My trip to Chang Zhou flew by so quick it feels like a dream :p I left Singapore real early Saturday morning on SQ816 at 1:15am, arrived in Shanghai at 6:35am and departed 2 days later on SQ827 at 7:35pm Monday evening … ok, ok, that’s more like 61hours in China, give and take one or two hours. Although, I landed in Shanghai, I didn’t see the mega city at all. We were picked up for a breakfast meeting and whisked to Chang Zhou, which is about 2-3 hours away.

That’s the view from my hotel room. It’s a pretty big city in the Jiangsu province and it’s developing fast. Everywhere I turn they’re building something. Kinda like Singapore. There was even a Starbucks, I guess it’s true that they are taking over the world one cup at a time!! And and and, here’s one for Mr Running Chan, guess where the festival was held? In the Dinosaur Theme Park!!!

So I did get to see dinos!! They moved and spat water too!! Didn’t have time to check the fossils out though. The organisers decked the theme park out for the animation festival. There were stuffed dino mascots walking around too … I wasn’t sure if it’s typical or just for the festival.

All in all, in China it’s not just the opening of the Olympics, EVERYTHING is done to the max. There were fireworks for the opening to the festival, which was at like 10 in the morning!! Everything is SUPER official and formal.  That’s why I think Singapore is a nice in-between of overly official China and overly laid back Australia :p  China excites me a great deal though, there’s so much happening there, it’s pretty impossible not to be in awe or in fear …. depending on how you look at it :p

Chang Zhou was a nice enough city.  We had a meeting with the Mayor who commented that he’s real impressed with Singapore and has modelled his city after stuff he liked about Singapore.  So it was no surprise that their streets were lined with trees 🙂

I reckon China has changed quite a bit.  Throughout my trip, I only saw 1 terrible toilet.  So all I have to say to the world is watch out for China.