I left China’s political and cultural center, the capital Beijing, and joined the masses in the economic center of the country for New Years.  Below are a few snaps of a sea of humans crowded around a large tele screen in Shanghai’s “xin tian di “ watching the a.b.c. (American born Chinese) pop star Wang Lihong and later the New Year’s count down. The Shanghainese seem to have combined dressing up for Halloween and celebrating another alien holiday, the solar calendar’s New Years. (nothing compared with the Chinese Lunar calendar’s New Years celebration). After the countdown, thousands of people competed for a limited number of taxis. The city did not extend subway operation hours.  When cabbies raised their base fares by 20 fold, we decided it would be a good idea to get a late night foot massage.  What a great way to bring in the new year!