The times they are a'changing

I’ve arrived in Shanghai on the final leg of a business trip that takes me home to London after three weeks on the road. This is my first visit in more than two years. As has been the pattern for almost a decade of travel into China, the nation continues to transform itself. While in transit to my hotel I noted three significant changes.

First, Pudong airport has almost completed a second terminal wing. I’ve seen scale models of the airport with up to three identical terminals built around a central core of transport links. Two years ago, the first of these buildings was open for business and the ground had barely been broken on the second.

Second, the high-speed maglev train service into the city is up and running. This amazing train operates at a top speed of 431 km/h (268 mph), covering a 30.5 km track between the airport and town in less than eight minutes. I simply had to give it a go this morning.


The ride was reasonably smooth even as the train progressively accelerated to its top speed. Each carriage has a digital display showing the train’s speed at any given moment. Watching those glowing green numbers peak at 431km/h was the highlight of my day. My own personal land speed record.

Finally, I was surprised to see that the Shanghai World Financial Centre building is almost complete. This soaring skyscraper project has been delayed so many times I’d come to believe it would never be built. However, it now stands watch over the Huangpu River, dwarfing the once dominant profile of nearby Jin Mao Building.


The Jin Mao is more than 420.5 metres (1,380 feet) tall. It generated national headlines across Australia in 2003 when BASE jumper, Roland Simpson died following a sanctioned jump from the top of the building. Garry and I had cocktails in the Cloud 9 bar on Level 87 in late 2003. The view was spectacular, however the floor to ceiling windows were a tad unnerving. There's no way you'll catch me leaping from it.

Upon completion the new Financial Centre will be 492 metres (1,614 feet) high. The top of the building will be capped by a enormous square hole through its upper-most floors. You can see the hole currently taking shape.

While some things have changed, other things remain as I remember them. My cab driver was hell-bent on breaking my new personal land speed record without the aid of maglev technology and an ever-present dull haze still blankets the city.