Fudan - All politics is local

Handan street, splitting Fudan University in Shanghai in two, is a mess as construction of a new subway station is taking place. That will not only connect one of Shanghai's prestigious universities with the rest of the city, it will also prove for the generations to come that all politics in China is local politics.
The outside would too often looks at Beijing to get a clue about what is going on in this immense country, but real power is local power. Shanghai wanted to connect this part of its city with an elevated light rail, but Fudan university refused: they forced the track to go underground as it passed the university. No way Fudan's decision could be reversed, so the light rail goes underground and emerges again after it has passed Fudan. Many passengers in the future will wonder why that is.
The elevated light rail seems to have severe problems anyway: of the only track in operation three stations are sinking, because of the swampy nature of Shanghai's soil. That is the advantage of a real subway: it cannot sink.