In the plaza across the street from the Shanghai North railway station there's a "population meter" that displays China's population, refreshed every two seconds. The number in the picture appears to be 1,368,000,000—a very even number. The picture looks old, but supposedly this meter, and various other "sculptures" are new. We did see one of the "sculptures" last night, which wasn't there before.

But if what you want to do to is experience China's population, head across the street. The train station and the square just outside is packed. Shanghai is planning on sending out 163 trains per day in order to meet demand, but as of last night, there were still tons of people waiting, sleeping, playing cards, eating melon seeds, and strumming broken guitars outside. It's a sight to see, and we recommend taking a stroll through if you haven't before.

The fog that might envelop Shanghai might throw a wrench in the plans of those people planning to travel by bus.

Photo from shanghai.gov.cn