This picture is nuts, I don't think they kept an original building at all. Very cool comparison.

Not sure I like the progress in the photos above but I so get your point. So much change can occur in time. Time is often a truly amazing gift from God. Now about Shanghai…. hmmm.

that's just crazy…

That is incredible! What a transformation, and in only 20 years! If you didn't know better, you might not believe it's the same city!

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mike Foster and Nicole Wick, Sarah Flowers. Sarah Flowers said: RT @MikeFoster: feel like youre stuck and things will never change…take a look at what 20 years does. amazing! http://bit.ly/9C7rEp #potsc [...]

After living and working as a photo in China, I can honestly say the development has been stupid fast. The 'city' of 2 mil. that I live in has completely changed in about 5 years.

What you're talking about is merely the appearance. Yes, Shanghai looks GREAT – but only the outside. China has every kind of resource they need – money, people, you name it – and thus catching up in hardware is easy. Live in Shanghai for a while, and you'll see the true Shanghai, completely different from its outlooks. Everything is simply messy behind the glorious appearance because the heart of Shanghai still remained the same. Heck, just look at Expo and how many news have come out of it.

I think what one should think when they look at Shanghai is how not to think about changing only the appearance but to truely revolutionize from the inside – and when that's done, obviously it will make the outside look good too.

i'm curious what makes us believe the second picture is any better than the first? i guess we want our large cities like our churches — big buildings, flashy lights, and man-made.

Love that God can use the same foundation (of ourselves) to create new things, modify existing things…and leave us fulfilled and pursuing purpose. Nice visual analogy!

i would agree with you that Shanghai isnt done evolving, growing, and getting better but the progress that they have made is remarkable in my opinion…plus to me it shows the heart and work ethic of the Chinese people…lots more room for improvement but the progress is significant and noticeable…

not sure i follow your logic here?

thats so cool that you have seen it first hand…

thats so cool that you have seen it first hand…

I think it shows how change can happen for the worse and for the better. It's a shame that some of the older buildings were torn down. But it's great that commerce is helping promote change in China. I know we'd like it to happen faster, but it's better than nothing.

But to my original point, change can go in many directions. We must be a constant gardener of our lives.

While I love the sentiment behind the concept of moving on from our failures and that in a short amount of time we can become something completely different. I have to admit that when I look at the pictures, it makes me quite sad. Seems as though much of the culture has been replaced by consumerism and profit. That's just my initial reaction to the post, and I'm sure it's debatable as to whether Shanghai's changes were for the better or worse.

Sorry for that tangent.

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