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an open personal world
I love Beijing Tian'anmen,
where the sun rises,
where the Great Leader Chairman Mao guides us forward.
This song was made in Shanghai. It reached far out into the world. Selected by the former US President Jimmy Carter, on the state banquet of 1979, this song was sung by a group of greeting kids to entertain the visiting guest Deng Xiaoping. As a song, it created its own legend; it would be a timeless legacy lasting forever.
There seemingly exists a law. Things, as related to Beijing, would become fundamentally different. Does Beijing really own a transforming power like this? A few typical examples say "Yes".
Beijing Opera: China's finest opera featuring wonderfully refined singing styles and elegant stage moves. Beijing Great Wall: China's best-preserved portion of the Great Wall, a symbol of modern China. Beijing Roasted Ducks: China's most popular name-brand cuisine food. Beijing Real Estate: China's most costly housing in the market. Beijinger: China's best-informed citizens of most pride as with Shanghaiese.
Shanghai is China's the other lead city. The rise of Shanghai profited from the Rebellion best known as "Peaceful Heaven Movement " in the 19th century. This civil war left tens of millions of the people in panic. Tycoons of eastern and southern China flooded into Shanghai, the ultimate shelter for these scared safety-seekers. This made Shanghai a super giant overnight in a broad sense.
The Shanghai population was a mix of the local inhabitants (65%) and migrants (35%). Given that the migrants spoke in different accents, ate different foods, and lived in different life styles, a sudden inflow of such many migrants could be a drive for chaos and conflicts. Thanks to the open-mindedness of the predecessors, a unique inclusive Shanghai culture came into being as a result of the social choice: the fittest survival. Now the Shanghai vocabulary with different origins including Suzhou, Ningbo, and Guangdong, etc. are in use throughout the city. It is amazing many English words turned out to be part of the Shanghai vocabulary as well.
The formation of Beijing vocabulary is dissimilar. Despite the autocracy of the Manchu Regime, the Manchu language had never come to be the mainstream speaking medium of the city. Interestingly, its influence on the Beijing vocabulary is quite limited, and its use is rather confined to the setting of Manchu people, mostly in the type of TV serials. This situation is, somewhat, similar to the Anglo-Saxon sticking to the English in the period of French conquest of England. Presently, around 29% of English vocabulary is from French, suggesting that the proud Anglo-Saxon eventually compromised and embraced inclusiveness.
So why were Beijinger so guarded in this cultural identity? A reasonable answer, I think, is the unmatched superiority that Beijing has enjoyed. It takes a huge amount of time and pride to develop a social confidence. Beijing's long history satisfies this requirement; it has long been a capital city since the 11th century, stretching from Liao, Jin, to Yuan, Ming, Qing Dynasty, and now the People's Republic.
This, however, does not mean that inclusiveness cannot be seen in Beijing, which actually showed a big heart for the western cultures. An ironic example is the Royal Yuanming Garden, a majestic complex, synthesizing the magnificance of both Chinese and Western architectures, yet finally burnt down by the Allies. Inclusiveness and confiddence are two recognized elements to sustain civilization, sound governance, thus, calls for the subtle balance to obviate the extremes of supremacy versus submission.
History is the best teacher that believes in patience, longevity and lasting fame. The modern history appeared to be both a Demon and Savior for Beijing; suffering repeatedly the horrifying desperation in the darkest times of the history, Beijing finally got conditioned to be a superb survivor of crisis. As such, they know really well the importance of self-support for self-growth and self-upgrading, and on the other hand the trick and art to maintain the image and maximize their interests. All these traits help define what Beijing is, and all these, put together, seem to have interpreted the magical force that Beijing mastered.
Shanghai represents another type of smartness that China has evolved. Whenever China is faced with challenge, Shanghai is always the trusted ace capable of coming up with solutions. No doubt, China is grateful for having Shanghai, the savvy in developing know-how(s), in engaging businesses, in nurturing human resources, and so on and on. As the major maker of these great successes, it is a privilege of Shanghai to constantly measure and check her own importance to secure an even better future.
To precisely understand Shanghai, a fact should be mentioned: Shanghai has been a self-maker from the very beginning; it grew from a village cell into a town tissue, and currently a metropolis titan. Growth of this type is the result of interaction between the regional will and the national needs. Shanghaiese are great dreamers; they directed the dreams with their own visions and confidence. Compared with Beijing, Shanghai is much more proactive, much more self-determining, and much more efficient. Being healthy matters to China of these two great cities.
