Shanghai

Last week Pingxiang welcomed its very own foreign dignitary from England, Dr. Tan.  To celebrate his arrival the college granted me a few days' leave to go travelling.

Well, they didn’t, but we went anyway.

We only had 5 days to travel so it was a busy trip but we saw everything we wanted to see and it was great for me to see some famous parts of China!

First stop – Shanghai.  After a 2-hour delay at the airport we arrived quite late but luckily the new metro system in place made navigation in the city really easy.  2 years ago there were only 4 lines – now there are 10!  It’s a lot like the London Underground, but bigger.  At Renmin Square, the central station, there were no less than 20 different exits.  Confusing, to say the least.

Early Thursday morning we walked from our conveniently-placed hotel to the Bund.  The Bund displays both Shanghai’s original and modern skylines; across the river, the colonial architecture of the western bank faces the skyscrapers of the eastern bank.  The vast extent of Shanghai’s economic development is glaringly obvious, but in a very scenic way.

Quite a contrast.

We took a ferry across the river to Pudong district and went up Jinmao Tower, one of Shanghai's finest buildings.  Here’s a view from the 88^th floor.

Also on the 88^th floor they opened oysters and gave us free pearls.  The logic of this escapes me, but it was a nice gesture.

We wandered across town to see the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai’s signature building.  Truly epic architecture.

In the afternoon we strolled through Renmin Park, one of Shanghai’s many parks, an oasis of calm in the sea of the metropolis.

Note the massive building looming up from behind the trees.

Here are some men reading ‘the newspaper’ in the park.  Fountain of all knowledge, Dr. Tan informs me this is a typical Communist practice, and certainly it’s the best way of giving everyone the same information.

We then headed to the Old City, after wandering perplexedly around Renmin Square for about half an hour.  On the way to the Old City we passed a flea market where they were selling crickets in jars!  Mulan fans will appreciate my excitement here; I was quite tempted to add a cricket, just for luck…

In China, there is an ever-increasing divide between rich and poor and walking through Shanghai consolidates the fact.  Just a few streets away from skyscrapers and shopping complexes are streets like this.  It’s incredible.

Entering the Old City was like re-entering ancient China.  Except for the few, tiny modern adjustments.  Have a look at this street, lined with beautiful Chinese buildings.

And spot the McDonalds on the corner.

We walked around Yu Yuan, a garden surrounded by a busy bazaar.  Here I am by the central tea house, Huxin Ting, where the Queen has apparently dropped in for tea!

In the evening we headed out to Shanghai Centre Theatre to see some acrobats!  There were some amazing feats, mostly in the unnatural flexibility of the performers.  We weren’t supposed to take photos.

On Friday we went to the ex-Expo site, where, sadly, there was very little to see.  The Chinese pavilion, built especially for the Expo, was still there, and will remain there forever.  The Chinese are all very proud of it.  There were a lot of soldiers marching around.

Next we went to the Confucius temple, hidden away in the Old City.  Here’s Father looking thoughtful and wise, just outside the study.

And here he is again, on the steps of Zhou Enlai’s former residence, in the Former French Concession.

This area of town looked like it could be in Paris; there were big wide streets lined with trees, little cafes everywhere and designer shops all over the place.

All in all, Shanghai impressed me.  It was like visiting 4 or 5 different worlds, and we only encountered the central part of the city.  Perhaps it was no surprise, considering Shanghai is one of the world’s largest cities; what did surprise me was that we managed to see so much in 2 days.  On Friday evening we caught a train to Suzhou…