Building an engine of growth

Worker Shen Xiaowen told me that the improved traffic infrastructure enables him to be with his girlfriend, who lives in Jiangsu province's Kunshan city, which is now reachable within half an hour by the highway.

And the reduced travel time between Shanghai and surrounding conurbations also expands the ways in which their development is mutually reinforcing.

"My hometown (Anting) used to be relatively undeveloped," Sun says.

"But it has improved in recent years. It's OK today. I'd certainly like to go back home if the welfare was as good as Shanghai's."

I later rode in the ROEWE Model X, an intelligent, self-driving internet car.

My host, ROEWE's new energy product planning director, Xie Ruiqing, suggested I tell the car, in Chinese: "I'd like to see the stars."

I did. And the moon roof opened.

Then we hit the road.

My host showed me how she could lock the electric car to follow any other vehicle on its own. She didn't need to pull the steering wheel to drive, or tap the brakes or gas to stop, go, slow down or speed up.

I'd read and seen videos about self-driving cars. But this was my first time actually riding in one.

Beyond advancements in Shanghai's auto industry, the city itself has transformed over the past four decades.

It's today known for its futuristic skyscrapers.