Shanghai vs Beijing, Which to Turn China's Hi-tech Cosmopolis?

A few years ago, Shanghai citizens habitually eyed strangers descending from other parts of China as "country bumpkins".

With a per-capita GDP average of over US$4000 achieved in 2000, Shanghai has now been well on way to become a developed cosmopolis.

Shanghai will become China's first modern metropolitan city by 2015, three years earlier than Beijing.

But Beijing is to be modernized ahead of Shanghai, according to news media.

Odds and Ends from Taxi Riding

When taking a Shanghai taxi, you needn't worry the driver would make unnecessary detours to charge you more. They will stop at the very spot you want and give change neatly. Their judgements on distance often stun you.

Contrarily, Beijing's taxi drivers form a very special group, making their Shanghai counterparts wonder why they have so many tales to tell, why they are so talkative and ever ready to comment on international affairs. As a Shanghai native puts it, driving taxi is just a trade as others, our drivers do not form a special group but bear greater job pressures. They have got their own game rules and would help you to choose the shortest and most convenient route. While Beijing's taxi drivers are trying to get more money from every single taxi rider by choosing longer routes purposely.

Shanghai People Practical, Beijingers Not

Beijingers bear a habitual prejudice against Shanghai people, thought to be stingy, exclusive and vain. But when they get more touches with Shanghai people they will develop a kind of respect. Compared with boastful Beijingers who like to get together and shoot the breeze, Shanghai people are more practical.

Shanghai people would haggle over every ounce in business talks, and be careful and responsible in carrying out documents. While Beijing people look more generous and casual.

In finding jobs, Shanghai people are more concerned with details as salary, welfare and overtime work, while Beijing people pay more attention to the prospect of a company. Even so, they skip jobs more frequently, impatient in waiting for promotions as Shanghai counterparts do.

Which is More International?

"Say less, do more" is the motto for a city like Shanghai. It is said an amount of 20bn yuan were put in infrastructure construction, "we pave notes on the street", as is put by themselves.

Shanghai's light track has been opened to traffic while Beijing is still under discussion, not to mention the "one through-card" combining bus, taxi and subway. This would remind Beijing people of the subway ticket, a thin, small piece of paper, and make them really feel like "country bumpkins".

Which is More Modernized?

Shanghai people are confident in catching up with Hong Kong in city development within ten years. The per-capita GDP for the city has surpassed US$4,000 in 2000, marking an upgrading course of development.

According to a timetable mapped out by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai will become China's first modernized cosmopolis by 2015, three years earlier than Beijing. While Beijing mayor Liu Qi says modernization is a dynamic course and it is entirely possible for Beijing to become modernized ahead of Shanghai.

Focus on Hi-tech

Both Shanghai and Beijing stress hi-tech in their 10th Five-year Plans, centering on Zhongguancun and Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park respectively.

Beijing says: make arduous efforts to develop hi-tech industry, reform and upgrade traditional industries, with Zhongguancun as dragon head to lead the way ahead. Focus should be laid on five major industries as IT, biological engineering and new medicine, photoelectricity, new materials, environmental protection and comprehensive utilization of resources. Headway should be made on key technologies as gene engineering, biological chips, super large-scale integrated circuits (SLIC), nano and like forward industries.

While Shanghai writes: lay efforts on a batch of major projects and the development of microelectronics and intellectual products represented by communication products, computer, software and integrated circuits. By 2005 percentage of IT industry in GDP would surpass 13 percent.

Both Beijing and Shanghai hope to play an important role in China's development in a new economic formation. Maybe what is important is how they compete with the world in their own ways rather than which will become China's hi-tech cosmopolis.



By PD Online staff member Li Heng


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