CHINA, DAYS 13-15

         When we arrived in Shanghai, we knew our trip was almost finished. It was at this point we could extend our visit for two days and go to the Suzhou to see the Fisherman’s Net Garden and a silk factory. Or, we could elect to stay in Shanghai for two days at the HengSheng Peninsula International Hotel. Only the hotel and breakfast were included in the charges…all other meals were at your own discretion.

Since we had already visited a silk factory (and I have the pants and shirt to prove it, even though I cannot remember where and when on the trip we did so) and since we were extremely tired, we thought we’d just hang out in Shanghai and amuse ourselves…John, Claudia, Buck and me. One other reason for staying in Shanghai was to do our shopping. By this time, I had bought very few souvenirs and may I suggest you don’t wait until the very last of a journey like this. I was so tired I could hardly think and actually purchased very little in Shanghai

In case you haven’t picked up on the fact the Chinese really didn’t want us out and about on our very own, that’s a fact. Our first day alone, a young woman showed up to be our tour guide in Shanghai. She wasn’t actually a tour guide, but a secretary at the local government office who had been “shanghaied” to guide us around and make sure we saw the various sights. I cannot remember for sure, but I believe she came with a car and driver. In any case, she was a very nice young woman who not only took us around, but told us a bit about her life. Here she is with John and Buck and me and Claudia. (photos 1-2)

She still lived with her parents and had been “forced” to move three different times because Shanghai was growing so quickly. The government would decide this particular area was ready for an upgrade and voila, the people who lived there would be relocated. It didn’t sound as though she had a young man, and she was most pleasant. We tried to get her to eat lunch with us, but she refused and ate with the driver. I believe rules and regulations prevented both her and the driver from joining us.

I believe she talked a bit about the Bund and we wandered around the area. It has dozens of historical buildings lining the Huangpu River. This area once was home to banks and trading houses from the United Kingdom, France, the US, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan, Netherlands and Belgium. In addition, there were the Russian and British consultants, a newspaper, the Shanghai and masonic Clubs. (photos 3-5)

Then we moved on to the Huangpu Park which is at the northern end of the Bund. It is the oldest and smallest park in the city and the site of a large monument to the People’s heros. It is many feet long and commemorates the peoples who assisted in freeing China from foreign occupation...I've only posted a few photos of the monument here. It contains the Bund Historical Museum which documents Bund History utilizing old photos. I don’t believe we went inside this museum. (photos 6-8)

          It was after this we went to some district in Shanghai. I don't remember much about it, but think it was where we had lunch that day. I'm sharing the photos I liked from there even though I don't seem to have a lot of information to about them. Where it appears people are praying, there was some sort of shrine. (photos 9-16)

Then it was on to the Oriental Pearl Tower which is 1,536 feet high, the world’s sixth and China’s second tallest TV and radio tower. The base is supported by three seven 25 foot slanting stanchions. There are 11 steel spheres strung vertically through the center of three 30 foot wide columns. The entire structure is placed on green grass and is supposed to provide the appearance of pearls shining on a jade plate. The double-decker elevators can hold up to 50 people and move up and down at approximately 25 feet per second. The elevator attendants provide information in English and Chinese as the elevator climbs ¼ of a mile. I took so many photos from the top of this tower of Shanghai. It is also an extremely popular destination illustrated by the Disney park-like waiting lines which were empty the day we were there. The photos following the structure (which, I'm sorry to say reminds me of a penis) were taken from the top.  (photos 17-26)

We were taken to the Shanghai Museum. This place was absolutely amazing and we could have probably spent a couple of days there. As it was, I have 10 hand-outs about, “Chinese Calligraphy, Chinese Ceramics, Chinse Ethnic Minorities’ Arts and Crafts, Chines Bronzes, Ancient Chinese Currencies, Ancient Chinese Sculpture, Chinese Painting, Ancient Chinese jade, Ancient Chinese Seals, and Chinese Ming and Qing Furniture.” Each hand-out was for a gallery that contained pertinent items. What I came away with was trying to wrap my mind around items on display that dated back to the 16^th-11^th Century BC…and perhaps even further back than that. Another figure I saw was 3,000 years. How does something made so long ago still look as though you could take it out of the case and use it for whatever purpose it was originally made. Absolutely amazing. (photos 27-31)

After we were dropped off back at hour hotel, we had a little quiet time and then decided to go out to dinner. John decided he just wanted to stay in, so Claudia, Buck and I ventured forth. We ended up in some little street and I think I remember we had pizza. As we sat there talking, laughing and eating, a number of Chinese parents stopped to ask if their children could practice English with us. We agreed and that was fun.

The following day, we were, indeed on our very own. I don’t now remember how we got about the city, but we must have used cabs. We rode the Shanghai Maglev Train out to the airport and back, although that's not how we got to the airport when it was time to leave. Now, I would have expected to have felt the gravitational forces of the train moving when it got up to 268 miles an hour, but it was as smooth as silk. The only way you knew you were going fast was to look out the windows and see the landscape as a blur. The ticket stubs in my scrapbook indicate the charge was 30 yuan and 50 yuan. I don’t know what the yuan to dollar ratio was then, but today it would be $4 and change to $7 and change. Why Seattle couldn’t come up with something like this eons ago, I have no idea. (photos 32-36)

Now, it was time to do some shopping. We went to the Shanghai No. 1 Department Store. I was really interested in getting some shoes and thought they’d be ever so much cheaper there…nope, didn’t buy a single pair. It was at that point, however, that I realized I hadn’t bought AJ a Wolong Panda shirt. I went looking and found one that would work just fine. And, it did, until he put it in the washer. When it came out it was just a plain white t-shirt. And, the people in the store were very intersted in m aking sales. If  you walked away, they would follow and try to convince you to bargain and make a purchase. I did end up buying a necklace of red coral. (Photo 37)

        I did purchase a couple of things here, but not the major amount I had figured I would do. And, while I've written about and shared photos of this China trip, there are other memories and photos I would like to share with y'all. I'll do that in the next couple of posts, but they won't be on a day by day schedule. They'll just be memories and photos that didn't fit in the previous posts.