A. KHAZANOV, Doctor of Historical Sciences At the end of 2007 I happened to be in Shanghai. This is my fifth trip to China, and the last time I was here (including Shanghai) was in 2002.I noticed the big changes that have taken place in these five years. A lot of ultramodern multi-storey buildings have appeared - banks, hotels, supermarkets, government offices. An incredible construction boom. Shanghai has become a city of skyscrapers-in terms of their number, it surpassed both Hong Kong and New York. In general, in Shanghai, gigantomania manifests itself everywhere and in everything - the desire to build the biggest, tallest, most grandiose, to surpass everyone in everything. On the way to the city, I saw one of the most important sights of Shanghai - Maglev - the world's only super-fast magnetic monorail. Its length is 30 km. Trains run along it at a speed of 431 km per hour. The trip duration is only 7 minutes and 20 seconds. A ticket costs 5 yuan (a little more than 7 yuan in one dollar). Another attraction that must be shown to all tourists is the Pearl of the East TV tower, which has a spectacular and original architecture and rises almost to the clouds. Its height is 468 m. It is the tallest TV tower in Asia and the third in the world. The elevator can accommodate 50 people. The speed is crazy-7 m per second. Inside it is the most interesting museum of Shanghai history. In 1999, the 88-story Jin Mao Tower was built. Its architecture combines modern elements with the design elements of an ancient Chinese pagoda. It is the fourth tallest skyscraper in the world. At the top is a viewing platform from which you can see the Yangtze River. Shanghai is the most westernized city in China. At the same time, its charm lies in its cultural and architectural diversity, combining the traditional architecture of a number of its districts and the modern, Western-style skyscrapers on the waterfront along the Huangpu River. Alongside these waterfront skyscrapers, the artfully ... Read more