Day 7: Happily Shanghai'd

View from the Bund


China's "Chinatown"

Huxingting Teahouse

Resident of Yu Yuan Gardens

The Shanghai Museum

Bronze arrowhead from the Museum's collection

Bronze neckrest

Bronze Ox-shaped wine vessel (early 6th century-476 B.C.)

Nan Jing Pedestrian street

Rush-hour commute

It may look like I have gone a little over the top while posting Day 7 photos, and I probably have, but this was a really busy (and photogenic) day. Plus it was warm (in the 50's and possibly even low 60's). And I had found a cough syrup wonder drug, Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa (which I have since found in both NY and Philly's Chinatowns) so I was no longer hacking like a 5 pack-a-day smoker. It was glorious.

We started the day with a group visit to The Bund, the landmark waterfront area along the Huangpu River. If you have ever seen a postcard from Shanghai, you have seen the Bund. As we drove along the main road, our local guide Mr. Bell (or maybe Bill, no one ever figured that one out), was pointing out all the important buildings. I found it endearing how he would begin each sentence with "and on your right..." (as in "and on your right you will find the Bank of China. And on your right, you will now find the Peace Hotel....). I wanted to point out that on our left, there was nothing but a large commercial river, if he was talking about a building, the odds were pretty good that we would glance towards the right, but he was a very precise man and who were we to change that. Following our Bund photo-ops, we headed to Chinatown (which coincidentally was... on the right). It sounds redundant to have a Chinatown in the actual country of China, but Shanghai was at one point divided into numerous international settlements, populated by foreign citizens (including large numbers of French, Brits and Russians), so that the area where the Chinese people remained is known to this day as "Chinatown". During our visit, this area was lavishly decorated for the end of the Spring Festival, which in turn marks the end of the New Year's celebration. This being the Year of the Rat, for the duration of our stay in China, we really could not go very far without seeing a depiction of a cartoon rodent or hearing an endless barrage of firecrackers. If I were to remember nothing else from this trip, it would be that the Chinese invented gunpowder. Someone was always quick to point that out after a particularly boisterous assault. But Mr. Bell/ Bill had not brought us here to explain his country's fascination with pyrotechnics, he wanted to show us a much more sedate pastime. He led us to the Yu Yuan Gardens, an oasis of peace and quiet in the middle of the madness. The gardens were originally built by a high ranking official as a gift for his parents, who in the tradition of hard-to-please folks everywhere complained that the gift was much too lavish and never really liked them. The gardens measure only about five acres, yet they are designed in such a way that they appear much more vast, with rocks and landscaping intended to evoke rivers, mountains and even the sky itself. In contrast to the Emperor's gardens at the Summer Palace, these have a much more intimate, cozy feel thus making it that much more of a shock when we walked back out into growing afternoon crowd of Chinatown. Our group excursion now over, we were on our own. Shawn and I decided to take a stroll over the nine-bend bridge (so designed because it was believed that evil spirits could only walk in straight lines, throw a couple of turns into the mix and you've stymied them). The bridge was a massive crush of humanity, but I must say, a very good natured one. Pushing and shoving was just the accepted protocol, no one seemed to get upset by it. We were headed to the Huxingting Teahouse, which sits in the middle of the lake (which might have something to do with why name translates to "mid-lake pavilion"). It has been serving tea since 1855 and according to our guidebook, was the model for Blue Willow tableware. I'm not much of a tea person, but for such a historic teahouse, I was willing to make an exception (plus if it was good enough for Queen Elizabeth...). We recharged our batteries over a never-ending pot of tea (eventually, we had to frantically wave away the waiters who kept trying to refill our massive pots of Jasmine) before leaving Chinatown for the Shanghai Museum. The museum, considered one of the best in China, houses a stellar collection of bronzes, sculptures, paintings, calligraphy (a room which I skipped, because honestly, what do I know about good versus bad calligraphy) and other treasures dating as far back as the earliest Chinese dynasties. Following the museum, we strolled down Nan Jing, Shaghai's noted shopping street, we returned to the Bund, we rode the subway (way easier than expected) and we topped it all off by dining at a restaurant across the street from our hotel called, I kid you not, "El Cubano". Both the owner and the chef were from Havana and whipped up some great, authentic Cuban food. Day 7 had been one of our busiest yet, but discussing it over a pair of Mojitos and some arroz con frijoles negros, I would have been ready to do it all over again. But first, a Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa chaser, please.