A tale of summer in two cities

Like many Shanghainese, summer is not my favorite season, given the prolonged hot and sultry days I have endured in the city.

Yet if I had to leave New York now, where I have been living for almost three years, summer will be the season I would miss the most. Summer has been my favorite season in the Big Apple.

The many outdoor events - especially the free shows and concerts - distinguish New York from Shanghai and probably all other big cities in China.

Like in previous summers, I spend much time after work and on weekends in parks, immersing myself in intoxicating music - from jazz, R&B and hip-hop to Latin and folk - played by bands local as well as from across the nation and the world. To give one example, the Concerts in Parks by the New York Philharmonic were held just a week ago.

There are many other summer outdoor events such as movie nights, walk and bike tours, dance, yoga, tennis and even tai chi classes, camps for children and star-gazing in High Line Park where volunteers bring their own giant telescopes, not to mention the 58-year-old Shakespeare in the Park program which after Shakespeare's As You Like It last month, unveiled Stephen Sondheim's musical, Into the Woods, this week.

I have not ventured onto Coney Island in Brooklyn or Rockaway Beach in Queens for concerts accompanied by the sound of ocean waves, but sunset concerts on piers along the Hudson River are quite romantic if you love the changing sky and illuminated cityscape.

While vendors sell everything from hot dogs to beer, many people bring their own stuff - food, drinks and blankets - to find a great escape in this world's first giant concrete jungle.

It's good to know that Shanghai has also started movie nights in local parks. A cityscape outdoor concert was staged last Saturday at the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, featuring the Shanghai Philharmonic.

But overall, compared with New York, Shanghai's parks and public spaces are vastly underutilized for cultural, sports and recreational events.

The news media in Shanghai have termed last Saturday's concert as gaoya (elegant and classic) art, referring to the orchestra-performed music. Perhaps jazz, guitar, folk and hip-hop, sadly, do not belong to the gaoya genre according to that standard.

But who cares? Most people go to concerts after work just for fun rather than educating themselves about a particular genre of music.

Old enough Shanghainese would recall the outdoor cultural events (and there were many of them) held decades ago, except the only movies screened were celluloid versions of modern Peking Operas and the music and songs carried a revolutionary theme. In that sense, people's obsession with so-called gaoya art today is not much different from the revolutionary theme.

Why can't Shanghai give young musicians and artists from the city and across the country a stage to showcase their talent in local parks and public spaces along the Huangpu River? Such a stage could well become the platform from where they start their career and even shoot to stardom.

While outdoor events in Shanghai are mainly funded by the government, events in New York are supported by foundations, corporations and individuals. On Tuesday evening, when I was sitting on the huge lawn in Brooklyn's Fort Greene Park, three young women were walking among the audience, holding donation boxes.

Shanghai, too, can find more corporate sponsors. It will be a great opportunity for businesses and individuals to show what a great community they are.

New York is a hot destination for Chinese officials and tourists visiting the US. They should come in summer to discover the great free treats in its parks and public spaces.

Shanghai's summer may be stifling, but more colorful events in parks and public spaces can add much-needed whiffs of cool air.

The author, based in New York, is Deputy Editor of China Daily USA. Email: chenweihua@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/27/2012 page8)