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That Evan Guy tours Shanghai while challenging his earlier ideas about China's development. He compares the city with New York, tries a breakfast of soy milk with curdy soy, seaweed and fried dough, and rides the metro using Alipay. A pork liver noodle dish near a mall earns a positive but measured review, while the city's eastern architecture impresses him with its scale. At a local farmers' market, he finds fresh food and tries scallion oil noodles, which he rates 10 out of 10. The video also includes phone booths, a luxury mall and commentary about infrastructure, transit and how China is portrayed in Western narratives.
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Breakfast, transit and a first noodle stop
That Evan Guy travels around Shanghai with the goal of questioning assumptions he once held about China's development. He begins with a Shanghai breakfast of soy milk mixed with curdy soy and seaweed, served with fried dough. He initially finds the combination unusual, then says it tastes better than he expected and compares the quality of the soy milk with what he knows from the United States. He describes the fried dough as crispy outside and soft inside.
He explores the metro system and uses Alipay to enter without a physical transit card. He finds the trains and stations clean and efficient, and compares them favorably with public transport in Western cities. The video includes phone booths that allow anonymous calls. Evan then visits a noodle restaurant near a large mall. He tries pork liver noodles and rates them 8.5, describing the dish as good but not exceptional. He prefers traditional noodle shops to the modern setting around the mall.
Futuristic architecture and the farmers' market
On Shanghai's east side, Evan is struck by the scale of the architecture. He compares the grand columns and buildings to the home of Olympus and Zeus and talks about the engineering. The visit also includes a luxury mall.
He later explores a local farmers' market, where older residents shop and where he expects to find more authentic food. There he tries scallion oil noodles, 葱油拌面, and rates the dish 10 out of 10. He describes it as fragrant, slightly oily, sweet and full of flavor, a stronger experience than the earlier noodle dish. The market's food and the local setting shape his view of Shanghai's culinary scene.
Throughout the trip, Evan contrasts what he sees in China with political and media narratives he believes understate the country's development. He comments on the city's transit, cleanliness and architecture, and argues that China's progress reflects the work of its people. The video presents his personal opinions and experiences as he moves through Shanghai's breakfast shops, metro, mall and market.
Evan begins his Shanghai food tour by trying soy milk with curdy soy and seaweed, accompanied by fried dough. He admits the combination is unfamiliar, but comes to enjoy it and says the soy milk is better than what he has tasted in the United States. He calls the fried dough crisp outside and soft inside. Later, at a noodle restaurant next to a mall, he finds the pork liver noodles tasty without being exceptional and gives them an 8.5 rating. He argues that a traditional noodle shop would offer a more convincing experience.
His metro ride leads to a comment about how easy it is to pay with Alipay and how orderly the system feels. He contrasts this with problems he associates with Western cities, including public urination. As he looks at the grand buildings on Shanghai's east side, he compares the architecture to Olympus and Zeus's home and talks about the engineering. He also uses the visit to criticize what he sees as Western political narratives that downplay China's progress. At the farmers' market, older residents shop for food and Evan finds an everyday setting that he considers more authentic. His final bowl of scallion oil noodles, fragrant, slightly oily and sweet, earns a 10 out of 10 and becomes his favorite meal of the trip.
FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)
- Q: What were the sweet potato noodles like?
- A: The source FAQ calls them sweet potato noodles and says they looked like shining leather and tasted good. The video body focuses on scallion oil noodles, so this separate recollection is retained as stated in the old FAQ.
- Q: What was the most surprising thing you found?
- A: The old FAQ mentions a one-dollar haircut and says Evan did not need a ticket to enter Zhu-long cave. These are the details in that FAQ, separate from the Shanghai stops described in the body.
- Q: What did Evan think of the Shanghai metro?
- A: He finds the system efficient and clean, and uses Alipay to enter without a physical metro card. He compares the transit experience favorably with Western public transportation.
