Shanghai... a developing HK?

Coming to this city I wasn't expecting any life altering memories and I think up to this point it has been like that. Shanghai is a very strange "well-developed" city in that you can see and sense incredible disparities in the modern and past aspects of the city. The first thing you really notice when stepping into the city is the immense staleness brought on by pollution and the different Shanghainese way of life compared to HK. You take it for granted in HK, but the modern fashion seen in HK is vastly lacking in Shanghai. Of course, i think this is the fact that Shanghai is still very much linked to the styles in Mainland China. Also, the MTR system in HK is something that is definitely missed whilst you turn around and see someone spitting all over the floor. I think I was envisioning a different view of Shanghai since is the developing financial capital of China. However, I think I forgot to take into consideration what "developing" meant. 

The awesome thing about Shanghai is that it is much more in line with the Chinese identity, culture and history than HK. Of course this should not come as a surprise given its strong ties with China compared to HK with its British colonial rule. Although the Shanghai museum wasn't interesting, it was fun going with my mom so that she could give me a bit of her knowledge on things put on display at the museum. It was sad thinking about how within a generation all this information could be lost, particularly in my generation. I wish that my grandpa was here to come with us - he would have really enjoyed it there. I think it makes it all the more important that I learn about my roots to pass on the knowledge to the next generation. One of my highlights on this trip was eating a lot of Shanghainese buns "siulongbao" until I could barely bucket my belt. We went to the famous restaurant in the Old Town with 3 floors. The first is for buying take-out ($12), the 2nd floor (which we sat at) is the more informal sit-in ($22), and the 3rd is the super formal, most expensive floor ($60). Keep in mind all these floors offered the exact same thing but different prices and atmosphere. When we went to the 2nd floor it was essentially like a zoo and people were literally standing there waiting to take our seats. The wait and disturbances were worth it though cause I have my lifetime supply of siulongbao. I also tried stinky tofu and was not a huge fan. I should have bought a huge pack of gum before trying it. I can't wait for Hangzhou tomorrow though. It'll be a really nice escape from the smog (and maybe people). I hope it's as picturesque as all the Chinese poets and people who have gone there say it.