SHANGHAI

Arrival Monday, November 15, at 0800

Until the mid-19th century Shanghai was a small fishing town on the Huangpu River.  Its rise to prominence came as the result of its selection as a treaty port by the British after the Treaty of Nanking.  Since then, its unparalleled locational advantages have sustained it position as one of China's leading cities, if not its leading city.  Certainly it is the financial center of mainland China.  When we came in 2003 the population was 16 million as compared to Beijing's 13 million. In 2010 the population is 22 million.

Shanghai City Orientation - We had already been to Shanghai but decided to take this tour.  We began at Yu Garden, a fully-restored classical

Chinese garden with ingeniously mingling pavilions and corridors, small hills, and carefully selected and placed rocks, lotus ponds, and bridges, winding paths, trees and shrubs.  The various ponds are stocked with coy.  We had been there in 2003 and Grace remembered a picture she had taken with Winx on the walk over the main pond. But it was good to return.

Ken at Yu Garden

Hieu Dovan at Yu Garden

Dragon on Wall in Yu Garden



Yu Garden

 

Rock Sculpture in the Yu Garden

Coy in the Yu Garden

Burl wood furniture in the Yu Garden

The Yu Garden is in the Old Town Bazaar so after the garden we shopped - Grace bought a scarf. Then to lunch in the local area. Next we went to the Bund, a seven-mile-long grand boulevard on the bend of the Huangpu River.

Happy Shopper

From there a visit to the Shanghai Museum of Art.  This is where 7 years ago Grace had bought the accordian sketch books that she has used for many of her recents works over the last few years.  We bought 3 of the large accordian books plus other minor items.

Ken and Grace outside the Shanghai Museum of Art

We went from there to visit the Jade Buddha Temple, an active temple with some 50 monks. The temple has bright saffron walls and its centerpiece is a 1.9-meter high jade Buddha encrusted with jewels.



Large Buddhas in the Jade Buddha Temple

No pictures are allowed of the Jade Buddha or the female Jade Buddha



We had a reservation for dinner about 20 minutes away but as we tried to go there we saw clouds of smoke coming from a fire. It seems an apartment building had experience a huge fire. It was near our restaurant and there was no electricity in the restaurant. So the tour guide, after much ado, arranged for another restaurant. As of our leaving there were 42 confirmed deaths in the fire.

After dinner we saw an acrobatics show at the Shanghai Theater. It was good but had too few women acrobats and too much slap stick. It was also the only thing we had not seen on our trip years ago.

The next day was the Urban Planning Museum tour. There was also a drive through the old French Concession area, but that wasn't very interesting.

The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre is an architectural joy. The Centre condenses the planning stages of yesterday, today and tomorrow, showing the construction of the Shanghai metropolitan are based on themes of City, Humanity, Environment and Development. It is a tour de force. The pictures below don't do it justice.

Part of the Shanghai layout in the Urban Planning Museum

More of the Layout - includes the 2010 Exposition in the bottom

Near where our ship was docked was a very unusual building.  The architecture included 3 large "drops" or whatever.  You can decide.  We think it was called the "Water Building".

Water Building

Before leaving we took a picture of the Pearl Tower which was a very new building when we visited before. There were few other buildings across the Huangpu River from the Bund. As some may remember about half of the world's tower cranes were in Shanghai then. There aren't as many now but one can really see the change across the river as there are a multitude of new buildings. And a lot of new highways and elevated roadways. What a change?

We all had dinner in the top pearl of the Pearl Tower seven years ago.

Pearl Tower