September 23, 2011

You can eat off of the pavement in certain sections of Shanghai. I feel as if the part of the city where we are staying is almost too new. The best analogy I can think of are new white tennis sneakers – almost too bright and only look right when they get a few marks.

We just finished a visit to Hareon Solar (www.hareonsolar.com) a Chinese solar company.   Beginning at the end of 2010, ground was broken on a joint venture with Schott Solar in Taicang, a city of about one million, 40 or so kilometers from Shanghai. Taicang is a small town by Chinese standards, with about 800,000

I found it jarring when I visited the famous Buddhist temple in Shanghai (pictures of dignitaries such as Bill Clinton and Nancy Reagan adorn the wall) that there are jade religious symbols in the form of reverse swastikas. Let’s just say these formations are not hot selling trinkets for tourists.

In the autumn in Shanghai the delicacy “hairy crabs” is readily consumed by the locals. Some have said that there is a need for American-trained managers and marketing experts. I do not know about the need for expat managers, but a more appealing description of some of the culinary delights would be appreciated. Another popular

Offended by the $5 cost for a tall Starbucks coffee I decided to go local and visit a famous tea house in Old Town Shanghai. On my limited budget I passed on the $25 tea and ordered the cheapest item on the menu: a $10 glass pot of jasmine tea. Far more of an experience