... it's a half hour into my first Shanghai visit, I've stepped off the ferry and into central Shanghai, walking the length of the Bund to get to the Pujiang Hotel. The city's streets are packed with people stretching, colorfully waving fans and swords, dancing ... all this at 6:30am. In the 3 1/2 months I was to stay in Shanghai, I remember one morning walking the streets at about 4:00am, concluding a venture into the city's nightclubs, the sun was still no where to be seen, and I came across a woman already exercising. As the early morning wore on, people poured into the streets by the hundreds, all eager to start their day with some physical activity.