5 ms·

The tale of two Shanghais

81 points by vrnvu 2y ago

tugu77 2y ago
I'm quite disappointed by the article. It's not really about two Shanghais. Sure, it mentions an alleged divide, but it then doesn't actually explore the contrast but spends most of the time with skyscaper porn. I'm sure the average Shanghaian would be a little offended if their city is reduced to those.
- oersted 2y ago
  The title is certainly misleading and sets the wrong expectation, but I found it a rather pleasant and informative read.
- digiconfucius 2y ago
  Perhaps a better title would have been "Skyscrapers of Shanghai."
dewey 2y ago
I finished the book "Last Kings of Shanghai" (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48890489-the-last-kings-of-shanghai https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48890489-the-last-kings-...) a few days ago and it has some overlap with this article. It's a very good and interesting read if you are curious about this part of the history, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Opium Wars etc. Can highly recommend it!
- DenverR 2y ago
  Came here to comment the same. One of my favorite reads of the year.
kaycebasques 2y ago
Often, as I look at Salesforce Tower in SF, I remember that Shanghai Tower is twice as tall.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
1oooqooq 2y ago
> I was initially fascinated by the amount of engineering that goes into extreme buildings. That fascination shifted as I started to see skyscrapers as cultural markers, and the results of complex systems of economics and politics. I don't think any field is free from this adage.
- palmfacehn 2y ago
  "The Skyscraper Curse" https://mises.org/online-book/skyscraper-curse-and-how-austrian-economists-predicted-every-major-economic-crisis-last-century/chapter-9-it-not-skyscrapers-fault https://mises.org/online-book/skyscraper-curse-and-how-austr... There's an interesting correlation between the business cycle and record breaking skyscrapers.
  - bobthepanda 2y ago
    A summary of what it is since the above link is talking a while about commentary on criticisms of the skyscraper curse before actually discussing it; Record breaking skyscrapers rarely make sense because they are expensive to build and hard to fill, so their groundbreaking is associated with the late period of a time of easy credit and low rates.
    - InDubioProRubio 2y ago
      And yet, we do it- all the mighty of the earth want to get high: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torri_di_Bologna https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torri_di_Bologna https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziggurat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziggurat
      - fakedang 2y ago
        There's a line in the Quran that the apocalypse is near when the sons of shepherds compete in building towers that try to reach the sky. A lot of Muslims allude in particular to the current crop of oil rich sheikhs (who are technically born from nomadic shepherding people) vying to build the world's tallest towers. Except man has been trying to do that since time immemorial :D.

81 points by vrnvu 2y ago

I'm quite disappointed by the article. It's not really about two Shanghais. Sure, it mentions an alleged divide, but it then doesn't actually explore the contrast but spends most of the time with skyscaper porn. I'm sure the average Shanghaian would be a little offended if their city is reduced to those.

oersted 2y ago
The title is certainly misleading and sets the wrong expectation, but I found it a rather pleasant and informative read.
digiconfucius 2y ago
Perhaps a better title would have been "Skyscrapers of Shanghai."

dewey 2y ago

I finished the book "Last Kings of Shanghai" (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48890489-the-last-kings-of-shanghai https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48890489-the-last-kings-...) a few days ago and it has some overlap with this article. It's a very good and interesting read if you are curious about this part of the history, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Opium Wars etc. Can highly recommend it!

DenverR 2y ago
Came here to comment the same. One of my favorite reads of the year.

kaycebasques 2y ago

Often, as I look at Salesforce Tower in SF, I remember that Shanghai Tower is twice as tall.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

1oooqooq 2y ago

> I was initially fascinated by the amount of engineering that goes into extreme buildings. That fascination shifted as I started to see skyscrapers as cultural markers, and the results of complex systems of economics and politics. I don't think any field is free from this adage.

palmfacehn 2y ago
"The Skyscraper Curse" https://mises.org/online-book/skyscraper-curse-and-how-austrian-economists-predicted-every-major-economic-crisis-last-century/chapter-9-it-not-skyscrapers-fault https://mises.org/online-book/skyscraper-curse-and-how-austr... There's an interesting correlation between the business cycle and record breaking skyscrapers.
- bobthepanda 2y ago
  A summary of what it is since the above link is talking a while about commentary on criticisms of the skyscraper curse before actually discussing it; Record breaking skyscrapers rarely make sense because they are expensive to build and hard to fill, so their groundbreaking is associated with the late period of a time of easy credit and low rates.
  - InDubioProRubio 2y ago
    And yet, we do it- all the mighty of the earth want to get high: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torri_di_Bologna https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torri_di_Bologna https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziggurat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziggurat
    - fakedang 2y ago
      There's a line in the Quran that the apocalypse is near when the sons of shepherds compete in building towers that try to reach the sky. A lot of Muslims allude in particular to the current crop of oil rich sheikhs (who are technically born from nomadic shepherding people) vying to build the world's tallest towers. Except man has been trying to do that since time immemorial :D.