h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Which means back inside the firewall.

We are thinking of visiting Jiao Tong tomorrow in a somewhat relaxed day as we need to rest after Taiwan. On the whole, Taiwan is a good deal more relaxed than Shanghai - but then I think 99.999% of the world is more relaxed than Shanghai.

If the embroidery shop is still by the front door, buy me a small souvenir.

The shop is currently closed, and does not appear to do embroidery . . just SHJTU t-shirts and mugs.

We wandered round but I didn't recall much. All of the old buildings are slowly being replaced - only the historically important ones (the old library and gate) remain as was.

The trees are still there, and the rooms in the old buildings are still dusty and unheated.

There seems to be an anniversary this year although the chosen reference date seems to be quite arbitrary. Lots of photos of classes and teachers from the 1920s around.

The metro has made an unimaginable difference - there is a stop under SHJTU. The surface streets around are still reasonably busy but nothing as compared to what they were.

I hope the newer library that I set up the English sections of is still there. Work done over the 1988 new year break on 12th floor with lifts switched off. Several thousand books catalogued and shelved. Logically they would be of more use at the "NEW" campus that opened before I left.

You mention lack of heating. Does Aggie's place have heating? "In my day" there was no heating south of the Yangtse

No - Aggies place does not have heating, in fact almost nowhere does.
The metro is self warming (electric motors) and the very huge shopping mall nearby is heated.

Those heat-retaining curtains are up in the shop doorways and even the metro station entrances (they are a good idea).

It is above freezing and has been for a while - though apparently they got a dusting of snow early Jan.

It was in one such shop that my Mandarin received the great compliment of being asked whether I was from Xingjang. You can foolsome of the people all of the time.

Jiao Tong has 40,000 students (40 thousand!) more post grad than undergrads. Good job they moved out to the suburbs

Yes indeed - everything in that area is huge

Latest figures have them at 43,000 and rising