moneyinabox in "SH: absence of true party culture? Help!" in the SmartShanghai forums:

I don't get frustrated with the Shanghai or China scene anymore. I have stopped trying to compare it to New York or London. It completely sucks, but it is what it is and people can dream and make huge plans, but it's all rather a big waste of time. The only people who are going to change anything are the Chinese and they'll do it in their own time and in their own way.