On the joys and woes of globalization

25/Jul/2018. On the joys and woes of globalization.

PEK-ULN flight no. OM224. 

55 hours. Four separate flights, an overnight stay in one of those utilitarian airport hotels and several overly-salted, extra-saucy airplane/airport meals later, I'm finally about to arrive in Ulaanbaatar. I feel as though I've been traveling for over a week already, which has made me feel at the same time both very tired and disconnected from work and my Mexico City rut.

14 years. Last time I was in Shanghai, in 2004, the city was a mix of colonialist glamour--most represented by the buildings on the Bund and the expats wandering around the French quarter--, hopes of a prosperous tomorrow brought about by the new money--reflected in the Pearl Tower and the new constructions of the Putong area--, and hoards of people not partaking in and probably not caring about the business/policy decisions being made to ensure that such prosperous tomorrow ever took place. All those things have now changed. The city has gone full-fledged shine and spark and glitz. Nanjing road, the most famous street in Shanghai, has replaced its street vendors and food stalls with massive shopping malls full of Omega and Bottega Veneta signs. The expats have left the French concession and now roam around the plethora of Starbucks and Haagen Dazs around town. The many locals that loitered on People's Square and in the many city parks now greet you from the other other side of the counter in all those foreign-named businesses, even if they still can't pronounce them.

China, and particularly a place like Shanghai, is in many ways your typical globalization story. New businesses seem to have thrived and are a reflection of the world-famous double-digit economic growth rates the country has enjoyed over the last 15 years. China's insertion into the global economy has nourished its citizens, enlarged its middle class, and made the locals take the Maglev (express train that connects downtown Shanghai with the airport in about 8 minutes, reaching a speed of 431 kph) instead of the metro, even if it's 7-8 times more expensive. 

But at what cost? One cannot help but wonder how many McDonald's, Pizza Huts and KFCs are acceptable in the name of economic improvement before they begin to erase a country's cultural identity. As a Mexican, how comfortable am I as a local having yet another 7-eleven around the corner while Dona Juquilita's street stand disappears into oblivion together with its tlayudas and its soft-drinks-in-plastic-bags-with-a-straw. As a tourist, how many Starbucks stores would it take for me to feel comfortable enough that I can drink a frappuccino in the Shanghai summer heat any time I want instead of a cup of green tea?

Of course, Shanghai men still walk around with their shirts half up, their bellies balking in the burning sun. The women still carry their umbrellas everywhere and wear separate flowery, lace sleeves along their t-shirts to protect their arms. People spit here and there and cut the line. The smell of fried noodles and steamed dumpling are ubiquitous. I wonder if such things ever change.