Shanghai: Life, Love and Infrastructure in China's City of the Future

By: Stephen Grace

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Synopsis: Shanghai is the most modern and dynamic city in China. In preparation for hosting the World Expo 2010, a World's Fair in the grand tradition of international fairs and expositions, the megalopolis embarked on an overhaul to transform itself from the "Pearl of the Orient" into the "City of the Future." Here, the world's tallest buildings soar, the planet's longest bridges span toxic waterways, and the fastest train on earth rockets the city from its storied past toward a future that seems, by turns, either as bright or as hideous as the lights that set the hazy sky aglow each night. At a time when interest in China has seen a sharp increase that shows no signs of abating, Shanghai places China's development and its effects on the world into context by explaining how the country arrived where it is today and why it is building massive infrastructure projects with tremendous social and environmental impact. Shanghai provides an intimate look inside a mega-city heaving with change and offers essential insight into the challenges of remaining human in an increasingly urbanized world.