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| Pudong |
We made it to Shanghai today (Wednesday), riding the classy, fast-moving bullet train out of Hangzhou to Shanghai. The trip took 1.5 hours, and was as smooth as any luxury train we’ve ever ridden.
We are staying at the north end of the Bund in the grand Astor House Hotel, overlooking the Suzhou Creek and Huangpu River. Many famous celebrities have stayed here, among them Albert Einstein, Charlie Chaplin, and President Ulysses S. Grant. We usually find accommodations in the backpacker-style hotels, so the Astor House is a bit of a rare upscale treat for us.
We know that many of you travelers have already been to the Bund here in Shanghai, but for those who don’t know what it is, here’s a brief skinny: the “Bund” means “embankment”, and it is a modern promenade along the Huangpu River. The Huangpu River is the main river for commerce, and it cuts right thru the city. The Bund includes business areas on each side of the river, and runs for a few miles north and south, where every day, thousands of pedestrians stroll, or just sit, checking out the sights, the architectural wonders, and maybe even just watching the people.
On the other side of the river, the sights visible from the Bund include modern unusual architecture, which make up the famous “Pudong Skyline;” these marvelous structures are a sight to behold and ponder, representing the power and money here in Shanghai,. Prominent displays include the Jinmao Tower with its crystalline rooftop, the Chinese Oriental Pearl Tower that looks like it was made using giant Christmas balls, the sleek Shanghai World Financial Center (tallest of them all), and the flashy Aurora building.
On our side, which is on the west side of the river, the older European-style colonial buildings line the riverside in an area that was once considered the Wall Street of Asia. Many of these buildings are famous landmarks offering a mix of architectural styles built in the early 1900’s when Shanghai and the Bund became the chief shipping, trading, and financial district for the colonial powers (Great Britain, France and the U.S.).
We walked only about a mile and a half of the promenade on our first day in Shanghai, and ate a delightful Chinese meal in the south part of town that evening. We discovered lots of shops and hucksters along the streets, and no shortage of entertainment and restaurants down in the old town. Afterwards, we hiked back to the hotel in the pouring rain. Yea, it’s raining here in Shanghai too, with thunder and lightening chasing us along the Bund!!
The Shanghai Museum and the Shanghai Urban Planning Center (both near the Bund) are worthwhile sights when visiting this big city for the first time. The Urban Planning Center has a large, scaled diorama of modern day Shanghai on its first floor, and it offers the Shanghai novice a top-down familiarization of this unbelievably large city of 27 million people. And the Shanghai Museum has an impressive collection of Chinese art including fascinating ceramics -- which doesn’t sound nearly as interesting as it is!
Today (Friday), it was finally the first completely sunny day that we’ve experienced in China since we arrived. We decided to hiked to the Yu Yuan Gardens, where temples, cleverly arranged streams and shrubbery, and lots of big colorful carp hungering for a tourist handout make for a delightfully scenic respite from the bustle of Shanghai. Initially, we were derailed, and a bit confused and lost, and had to traverse some of the old neighborhoods of Shanghai.
As we regained our sense of direction by wandering thru a few alleyways, we couldn’t believe the poverty and squalor we found in some of those warrens. The food being cooked out on the streets by the vendors was unpalatable to the nose, let alone to eat. The smells of raw sewage were everywhere in the air. At one spot, the smells were so atrocious that Frank thought they must be grilling turds on one of the open flames they had going in that alley. Loads of mushrooms were strewn on the bare sidewalks drying out (we supposed), and exposed to any street dirt that fell their way. Other foods and strange liquids were available for purchase, but not to be trusted. The overhead electrical lines were a rats-nest of twisted nonstandard lines and cables that couldn’t have passed any electrical code specs anywhere, and to boot, the lower electrical lines had people’s clothing hanging all over it, drying in the wind. Wow, what a visual shock. What a difference an alley makes!!
Just a couple of streets over, and it’s a different world of money and power where nicely dressed business men in expensive suit coats carry spiffy leather-bound attaché cases. While here in the alleys, it reminded us of what it must have been like in the undeveloped Shanghai of the early 1900’s. It was a dichotomy too broad for us to comprehend.
This evening, we crossed under the Huangpu River using the “The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel’, which was a fun/funny adventure in itself, with many space-age lighting techniques pummeling the senses as we zipped along thru the tunnel. Yes, there is a tunnel to the Pudong where for a few yuan (Chinese dollars) you can see the glitzy side of the River where royalty dwells.
The fancy side of the river is a far cry from where we had just come. Tall colorful and shiny pillars of concrete rocket into the night sky all around us, making us dizzy with delight. This is one of the most beautiful and eclectic collections of skyscrapers that we have ever seen. While here in the rarified air of Pudong, Anne was thrilled to take the elevator to the 87th floor of the Jinmao Tower, where we had a few drinks and a chocolate mousse, as we took in the clear night views of the Bund from the opposite side of the Huangpu River. The whole city was alive with colorful neon sparkling in all directions, and the river was aglow with dazzling boat traffic. Everything was outlined with color, and light displays filled the night sky of the Bund.
On Saturday, we spent our last full day enjoying one of the favorite activities in Shanghai: shopping till you‘re dropping! Seemed like the whole city had the same idea. These people have sure embraced consumerism!
Tomorrow, we fly home. We have certainly enjoyed our time here. Since China has been such a fascinating destination, we will send out a recap email summarizing our thoughts on all we have learned.
As always, thanks so much for joining us on this adventure. China has been an enlightening trip through-out.
All the best,
Frank and Anne
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