Shanghai January 21-23, 2007
January 21st, 2007
On January 21, we flew to Shanghai. We left early in the morning to catch our flight on China Eastern Airlines. Shanghai is one of the largest cities in China... with about 17 million people living in the city. Our hotel was located within a 5 minute walk of the Bund!! What an amazing site to see from our hotel. The view of the Huangpu River and Pudong section of the city.
Views from our hotel
We spent the first afternoon
wandering around the city. The Bund is a promenade along the riverfront. The Bund is an amazing place to walk around and
see the sites on the river, it was at the heart of colonial
Shanghai. Most of the old buildings are still in place.
The most distinctive building is the Peace Hotel, which was built in 1930.
We then wandered down Nanjing Road (the shopper's paradise) to the People's Park. It is ringed by gleaming glass and metal skyscrapers. The park was full of people just walking around, talking, and enjoying the afternoon.
One
of the buildings around the People's Park has a face in it.
January 22nd, 2007
Our first full day in Shanghai, we took a guided city tour. We felt a tour would help us to see the city and learn about it's history, culture, and architecture. Our guide Jane was fantastic, very friendly and knowledgeable. Although, the weather was not cooperating in the morning for our visit up the JinMao tower, she rearranged our itinerary and took us to see the YuYuan Gardens. A Compassion Buddha welcomes you to the gardens as you walk along the pathway through the pond. YuYuan Gardens were built by a Chinese man for his parents around 400 years ago, the walls divide the garden into six scenic areas, which makes it feel like a maze. Areas of huge rockery are interspersed with pools containing Koi Fish. The white walls in the garden are surrounded by undulating dragons. A Gingko Tree featured in the gardens is over 400 years old.
These are some photos taken in the gardens.
Following the gardens, we took a trip to the Jade Buddha Temple, a walk along the Bund, and a traditional Chinese Tea Shop and ceremony. The Jade Buddha Temple is the most famous of Shanghai's temples. It was built in 1882 to enshrine 2 jade Buddhas, unfortunately, it is not possible to take photos inside the temple.
Our walk along the Bund today was more enlightening as we were able to get some history of the sculptures and monuments along the river. We visited a tea shop and learned about different types of tea and how to make it the traditional way. Then, it was off to lunch... which was a 5 course meal, for the four of us! We had a private room, waitress, and enough food for 6.
After lunch, we explored a pearl factory and JinMao Tower. JinMao tower is the third tallest building in the world, it offers 3600 amazing views of the city, especially the Bund. This was followed by a visit to a silk manufacturer, where we learned how silk clothing, quilts, and linens are made.
Some views from the JinMao Tower, looking down into the Lobby of the Grand Hyatt and at the surrounding city.
January 23rd, 2007
Our last full day in the city, we spent in the Shanghai Museum and exploring the market at YuYuan. The museum has a collection of over 120000 pieces. Offering views of traditional Chinese Bronze artifacts, Sculpture, Ceramics, Jade, Calligraphy, Paintings, and Coins. It is amazing to see some of the artifacts that we have heard about over the years. The Ceramics from the Ming and Qing dynasties were exquisite... and some of it dates to 400 BC!!
January 24th,2007
In the morning, we ran over to the Bund to watch the morning ritual of Tai Chi. Shanghainese people gather on the Bund daily to practice their martial art... it is a beautiful and graceful to watch. We only saw a small group on the Bund... however, there are different groups of people performing Tai Chi throughout the city on rooftops, sidewalks, and alleyways. Then it was off to the airport for our next stop Xian.
Please send us an email at daleandheather@shaw.ca
