very appreciative of the comments: opening new prospect to the mind of a Shanghai-born-Shanghai-bred Chinese teaching US history and culture at college in Shanghai and is teaching, for a short while, Mandarin and Chinese culture in Mexico. A new horizon might come into sight when we look at history from a slightly different angle. That's the way I feel browsing the posting. Very appreciative of the comments: opening new prospect to the mind of a Shanghai-born-Shanghai-bred Chinese teaching US history and culture at college in Shanghai and is teaching, for a short while, Mandarin and Chinese culture in Mexico. A new horizon might come into sight when we look at history from a slightly different angle. That’s the way I feel browsing the posting.

]]> By: Diana http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/comment-page-1/#comment-33995 Diana Wed, 19 Sep 2007 03:54:45 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2007/surreal-shanghai/#comment-33995 so, I read this to my middle schoolers today... the abridged version and as I started into the last paragraph the room went silent, a rare moment in a middle school classroom. I repeated that five times throughout the day and everytime the same reaction. Thank you for enriching the learning environment today in Flagstaff, AZ. so, I read this to my middle schoolers today… the abridged version and as I started into the last paragraph the room went silent, a rare moment in a middle school classroom. I repeated that five times throughout the day and everytime the same reaction. Thank you for enriching the learning environment today in Flagstaff, AZ.

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