The trip to Shanghai, as every trip usually, is a rebirth. And arriving in Shanghai in June 2019 was easy to be reborn. Especially if young Yifei, my former assistant Professor at UCM welcomes you and your stay is in the French Quarter.
There is a lot of beauty in the French Quarter, where I stay when I come to Shanghai. This is my second time in the city. Very beautiful, elegant and well-groomed women, streets with centenary trees, very leafy, coming together forming a vegetable arch or tunnel, from beginning to end in the two sides of the street. Careful showcases, divine florists, hotels with fantastic lobbies with 'happy hour' or tea time with piano, when one is exhausted from the long day's work and the hectic city.
THE PURPOSE OF THE TRIP
FUDAN DISTRICT
Fudan is surrended by one of the most technologically innovative districts of Shanghai, and this is also to say in the world today. In addition, Fudan is one of the five universities that has just obtained significant funds from the Chinese government to transfer technology and knowledge to companies and civil society. I remember the images of 2015 in that vibrant neighborhood and I look forward to returning. What I find, however, beats my expectations.
And in this trip, I want to continue to consolidate relations established in 2015. To that end, everything I learn in my trip to China, from trends, newspapers and interviews is very useful before the conference. What works and what does not work in China; And what works worse than in 2005, my first trip, and the second in 2015. The test for reality of books and scientific articles. Really a lot learned!
Fudan is surrended by one of the most technologically innovative districts of Shanghai, and this is also to say in the world today. In addition, Fudan is one of the five universities that has just obtained significant funds from the Chinese government to transfer technology and knowledge to companies and civil society. I remember the images of 2015 in that vibrant neighborhood and I look forward to returning. What I find, however, beats my expectations.
In Fudan, an important milestone is the world conference on innovation in public administration 2019, where we present a paper on the different philosophical foundations of participation. Differences East and West. Im am interested in differences in the exercise of power. My co-author, Dr. Zheng and I have worked hard for months to make a very good contribution. And at this point I think it is very original and elegant. Simple, as economists would say.
At the congress, the institutional objectives are several: publish the paper in a high-impact journal -hopefully. Another goal is to be invited as a professor in Shanghai, Fudan or Hong Kong University, once again. Both are universities with top-level multidisciplinary departments of government and public management. I remember often during this trip my Master thesis director, Jonathan Hartlyn, who helped me prepare my first trip in 2015 and opened important doors for me to be received at Fudan. Not surprisingly, our Faculty in North Carolina was number one in sociology in the USA when I studied there before getting the doctorate in philosophy. That well-prepared entry work in 2005 had results in the joint edition of the Governing China in the XXI century series, under the co-ordination of Yiyia Jing and George Osborne.
At the congress, the institutional objectives are several: publish the paper in a high-impact journal -hopefully. Another goal is to be invited as a professor in Shanghai, Fudan or Hong Kong University, once again. Both are universities with top-level multidisciplinary departments of government and public management. I remember often during this trip my Master thesis director, Jonathan Hartlyn, who helped me prepare my first trip in 2015 and opened important doors for me to be received at Fudan. Not surprisingly, our Faculty in North Carolina was number one in sociology in the USA when I studied there before getting the doctorate in philosophy. That well-prepared entry work in 2005 had results in the joint edition of the Governing China in the XXI century series, under the co-ordination of Yiyia Jing and George Osborne.
And in this trip, I want to continue to consolidate relations established in 2015. To that end, everything I learn in my trip to China, from trends, newspapers and interviews is very useful before the conference. What works and what does not work in China; And what works worse than in 2005, my first trip, and the second in 2015. The test for reality of books and scientific articles. Really a lot learned!
I still have to complete the upload of videos to youtube with the showcase, something complicated in China because the facilities for sharing images in China are much smaller than in my former trips in 2015 and 2005. The complete list will be available in the series Silk Road.
HERE ARE SOME AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS, INCLUDING THE THE SHANGHAI-CANTON EXPERIENCE
My stay at the French Quarter in the first part of the trip is focused on preparations of the work I will present in Fudan, together with my co-author, Tian-cheng Zheng. It is also focused to study on the ground power relations in cities and megalopolis. For this matter I have chosen a very special place to start, and my accommodation is in a traditional neighborhood within the French Quarter. A very interesting experience, where I have been able to collect data and carry out interviews. It is far away from the experience of last days staying back in Shanghai at the end of the trip, next to my fight back to Madrid in Spain.
THE SHANGHAI-CANTON EXPERIENCE
From Shanghai I left for Shenzhen, via Guangzhou. I travel to an area that is one of the world's locomotives of innovation and technology production. I travel to Canton by train. It is a fast Chinese train, but still, many travel hours, over eight in the fastest train. They are 1200 kilometers of very fertile, green lands and with great rivers and water reserves. An excellent opportunity to see China, the Chinese population, and long hours to polish the work that I present in Fudan University at the end of the month.
In two weeks I have had opportunity to work with my co-author, to held interviews at the China Development Institute and settle for research trips in Canton, Hong Kong and the Macao region.
After the work done Tian-cheng Zheng and myself are ready to go to Shanghai to the conference at Fudan University.
THE LAST WEEK
... And after the conference, the final week with a four-day rest, recovering form pollution and the hectic life of field research in a historic place, home to the gods of China -as Chinese says, Hangshang Mountains. It is a place to peregrination for Chinese of all social and age conditions. Home to retired emperors, and many poets, who have always done so much work to capture the feeling of attachment to the land and what they love. Those poems are craved on the stones in Hangshang Mountains, the yellow mountains.
On my last weekend I return to the French Quarter and say goodbye in a big way the reservation is in a fine hotel, next to Christine, the place where I have had breakfast every morning and the very kind Mr. Yin awaits me. The Lestie Hotel. It is not the most luxurious in the Hangshang Rd. area, but it combines friendly treatment with the classic and modernity in a cocktail that I love as much as drinking hot tea.
In this and other entries you will find information about the research trip in China covering the southern east part of the country. From Shanghai to Shenzhen. Here is the map of China, and below there is the part I have partially covered in this trip, based in the research for Fudan in Shanghai.
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