The Chinese were among the first to experiment with flight, inspired -- as peoples everywhere -- by airborne birds and bugs. Chinese invented the first kites 3,000 years ago, and in their long history of inventiveness, also anticipated the airplane wing, the propellor and the turbine engine. Modern China is also pre-occupied with flying. Having depended on rail transportation for most of this century, the country has truly taken flight. This year alone, China bought nearly 100 commercial airliners. Within the next five years, Beijing plans to build nearly three dozen new airports. For our final Exploration of Shanghai, Candide presents a birds-eye view of things that fly.
For most Chinese kids school is, well, just school -- reading, writing and recess. But the students at the Shanghai Circus Academy earn their wings every day, preparing for careers as Shanghai acrobats.
They're not just for breakfast anymore. With cats and dogs as occasional menu items, everyone knows that the Chinese don't always distinguish between pets and meals. Candide discovered that the same goes for pests.
Where do airlines buy airplanes? How do you get comfortable in those torturous economy seats? Candide braves the bombast and bluster of Shanghai's Aviation Expo to bring you the answers to air travel's great riddles.
The Chinese were among the first to experiment with flight, inspired -- as peoples everywhere -- by airborne birds and bugs. Chinese invented the first kites 3,000 years ago, and in their long history of inventiveness, also anticipated the airplane wing, the propellor and the turbine engine. Modern China is also pre-occupied with flying. Having depended on rail transportation for most of this century, the country has truly taken flight. This year alone, China bought nearly 100 commercial airliners. Within the next five years, Beijing plans to build nearly three dozen new airports. For our final Exploration of Shanghai, Candide presents a birds-eye view of things that fly.
