Back to China

At long last (it's been a year and a half) I'm finally heading back to China.

I found out a few weeks ago that I will be traveling to Shanghai to report on Delta Air Lines' new nonstop service connecting Atlanta to that bustling city on China's eastern seaboard. I'll also be meeting with a variety of businesspeople who have some sort of Atlanta connection, and you can be sure I'll be exhausting my Chinese knowledge, which hasn't grown much since I left the University of Georgia.

It's ironic that I'm making it to Shanghai on my fifth trip to China. The city of nearly 18 million is known for its distinctly foreign flair, having been built up and parceled out by the British, French, Americans and Japanese during the mid-nineteenth century, on the heels of the infamous opium wars. From the research I've done so far, it seems like it'd be the perfect place for a foreigner to start his or her China journey, but I've done my core China explorations in places far more remote.

The trip will be no more than a week long, but it'll be refreshing to know that I won't be backpacking or hopping between cities. Shanghai is my destination, so I'm going to do my best to navigate it. One man in a city whose population is greater than all but the top 55 countries in the world? Like I said, I'll do my best. Please pray for me if you get the chance.