Andre Shakti is a Fem Competitor who has traveled the globe….more than once!
If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, oh what a merry Christmas we would have.
If female wrestlers held 9-5 jobs and lived typical lives, oh what a merry less interview we would have.
Andre Shakti, thank you for continuing our tradition of having fascinating interviews with female wrestlers who are predictable in only one way and that is that they are virtually always unpredictable.
FCI knew ahead of time that as a lady grappler, Andre probably has traveled extensively. They all do. What we didn’t know was that in this case, extensively was an understatement.
Are you ready?
Here are just a few of the cities, states and countries that Andre has traveled to and please don’t hold your breath while we read. We’ll say this quickly like a cartoon chipmunk would.
She’s been to all of the 50 USA states, Peru, Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico, The Bahamas, Beijing, Osaka, Tokyo, Vietnam, England, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Berlin, Shanghai………
WAIT!!!!
Andre, did you say that you have been to Shanghai? Do you realize that in all of our interviews, no Fem Competitor has told us she has traveled to Shanghai? This is a first.
Dear Readers? Let’s travel to Shanghai.
The fantastic information source Wikipedia provides us with the almond chicken and rice. “Shanghai is the largest Chinese city by population and the largest city proper by population in the world.
“I made ‘Empire of the Sun’ in Shanghai in the 1980s and want to come back one day to make a movie in China”.………Steven Spielberg
The 2010 census put Shanghai’s total population at 23,019,148, a growth of 37.53% from 16,737,734 in 2000. 20.6 million of the total population, or 89.3%, are urban, and 2.5 million (10.7%) are rural.”
When we read 23 million people in one place we couldn’t believe it.
Wikipedia continues. “It is a global financial center, and a transport hub with the world’s busiest container port. Located in the Yangtze River Delta in East China, Shanghai sits at the mouth of the Yangtze in the middle portion of the Chinese coast. The municipality borders the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the north, south and west, and is bounded to the east by the East China Sea.
For centuries a major administrative, shipping, and trading town, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to European recognition of its favorable port location and economic potential. The city was one of five opened to foreign trade following the British victory over China in the First Opium War while the subsequent 1842 Treaty of Nanking and 1844 Treaty of Whampoa allowed the establishment of the Shanghai International Settlement and the French Concession.
The city then flourished as a center of commerce between east and west, and became the undisputed financial hub of the Asia Pacific in the 1930s. However, with the Communist Party takeover of the mainland in 1949, trade was reoriented to focus on socialist countries, and the city’s global influence declined. In the 1990s, the economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping resulted in an intense re-development of the city, aiding the return of finance and foreign investment to the city.
The two Chinese characters in the city’s name are 上 (shàng, “above”) and 海 (hǎi, “sea”), together meaning “Upon-the-Sea”.
In the last two decades Shanghai has been one of the fastest developing cities in the world. Since 1992 Shanghai has recorded double-digit growth almost every year except during the global recession of 2008 and 2009.
Shanghai is the first city in the country to implement 9-year mandatory education. The 2010 census shows that out of Shanghai’s total population, 22.0% had a college education, double the level from 2000, while 21.0% had high school, 36.5% middle school, and 1.35% primary school education. 2.74% of residents age 15 and older were illiterate.
Shanghai is a major center of higher education in China with over 30 universities and colleges. A number of China’s most prestigious universities are based in Shanghai, including Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tongji University, East China Normal University (these universities are selected as “985 universities” by the Chinese Government in order to build world-class universities). The cadre school China Executive Leadership Academy in Pudong is also located in Shanghai.
In recent years, a large number of architecturally distinctive and even eccentric buildings have sprung up throughout Shanghai. Notable examples of contemporary architecture include the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Grand Theatre in the People’s Square precinct and Shanghai Oriental Art Center.
Public awareness of the environment is growing, and the city is investing in a number of environmental protection projects. A 10-year, US$1 billion cleanup of Suzhou Creek, which runs through the city-center, was expected to be finished in 2008, and the government also provides incentives for transportation companies to invest in LPGbuses and taxis. Additionally, the government has moved almost all the factories within the city center to either the outskirts or other provinces in the recent decades.”
Thank you Wikipedia for providing us with the basics. In terms of culture, parks, transportation and let’s not forget the fun night life; in a prosperous city of close to 24 million people, we have only scratched the surface here and are certain we will visit Shanghai again.
We would cover Andre’s wrestling matches that day and she proved to be an experienced grappler especially adept at the ground wars. She distributes a lot of energy so much so that the producer had to halt one match due to a minor injury. Andre can be as exciting to watch as she is tenacious.
In our discussions with her we found her to be very forth coming, engaging and intriguing, all wrapped up in a beautiful infectious laugh.
FCI tries to hold our story lines to approximately 1,000 words. We love Shanghai but in terms of size, we don’t want to become the Shanghai of interviews.
There is so much more to say about Andre that we will feature her again soon so please stay tuned. What we will say is that she is available for sessions so please check her profile out at WB270.com.
Here is what one satisfied customer had to say about our world traveler. “Wrestling Andre is a joy. She is bright, athletic, very strong, responsible and a natural athlete. She engages easily, has a great sense of humor and will stay on my list as a very worthy competitor. Did I mention her very blue eyes?”
You know what? We forgot to mention that as well. Andre has soft, beautiful eyes.
Since we started with a familiar expression we thought we should end part one of the Andre Shakti story with another one.
They say you never get a second chance to make a good first expression. In the case of Andre, not only does she rate a great first impression; her first impressions are always first rate.
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Sources: brainyquote.com, Wikipedia, fciwomenswrestling.com, Shanghai photos thanks to Wikimedia Commons.