I planned these last four days in Shanghai, primarily to visit again with Susan, my travel companion from the trip through Yunnan Province in early April. Unfortunately, she was called back to South Africa due to a death in her family, so I arranged accommodation near the Bund and Nanjing Rd and arrived without having done much in the way of research about the place.
As I came into the city, my thought was one of dread - that this was just going to be another enormous, hard to navigate Asian city with lots of traffic, horrible sidewalks and poor urban planning.
Well, all I can say is how mistaken I was! Yes, it's a huge city, but with traffic that flows well, a wonderful Metro, and the sidewalks - oh my! - they were wide, and even and clear of bikes and vendors! In addition, it was vibrant, colorful, alive and had done a great job of integrating incredibly modern spaces with retaining old neighborhoods. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there!
I was very fortunate that an Australian couple from the Cambodia trip - Jessie and Rod - were also visiting Shanghai and staying at a nearby hotel. They were generous with their time and I was so pleased to be included in some of their explorations.
I also met up one evening with a two very enjoyable English teachers - Ian and Norman - who are based in Shanghai. Sue and I had met them in Tiger Leaping Gorge, so I had company in spite of Sue not being in town.
I also met up one evening with a two very enjoyable English teachers - Ian and Norman - who are based in Shanghai. Sue and I had met them in Tiger Leaping Gorge, so I had company in spite of Sue not being in town.
The first afternoon, after finding my AirBNB (a bit of a challenge and a whole 'nother story!) I explored the area on the north side of the Huangpu River which divides Shanghai into east and west. Near the Bund, it was a very popular spot for photography. I wandered near the Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, but found no river walk way as it was all under re-construction. However, through these meanderings, Shanghai started to take a hold of my heart.
Although the plants are getting a little moth-eaten, I was amused by these dolphins!
This view of the Shanghai tower is from the sun-room of the apartment I was staying in. Sometimes it was in the clouds. It is over 2,000 ft high and is the second highest building in the world.
I also really enjoyed watching the late sun on other buildings from my apartment window.
Friday morning I met up with Rod and Jessie and we headed off to the Museum, in spite of rain.
Although the plants are getting a little moth-eaten, I was amused by these dolphins!
This view of the Shanghai tower is from the sun-room of the apartment I was staying in. Sometimes it was in the clouds. It is over 2,000 ft high and is the second highest building in the world.
I also really enjoyed watching the late sun on other buildings from my apartment window.
Friday morning I met up with Rod and Jessie and we headed off to the Museum, in spite of rain.
We walked up Nanjing Road, as our efforts to obtain a taxi from their hotel were unsuccessful - we were told that it was because of the rain.
The museum was large, with an institutional feel. They only allow 8,000 visitors each day, so we headed out early.
The collections were numerous - I thought you might enjoy this, as it is a pillow!
Jessie and I were surprised to discover that most of the jade was not green!
As was the case with previous museums, I was drawn to the amazing costuming used by ethnic groups here.
Following lunch, we then headed off on the Metro to the French Concession. This area was used by the French from 1849 to 1943 as a trading area or treaty port - seems as if it was an arrangement similar to that of Hong Kong within the city, back in the day.
There was a lovely merry-go-round.
The Sinan Mansions were a notable remnant from French colonial architecture. They are now modern apartments.
A lot of the architecture involved this type of pebbled facade, which signs said were from the 1920's.
There was a very retro movie theater, the Cathay. Built in the 1930's, it still operates as a cinema and screens 3-D movies as well as conventional cinema.
Many European styled buildings are still used as residences. There were also churches, along with high end shops.
The following day - Saturday - Jessie, Rod and I set off to the nearest old water town - QiBao Ancient Town, about a 30 minute Metro ride to the south east.
The only down side of this journey was it's popularity with the Chinese, so it was very crowded!
While I understand it may not be the finest example of a water-town, it gave a very good idea of how the old China lived and how these places are being kept alive with tourism and commerce. Happily the town was closed to vehicular traffic, so while the streets were crowded, it was only with pedestrians.
A local sign said it dated back to the Han Dynasty, which would place it close to 2,000 years old. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 through 1912) it was known 'far and near for its cloth, yarn, carpentry, wine, and water'.
The sign goes on to say 'on both banks of the river are gracious pavilions, magnificent theaters, and prosperous stores standing below the dangling willow trees.......It is such a thriving and prosperous marketplace in South China that the sounds of bargaining are reverberating in the air day and night !'
I thought it was a pretty accurate description!
In addition to the hustle and bustle of the main street, I enjoyed wandering some of the side streets. I believe this young woman was having her fortune told, as she was holding cards that are probably tarot cards.
Glimpses of courtyards with laundry drying....
.......or apartment buildings finding ways to allow the laundry to reach the sun!
I wanted to buy every one of these baskets and rug beaters I thought they were so pretty........
...... along with these pots!
It was a marvelous day - well worth the effort to get there. A farewell cup of puer tea with a little glass teapot souvenir completed this outing for me.
That night I met up with Ian and Norman in Pudong. This is the area on the south side of the river where all the tall buildings are soaring. I was told that about ten years ago the whole area was nothing but a rice paddy and now..........Wow!
For the exorbitant price of two yuan (about 30 cents!) we took the city ferry across to the northern side of the river.
I was very pleased that any of these photos turned out, as the crush of the other photographers on the deck was quite an obstacle. Ian had found a little platform to stand on, so I was at the back of the crowd using my telephoto lens and doing all I could to avoid the many hands in the air as people were capturing all they could from on high!
The purple structure is called the Oriental Pearl Tower and is a TV tower. Until 2007 it was the tallest structure in China.
We were headed for the Bund, an embankment alongside many of the older, colonial buildings of the city. It is a very popular spot both night and day and many people have their photos taken here!
Like me! While Ian took this photo, he was being supervised by a Chinese gentleman who was very concerned that he get it right. The fellow then insisted on taking the photo of the three of us which I put at the top of the blog (it's actually a bit blurry!). Shortly after that, he and his friends requested o be photographed with us, so we were stars for a moment!
We then walked down Nanjing Road where we found a place to eat. Happily it was just a few blocks from my apartment, so getting home was easy for me!
Can you see why I liked this place?
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