Shanghai - the metropolis of the future

The last 4 days in China were spent in Shanghai which I was very excited about as I had not managed to visit the city when I was there in 2001. It is a vast Urban metropolis that 4 days was not even going to make a dent in but we certainly tried out best to see the major sights. Our arrival at our hostel once again offered the pleasant experience of staying in hostels in Asia, they are more like what we in Ireland might term B&Bs. No time to waste though as we set off in search for food in the French concession area which is a large area in the centre of the city that featured heavily in various time periods of Chinese history, and was the sight were most foreigners lived prior to the 1950s. Most of the architecture is from periods past and its age also means that the buildings are not above 4 or 5 stories high, a fact that is interesting in contrast to the scale of the building Pudong. The best part of the French Concession were the lanes that were full of shops selling and exhibiting all kinds of stuff, and was my heaven to sift through.

The old residences of the French Concession


The high-rise buildings over the lanes of the French Concession

The museum in the People's Park was recommended by a number of people and so Anna, HC and I decided to attempt it. It certainly has wonderful pieces but there is little order to them and so the context is lost for me and I end up wandering staring at pretty things and forget the history. The park surrounding the museum is wonderful though and really peaceful considering its central location. Where was fascinating and much more contextual in terms of history was the propaganda museum, although a little known location only mentioned in the guide books but not advertised locally it is a gold mine. The owner has collected posters and art from all across China from the 1920s to more recent history and has created an chronological exhibition detailing the events of the past 100 years or so in China. He also has a small shop were postcards and copies of the posters can be bought, and I engaged him in conversation only to learn of his frustration at the lack of acknowledgment of this section of the country's history and the struggle he faces.


People's Park and the chicas

Old street in Shanghai is exactly was it is called as the oldest part of the city full of many Hutongs (alleys) dating back centuries. The street itself now hosts a huge market selling everything from food to tourist junk, and is also home to one of the city's oldest tea shops. The centre of the old district also hosts a wonderful garden and pond full of goldfish and is overlooked by many wonderful dumpling restaurants :-) The third day included a wander in the Bund area, which is the old financial area and home to some of the most spectacular older high-rises. I also ventured into a very exclusive shop home to a local designer with prices I can only dream of ever affording, but of course I had to spot a lovely dress!! No I didn't buy it!!!! We ended the day on the 61st floor bar of the Meridian Hotel with an amazing view over the entire city.


Shanghai Teahouse


Beautiful old garden


Old building of the Bund


View of Pudong from the Bund


View over the city from the 61st floor

The day of Anna, HC and my departure to London via Beijing and we spent the morning visiting one of the river towns of Shanghai. oroginally these would have been far away from the city but today they are connected via the metro, but still offer a wonderful peaceful view of how life was in these old towns. It was like being in a Chinese version of Venice :-) Back in Shanghai we met up with Sarah and Chad and had a final lunch together in an amazing Dim Som restaurant - the speciality of the region where you get lots of small dishes of different things. After our farewells from the DuffleBerries, we ended the day with a pedicure followed by a glass of wine before heading to the airport.


Qibao the river town

China is a fascinating country that is on the cusp of being the leader of the world in every context. You feel it in the people in the place, it is alive and changing everyday. There are still many issues that the country and its people need to face but it is certainly a changed place from the China I visited in 2001 and a place I would readily return to in the future.