Down the Unknown Roads IF SPRING is the beginning of life, and summer its youth, then autumn is undoubtedly its middle age. It is a time of self-examination. With the coolness of the season floating in the air, and the darkness of the night coming earlier and earlier, autumn can fill us with doubts about our future. However, doubts can help us grow. For all these reasons, autumn is perhaps my favorite time of the year. I like to take time out of my week to go out alone and explore the hidden places on the side roads of a city. The other day, I walked along the tree-lined roads near Huashan Road in Shanghai. With children busily studying in their classrooms, the roads were calmingly quiet. I usually go on these lonely adventures only with my camera. Autumn had just made its presence felt, but the London plane trees (英国梧桐树) looked ready to let loose their leaves. Pushed by the wind, the first fallen leaves of the season could be heard dancing across the sidewalk. Roads are like life in many ways. In the best of times, they can take us where we want to go. But even when we know where they are taking us, we don’t know what we might run into along the way. We might meet interesting strangers, run into an unusual little shop, or at times find ourselves in front of a dead end. Sometimes, we might even be forced to take a side road we’ve never been down before. We may feel nervous, but let’s not let our fears get the best of us. Unexpected paths can lead us to our greatest discoveries. The roads of Shanghai tell the story of its people and its history. The street of your life is no different. This street may be winding and uncertain at times, but you must always trust yourself. Whatever the destination, remember this: It is always the journey, not the destination, that makes it all worthwhile. If you have the time, go out and explore the city. The street of life is waiting for your discovery. Low-Altitude Economy Takes Flight in Shanghai THE 7TH CIIE (中国国际进口博览会) was held in Shanghai from November 5 to 10. One of the best parts of it was a “low-altitude economy” zone. This zone was the first of its kind. It had many electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles on display. These exhibits are also known as “air taxis.” They are designed to carry passengers or goods. For now, they can only travel short distances. However, they can greatly cut down travel time between nearby cities. It only takes 30 minutes to fly from Shanghai to Suzhou, for example. The new means of transport can also reduce traffic jams and noise. Flying taxis are part of a bigger plan to develop China’s low-altitude economy. It covers activities in the air within one kilometer above the ground. These include the transport of goods and passengers by drones or eVTOLs. The low-altitude economy received much attention last year as an important new industry. It has even been written into this year’s Government Work Report (政府工作报告). China expects to use it to drive economic growth. Shanghai is becoming a world center for the development of flying cars. It has opened up three trial (试验的) air routes. These routes connect the Hongqiao area with three cities: Suzhou, Jiaxing and Wuhu. They can be used for business travel, tourism, medical rescue (医疗救援), etc. The city also plans to set up at least 100 service areas. Companies that make flying cars can develop their technologies in these areas.Weathering the Winds of Change HURRICANES, TYPHOONS AND TROPICAL CYCLONES are sometimes called nature’s steam engines (蒸汽机). They gain energy from warm ocean water. When they hit land, they use that energy to flatten towns and flood cities. The damage may take months to repair. Now as ocean temperatures keep breaking records, these “engines” are responding accordingly. Most Atlantic hurricanes make landfall before reaching their full strength. But under the right conditions, a storm can grow stronger quickly. There is plenty of proof that hurricanes, typhoons and tropical cyclones are getting stronger as climate change heats up the oceans. More heat simply means more energy for these storms. One result of this is that the peak strength of storms has risen. According to a 2020 study, from 1979 to 2017, the strength of storms increased by about six percent every ten years. Not all storms develop into hurricanes, typhoons or tropical cyclones. But now they are 25 percent more likely to reach that level of strength than they were forty years ago. But while storms now have stronger and faster winds, they move more slowly. Hurricanes near the U.S. have slowed by around 17 percent since the early 20th century. Tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific have slowed down by 20 percent. One reason for this change is that the temperature gap between the Arctic and the tropics is narrowing. The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the rest of the world. When a storm moves slowly, it can pour more rain in one place. One example is Hurricane Debby. It brought 50 centimeters of rain to some towns as it swept north from Florida’s coast this August. The damage from strong winds is also increasing. The longer those powerful winds blow, the more likely things are to fall over. Do you still remember Bebinca and Pulasan? Both typhoons knocked down countless trees in their paths this September. What can we do as hurricanes, typhoons and tropical cyclones get stronger and more destructive? New technologies, like early-warning systems, can help save lives. At the same time, we must prepare our homes and neighborhoods for these disasters. After all, we can’t turn off climate change and have everything go back to the way it was.
