Seven Wonders of the Shrinking Planet
Speaker's Corner: Jim Benning and Michael Yessis unveil World Hum's seven wonders: places, things and people that embody ways the planet is shrinking and cultures are colliding
Starbucks, Forbidden City*
Armed with espresso machines, the foreign devils have breached the walls of the Forbidden City. OK, maybe they were invited in. No matter. While the Shanghai skyline is more typically shown as evidence of a rapidly changing China, the presence of Starbucks in the Forbidden City, a symbol of power in the oldest continuous civilization on Earth, is a more potent example of the shrinking planet’s impact on China and, for that matter, the rest of the globe. Some Chinese are calling for the removal of the coffee outlet from the historic Ming Dynasty site, which also makes it, fittingly, a symbol of any nation’s struggle to maintain its cultural identity amid rapid change.
Related on World Hum:
* ‘Confucius Craze’ Sweeps China
* Tiananmen Square, 18 Years After the Massacre*
* Secret Shanghai: Old Streets and Etched Faces Tell the Tale
Photo of Starbucks in Forbidden City by d’n'c’ via Flickr, (Creative Commons).
* Update Monday, July 16, 10:25 a.m. ET: When we noted in the introduction that these wonders were “not timeless but entirely of our time,” we didn’t know just how “not timeless” some of them might be. In response to ongoing protests—some have been clamoring since it opened seven years ago—the Starbucks Forbidden City outlet closed on Friday, July 13, according to a Reuters report.
* Update Monday, July 16, 11:51 a.m. ET: Help us choose a new wonder. We’re taking suggestions all week in the weblog.
* Update Monday, July 23, 5:23 p.m. ET:We’ve selected our new seventh wonder: The Irish pub.
What would you include in a list of seven wonders of the shrinking world?
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Jim Benning is the editor and co-founder of World Hum.
Michael Yessis is the cofounder and coeditor-in-chief of World Hum.
travelina 07.06.07 | 1:37 PM ET
The Airworld photo reminds me of the futuristic train station in Zug, Switzerland, designed by visionary architect James Turrell:
http://intelligenttravel.typepad.com/it/2007/01/train_trance_zu.html
robmeyer 07.06.07 | 4:02 PM ET
A different kind of list, I really like it. I especially like how you have the opening of the Northwest Passage on there, which is actually a huge deal for the international shipping industry, though I have not heard very much about it on the news. Good catch!
Eva 07.09.07 | 10:24 AM ET
Great list! I love the picture of the Starbucks in Forbidden City - nice of them to try to blend in…
If we can add moments to the list then I’ve got one - seeing a huge contingent of Taiwanese baseball fans at the 2004 Olympics, cheering on their national team by doing the Atlanta Braves’ tomahawk chop.
ps: The Northwest Passage may not be getting much coverage in the US or globally (yet), but it is a hot topic in Canada these days - here’s today’s update, which also has links to previous news stories and background info on the topic: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/07/09/arctic-cda.html
Rachel 07.10.07 | 8:55 PM ET
Thanks for the list. The Northwest Passage pick is a little scary, though. I like the idea of the world becoming more of a global village, but it’s sad that it has to be because of global warming.
Eva 07.16.07 | 11:03 AM ET
Apparently Starbucks in the Forbidden City has just closed…
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/070714/business/china_us_history_tourism_starbucks_food_company_2
Jim Benning 07.16.07 | 11:18 AM ET
Thanks, Eva. I was adding an update to the list as you were commenting.
Stay tuned for our search for our seventh wonder!
Mala@traveling-stories-magazine 09.18.07 | 5:12 PM ET
The Channel Tunnel connecting UK and France will open up international rail routes from London from mid-November 2007.The high speed line will definitely shrink a lot of travel time.
Mala Mukunda
http://www.traveling-stories-magazine.com/