Shanghai, China - On the opening day of the World Expo, we set up our live shot on the corner of gate 5, in the shadow of the towering China Pavilion. Two hours before the park officially opened, Chinese visitors had already lined up in at least ten wide lines, spilling out onto the street.

It was packed but relatively orderly, with families showing us their tickets. People were excited to step into what many Chinese, including Premier Wen Jiabao, are calling the realization of a "100-year-old dream." Many had packed their lunches and snacks for the day after hearing it might take hours to snag a table in an Expo restaurant.

The majority of Chinese people never leave China. For those willing to brave the crowds on opening day, this was their chance to see the world. Many weren't even from Shanghai, but had traveled by plane or train from the provinces. This was a big day.

Take a tour of the Shanghai World Expo

"I'll stay as long as I need to to see everything," said 10-year-old Zhang Hao, with a streak of delight in his eyes as he waited in line.

He did not get to see everything – far from it. When the gates opened, people literally ran in. The initial amazement at the diverse, colorful, looming pavilions quickly turned into exasperation.

Visitors were told they couldn't see the China pavilion unless they had a reservation. But, reservations were already gone for the day. Guests from across the country were confused by the ticket reservation machines and the directives of volunteers, who themselves admitted they were confounded by how access on the first day was so difficult.

Lines at other pavilions quickly piled up, especially those that had gotten heavy media attention. By 10 a.m., the line for Japan was four hours long. Visitors had been promised they would see a band of robots playing violins and witness a massive eco-friendly heating and cooling system inside.

Take a tour of past world"s fairs

Same story at Saudi Arabia. The most expensive pavilion, which reportedly cost $164 million, boasts one of the biggest movie screens in the world and date palm trees imported from the Middle East.

This is when I saw people start to get visibly angry.

"Four hours!" one man screamed at the back of line. "And they're all like this. We flew here from Guangdong!"

"This is ridiculous," another yelled. "You regret it if you come, you regret it if you don't come."

As the clock struck noon, temperatures turned sweltering and some people just gave up. Children pouted with ice cream while their parents scanned maps to figure out how to get from Nepal to the Netherlands. Grown-ups slouched on benches, holding their jackets and free maps over their heads for shade.

Note: Shade at the Expo is scarce. There are standing umbrellas scattered throughout the park, but other than that people tend to crowd under the narrow awnings of restaurants or in the shadows of the pavilions themselves. The Dutch pavilion proved to be a popular spot for its ample shade. My photographer, Brad Olson, faced the heat bravely with his heavy camera. We had the great fortune of stumbling on a rare Minute Maid orange juice stand in the middle of our odyssey from Spain to Brazil.

Also, the park is a massive navigational nightmare. There are five giant districts, with just a few transportation routes. Lucky VIPs (and no, that does not include the media) whiz around in golf carts while the masses traipse across the park slowly in the heat. Japan and the USA, for example, are on opposite ends, about an hour's walking distance. To get from one end to the other you have to find an out-of-the-way bus stop where Expo shuttles pick up and drop off.

Is Shanghai ready for the world?

Understandably, nobody wants to walk the long distance in the heat, so the shuttles are over-packed. I literally almost got squished when a shuttle door opened. My producer Jo Kent was nearly trampled by tourists.

The time it takes to get from one place to another, on top of the lines, means some people may have gotten inside only three or four pavilions at most in a single day. Many we spoke with said they were too exhausted to come back another time. Others strategized to only visit pavilions with short wait times. One tourist told Jo on the shuttle bus, "I don't mind going to the smaller pavilions if that's what it means to beat the lines. Plus maybe I'll learn more than in the big ones. I've never even heard of the Seychelles; they could be interesting."

However, despite the many complaints, there were plenty of people willing to wait it out, standing patiently in the line for Denmark to see Copenhagen's famous little mermaid or the popular "seed cathedral" at the UK pavilion, for example. Others enjoyed performances at an outdoor stage on the Square of the Americas, where festive dancers and violinists donning sombreros delighted the crowds.

For some, the wait was worth it.

Little Zhang Hao's trip started with disappointment when it was clear he wouldn't be seeing Japan or China. But his family rallied and waited it out at South Korea, to be delighted by futuristic video games, a Korean drum concert and endless multimedia focusing on the environment and technology.

"It's really cool here," his mother, Wu Jun, said on their way out. "Even if we can't get inside every pavilion, seeing it from the outside is pretty amazing."

Not surprisingly, the Zhang family has never left China before. They didn't get to see the whole world at the Shanghai Expo, but they certainly felt like they caught a glimpse.

Posted by: CNN Correspondent, Emily Chang
Filed under: China •General •World Expo

Beijing, China - I’ll be honest. Beijing streets scare me. It’s kind of like riding around in a video game, except you only have one life. Some drivers seem to think their actions have no consequences, that if they crash, they can just start a new game. So it seems, they might as well go as fast as they possibly can, pass at literally any opportunity, and brake hard only at the absolute last-minute. Turn left from the right turn lane? Sure. Step on it in the bike lane? Why not? Sometimes I find myself laughing at their audacity while I grip my seat in terror.

To be fair, I am not the only one who feels this way. As Peter Hessler describes in his latest book “Country Driving: A Journey from China through Farm to Factory,” Chinese drivers “take such joy in driving badly.”

Bikers aren’t any better, whether they’re flying across intersections running red lights or riding the wrong way in wall-to-wall traffic. Pretty much anything goes with little traffic enforcement.

Keep in mind, there was barely a car in sight in China two decades ago. To put it mildly, pedestrians, drivers, and riders are still learning how to harmoniously coexist.

So when I hopped on an electric bicycle (e-bike) for the first time in Beijing about one year ago, I was petrified. Weaving through the Tsinghua University neighborhood on a friend's bike, it felt like I was navigating one big danger zone. First of all, nobody wears helmets. I’ve never seen anyone wearing a helmet on a bike in China, ever. They’re actually difficult to buy. At one point, I found myself helmet-less, accelerating when I meant to brake in front of a wall of speeding cars that definitely were not planning to stop for me. That’s it, I decided. Never again.

Learn what it's like to pedal to work in Tokyo

But my nightmare came back to haunt me when I was tasked with doing a story on the remarkable e-bike trends across the country. Just a decade ago, there were only 50,000 e-bikes in China. Now there are some 120 million. E-bikes are now China’s fastest-growing mode of transportation, in rural and urban areas alike.

For our story, we visited one of Beijing’s most popular e-bike stores in Beijing's Jiaodaokou neighborhood. That’s where I met Mr. Zuo, a 75-year-old man who already owns an e-bike and wants to upgrade.

“E-bike are small, light and convenient,” he said. “They’re good for my bad knees.”

Mr. Zuo is too old to legally get a drivers license in China, so he considers e-biking a good alternative. As for my safety concerns?

“My policy is to go slow,” he replied. “I can control the speed, so I stay safe.”

As I watched him zoom off into the snarled traffic, I thought, “OK. If he can do it, I really need to get over myself.”

So I tried again.

And, to be honest, it was…fun. Well, I was a little wobbly. And I may have shrieked a couple of times. But after I got the hang of it I realized the e-bike is pretty easy to control and the speed can be a blessing. In Beijing’s bad traffic jams, e-bikes often travel much faster than cars and buses.

If you drive safely, it can be quite a liberating experience. I could see myself riding an e-bike more often, though it will be quite a while before I’m nearly as confident as Mr. Zuo.

Posted by: CNN Correspondent, Emily Chang
Filed under: Asia •China •Environment

Beijing, China - It's just a T-shirt. Or so we thought.

Our search for the so-called "communist Obama" T-shirt began with a capable intern scouring markets in Beijing. It depicts U.S. President Barack Obama wearing a Red Army uniform, the "Chinese communist-style" outfit made famous by Chairman Mao. On the front it says, "Serve the People" in Chinese. On the back, "Oba-Mao" in English.

Our first scan of Beijing turned up nothing. But a tip led us to the basement of Shin Kong Place. In an unassuming souvenir shop, we found a T-shirt in extra-large. During our flight from Beijing to Shanghai to cover the president's arrival, a news blitz indicated the shirts had been "banned" by the Chinese government amid worries that they may offend the American president.

Thank goodness we'd gotten ours in time!

But there was no way to confirm the government had indeed taken the shirts off the shelves, so we decided to check for ourselves. We headed to Yatai Xinyang market at a Shanghai metro stop in search of Obama-branded merchandise.

The Chinese also make wallets and trading cards featuring the "Communist Obama" image.

We found nothing but could not be sure they hadn't sold them there before. So, I chose that opportune moment to do a piece to camera with the shirt in hand. Bad move? Maybe. But it ended up being great television.

Two security guards happened to pass by at the moment I announced to the camera: "This is the T-shirt everybody is talking about." And that was it. They scrambled toward us and tried to pry the shirt out of my hands. I didn't give in.

Technically, we did not have permission to film in the market. And the security guards scolded us for not getting permission ahead of time.

There was a bit of yelling and quite a scuffle. My producer Jo Kent emphatically stated our case. Photographer Miguel Castro kept his cool. By this point, we had everything on tape.

We ended up being detained for two hours in the cold maze of a market. A crowd gathered round. More security and then police showed up. They wanted our press cards, our passports, but most of all, they wanted the shirt.

Ultimately, they confirmed that we were indeed "real" journalists (that is legally reporting in China.) But that didn't stop them from scolding us and making it very difficult to leave. After asking repeatedly and then one last time for the shirt, I refused.

Finally, they let us go. Phew!

It was worth it. The shirt got attention on the air and sparked buzz online. In fact, some members of the White House pool and a few colleagues in Atlanta actually tried to bribe me for it.

Nothing like juxtaposing communism and democracy in more ways than one. Just another day on the job.

Posted by: CNN Correspondent, Emily Chang
Filed under: Barack Obama •China •General

YANGSHAN ISLAND, China – As the countdown began, my producer Jo Kent sighed. "This might be the most anticipated anti-climax ever." Clouds threatened to ruin the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century, until the very last minute.

After much deliberation and intense consultation with eclipse chasers across Shanghai, we decided to post ourselves on Yangshan Island, a suburb of Shanghai. The chasers heading in this direction were very convincing. On the island, they said we'd have a lower chance of clouds and city pollution. And hundreds of them were going there. It was hard not to get swept up in the group mentality.

But by the time we arrived, it was raining. Not just raining, but thundering and lightning. I went to bed listening to thunder claps, petrified that we would miss out on the eclipse of my lifetime (and also my first ever).

Despite a dream that the heavens miraculously cleared, we woke to cloudy skies. Dark, cloudy skies. Still, the crowds there said we should stick it out.

In the elevator, one man told me: "I'm renewing my belief in God right now."

After all, the total eclipse itself wasn't happening for another couple of hours. Charles Fulco, a middle-school astronomy teacher from New York, confidently claimed he would stay optimistic until the end.

Personally, it was difficult to keep doubt from "clouding" my mind. I knew I had to stay positive for our viewers. After all, there's nothing compelling about a correspondent predicting the worst over and over again.

I was trying to put on a happy face for my next live shot when I heard "oohs” and “ahhs" in the background.

I was so flustered, I forgot to put on my eclipse glasses before I looked up. A partial eclipse was shining down on us all like a gift from Mother Nature.

The rush was undeniable. I was amazed, shocked, and most of all, relieved, that we had something to show the world.

Clouds quickly swooped in, completely eliminating any chance of seeing totality - that treasured moment when the sun is completely hidden behind the moon and its outer atmosphere (the "corona") is visible like a halo around the moon's shadow.

Nonetheless, Yangshan Island was swiftly shrouded in darkness. I mean, it happened in minutes and suddenly we were all pitched into black. The air grew cold. Hundreds of dragonflies that had been swarming for hours disappeared.

I was reporting the entire time, but wished I could take a breath and soak in this awesome, haunting feeling. The sun had literally vanished in midday.

And just as the skies started to brighten again, the clouds relented one last time. We saw another flash of light at the end of totality. It looked like a crescent moon in an evening sky, but in fact it was a sliver of the sun - the sun rising for the second time at the end of one of the most unnatural-seeming natural wonders.

Of course, there were a lot of disappointed eclipse watchers who'd traveled thousands of miles, spent thousands of dollars, to see this from beginning to end.

But these fleeting glimpses were enough for me. Our days of eclipse chasing - the cynicism, the science, the insanity of gambling to see the solar system in action - was exhilarating, even though we only witnessed a slice of astronomical glory.

Posted by: CNN Correspondent, Emily Chang
Filed under: Asia •China •Eclipse

SHANGHAI, China - Charles Fulco, a middle school astronomy teacher, never thought he would come to China.

But his passion for one of nature’s grandest spectacles compelled him to travel 7,000 miles from New York to Shanghai, to watch the longest total solar eclipse of the century.

"I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it," says Fulco. “The last one I saw was 10 years ago and it’s like it happened yesterday."

Unfortunately, Mother Nature may have something very disappointing in store for him. Yes, forecasters in Shanghai are predicting rain.

The weather on the day of an eclipse is always a gamble, and it’s frustrating too. As the CNN team sent to Shanghai to cover the big event, we’re just as desperate to find a hole in the clouds as eclipse-chasers from around the world. We don’t want to miss it either.

So, we’ve consulted the experts, multiple tour groups, all with different strategies about how to beat the clouds. We've heard words like "air convection," "cloud count" and "land temperature" thrown around.

Fulco’s team is headed to Yangshan Island off the coast of Shanghai. The theory: The closer you are to a large body of water, the less dense cloud cover will be.

But others say being locked on an island is dangerous. The most important thing is mobility. So a group of MIT and Princeton alumni have chosen a spot on the Chinese mainland, along a manmade lake.

Yet a third group of 260 Americans with Sky and Telescope Magazine, are too difficult to keep up with. They seem to change their plans by the hour, determined to move in any direction last-minute, to ensure their view is not obscured. They are entertaining both coastal and inland options. When last we talked to them, they said would make their final decision after an intense discussion at dinner.

We’ve been warned about this kind of behavior. Veteran eclipse-chasers say if you change your plans too much, you risk missing the eclipse altogether.

Nevertheless, anxiety lingers as much as anticipation.

We’ve neared our final decision, but you’ll have to watch us live tomorrow morning (Shanghai time) to find out where we landed.

Posted by: CNN Correspondent, Emily Chang
Filed under: China •Eclipse •General

(CNN) – He has all the hallmarks of the real Michael: The slim frame, well-powdered face hidden under a cocked hat, dark glasses, and the delicate swagger. He's a little shy too. 

"I'm grateful that my parents gave me this face," he says quietly.

29-year-old Wang Jie is China's most famous Michael Jackson impersonator. He told us to just call him "WJ."

WJ says he discovered MJ when he was a teenager and fell in love with his dance moves.

"I realized I looked like my idol by accident," says Wang. "So step by step, with a lot of hard work and study, I made it on stage. Now he's a part of my life."

Wang had no idea he would someday make a living from his looks. He has since appeared on Chinese TV shows and won contests.

I first saw Wang as he sauntered in with his "agent" to meet our crew. WJ quickly drew perplexed but fascinated Chinese crowds. If the real Michael Jackson hadn't just passed away, they might have thought it was really him.

It's when he started dancing that I really had to do a double take. Wang strutted and snapped his hips as if he'd learned from Jackson himself.

The real Michael Jackson never performed in China, but he's loved here nonetheless. Members of the official Michael Jackson Fan Club (yes, there is one in China) even rented a hotel room so they can watch his funeral broadcast live on CNN.

"I miss Michael Jackson even more. I adore him even more," said one die-hard fan.

"There are impersonators of Michael Jackson everywhere but I think they can only try to imitate him, never overtake him."

Jackson's music was some of the first Western music widely available in China. His rise to stardom coincided with China's opening up to the world. So, to the Chinese, he symbolized what was out there.

To this day, he still has a huge Chinese following. Clearly, through WJ and MJ fans throughout China, Jackson's music lives on.

Posted by: CNN Correspondent, Emily Chang
Filed under: Asia •China •Entertainment •General •Hong Kong •Michael Jackson

BEIJING, China — The news of North Korea’s nuclear test made the front pages of the state-run newspapers here in Beijing –- a sign the Chinese government is taking this issue very seriously.

The China Daily, an English-language newspaper, ran a front-page spread with the headline, "Pyongyang nuclear test shocks Beijing," a timeline and a picture of women in Tokyo looking shocked.

Other countries responded quickly and strongly, but China took several hours to release a statement … so we can assume it was well-thought, crafted, but ultimately stern. Here is a portion:

“The Chinese government expresses firm opposition to this. Upholding the peace and stability in northeast Asia is in the mutual interest of all parties. China calls on all parties to keep calm, deal with the situation appropriately, and to solve problems peacefully through discussions and dialogue.”

What the statement does not talk about is how China intends to act with respect to the United Nations, and some might call the language vague.

Last month, when North Korea test fired a long-range rocket, China urged the world not to overreact and they seem to be taking the same strategy in this situation.

Though China is clearly disappointed and frustrated by the test, their position is do not react too strongly, do not provoke the North Koreans any further, try to persuade them to come back to the bargaining table, come back to six-party talks –- disarm through dialogue.

Much has been made of the relationship between China and the secretive North. Chinese officials feel they understand the North Korean mindset - do not respond to threats, only concession - and clearly Pyongyang does not feel like it has gotten enough concessions.

China seems to want to resume the constructive role again as liaison between North Korea and the rest of world.

I spoke with China analyst Victor Gao, who said: “North Korea has always been a very close friend of China, over the past several decades.”

“And I think recently, in the recent years because of North Korea’s attitude with regard to the six-party talks, China has had to bend backward to do whatever maneuvering and persuasion work as necessary.

“China will continue to work in that particular direction, play a very constructive role with North Korea as well as with other members of the six-party talks in order to eventually help all of us achieve the outcome of denuclearization,” he added.

But China has also always cautioned not to overestimate their relationship, saying their influence over North Korea is useful but limited.

Surely, China will be getting pressure from the international community to take a strong stance on North Korea. Going back to North Korea’s first nuclear test two years ago, China was much more outspoken, calling it a brazen act.

But Pyongyang has continued to defy the international community. Beijing has learned from that and believes it is better to be more restrained - how firm they can be while also being restrained is still a question.

Posted by: CNN Correspondent, Emily Chang
Filed under: General

BEIJING, China - My flight from Beijing to New York was unremarkable.

My flight from New York back to Beijing was a different story. When Air China Flight 982 landed, everyone stood to disembark, but the doors didn’t open. Instead, someone commanded us over the intercom to sit back down.

Four masked officials, who appeared to be doctors, came onboard each wielding what appeared to be a digital temperature “gun.” They proceeded to take passengers’ temperatures one-by-one, by pointing the gun at our foreheads.

When they came to me, the gun beeped “36.6 C – Lo.” I have to say I was relieved, since I was not feeling my best after the 14-hour flight. And being quarantined due to H1N1 fears would have been less than ideal.

So far three cases of the H1N1 virus have been confirmed in China, all airline passengers returning from the U.S.

All three patients have been quarantined for seven days, along with everyone on their flight and others who might have had contact with them (at least, those the Chinese government has been able to track down.) Some Mexican nationals who say they were not on any of these flights and had no symptoms have also been quarantined. They just happened to be travelling during the outbreak.

So, I was happy when the doctors passed me by. They did, however, spend extra time with one woman whose temperature must have been abnormal. They spoke to her for an extra 15 or so minutes, while the rest of us waited. Then, they took her temperature again with a manual thermometer. They must have approved of the result, because we were then all released.

The whole ordeal lasted about an extra half hour. Some inconvenienced passengers were grumbling and kept checking their watches. Others waited patiently.

With flu fears waning around the world, it begs the question is this really necessary? With the memory of SARS still fresh, the Chinese government insists on it.

In fact, an article in the state-run China Daily criticized the U.S. media for not taking the flu seriously enough: "The media there, which enshrines the principle of open information, is rather quiet on the subject ... The lukewarm response of the U.S. media may just help the flu spread further. Populous Asian countries should be careful. As many of them have less advanced health services, it would be very tough to cope with the flu if the virus spreads."

Posted by: CNN Correspondent, Emily Chang
Filed under: Asia •China

BEIJING,  China - Hillary Clinton's name carries celebrity status in China. She came to Beijing first as U.S. President Bill Clinton's first lady, now as President Barack Obama's Secretary of State. But the Chinese just call her "Hillary."

On the eve of her greatly-anticipated visit to China's capital this past weekend, Beijingers were thoughtful.

"I think she is indeed a very powerful woman," said a businesswoman. "She has a very strong personality. I even bought her autobiography."

"I'm very keen about Hillary's visit," said another man, a banker. "Actually, I really wish I could have a dinner with her, so I can hear more about her opinions on Sino-U.S. relations."

Unfortunately, Mrs. Clinton did not have time for dinner with him but did meet with China's top brass, President Hu Jintao, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Premier Wen Jiabao. It was the first time a U.S. Secretary of State chose to take a maiden voyage to Asia in almost 50 years.

"I think she chose to visit China because China means a lot to the U.S.," said one woman, a psychologist. "She wants to have a more thorough discussion with China."

It's no secret the discussion was dominated by the global financial crisis, still a source of bitterness among some Chinese who believe the U.S. is to blame for the downturn.

"Since China didn't suffer as much as the United States in the financial crisis, Hillary's looking for cooperation and help," said the businesswoman.

"I think China and the U.S. should combat the financial crisis hand in hand," the banker said. "If the U.S. only cares about its own economy, other countries will be left behind."

As first lady, Mrs. Clinton once pressed the Chinese on human rights but said the issue would not sideline other priorities on this trip.

"Well, if we compare the current human rights condition with that during the Cultural Revolution, then there have been a lot of improvements," one woman said. "But China still has a long way to go."

"I think the Chinese government should allow more freedom on news," said a student from the Communication University of China. "Chinese citizens need to know more about negative opinions of our country."

Perhaps there is hope in more visits from diplomats like Mrs. Clinton. "I think she is very talented," said the banker. "I still don't know why she dropped out of the presidential campaign."

In China, it seems, she still has a lot of fans.

Posted by: CNN Correspondent, Emily Chang
Filed under: China •Economy •Hillary Clinton •United States

HENAN, China — Now I understand why so many of China's farmers leave their homes in the countryside to look for jobs in the city, even though urban living conditions for migrant workers can be poor.

Farmwork is backbreaking, especially under an unforgiving sky that hasn't rained in months. 

We followed the drought to Henan province, one of the driest areas.  Fields of winter wheat stretch for miles, from the edge of the freeway over faraway hilltops. 

We saw farmers bent over their crops, acre after acre, watering each sprout by hand. Many worry if it doesn't rain significantly soon, their crops will die. 

One farmer told us if he doesn't have a good harvest, he will have no choice but to look for a job in the city. But jobs in the city are getting harder to find as China's economy slows down. He hadn't heard about the economic crisis.

Crops on irrigated farms may survive the drought. But in more remote areas, irrigation systems are poor or nonexistent. China's rain-fed farms, the farms that depend on rain, are the most seriously threatened. They are at the whim of Mother Nature.

Mother Nature has wreaked havoc on China's vast landscape in the last year, from snowstorms, to floods, an earthquake, and now the drought.

But the people who weather these natural disasters are resilient. There is a saying in Chinese: "Eat bitterness."  It refers to the ability of the Chinese to suffer without complaint, and still, survive. 

The farmers in Henan province are yet another example.

Posted by: CNN Correspondent, Emily Chang
Filed under: China •Natural Disasters