Shanghai

Full moon over Shanghai

If New York City mated with the Emerald City of Oz they would give birth to Shanghai.
The Chinese characters that make up the word Shanghai literally mean “upon the sea” as the world’s busiest shipping port is located at the mouth of the Yangtze & East China Sea. It is the most populous city in China and holds the distinction of having the largest population for a city in the entire world.
Shanghai flourished as an international settlement following the fall of the Qing dynasty giving rise to a large Western population who controlled the city. In fact, the Chinese were relegated to their own area of the city, aptly named “Chinatown”. Imperial Japan took over in 1941 ending the Anglo-American rule and removing many European and American residents to an interment camp. In the 1990s an economic rebirth occurred under Deng Xiaoping which returned foreign investment and the finance industry to the city.

Chinatown in Shanghai

This is our last full day in China and the realization is bittersweet. We are anxious to return to our families and homes after 2 weeks but sad to leave the wonderment and discovery we have been blessed to experience. Tonight we will have to pack one final time.
Another jam-packed day and night awaits us as our itinerary today includes: a visit to the Shanghai Museum, Nanjing Road, the Bund, Chinatown and the Shanghai Acrobatics Show.

The Shanghai Museum

The museum houses numerous collections. The most interesting to me are the ones containing calligraphy, ancient coins and paper money from the Silk Road trade and the Chinese Chop collection. “Chop” is a term used for printing stamps or seals which were used instead of a signature. Most ancient Chinese stamps were made of stone, often jade and used with a cinnabar paste or red ink. Many of the “handles” are often carved animals like lions, dragons or turtles. Since Damian is such a huge turtle fan I am intrigued by how many turtles are in the Chop collection and take a photo to show him. Turtles are a symbol of longevity in China.

Turtles carved into the handles of stamps known as Chops.

The stamp part of a Chop.
Note the red ink.

Ancient Chinese paper money.

Don had a chop made for me that has a jade dog (my Chinese zodiac sign) and my name in Chinese characters. I used it on my Christmas cards and gift tags this year and I love it. The ink is contained in a Chinese porcelain pot, so cute! The museum gift shop also provided me with a few other Christmas gifts: a porcelain pen for my grandson and a glass beer mug with Chinese calligraphy for my son.
This is probably a good point to mention my packing strategy. When we were packing for China I told Don that we were each allowed one carry-on bag and a personal item and that we would be able to bring only one checked bag between us. This was not entirely true. My plan was to buy a second large piece of luggage in Shanghai for the return trip to the States so I could put all the gifts and souvenirs I acquired along the way in it without exceeding the weight limitations. As Don started to balk about how we were going to transport these breakables I reminded him that since we were in Shanghai I was now also shopping for a suitcase.
When mentioning “shopping” in Shanghai the Nanjing Road will immediately be brought into the conversation. Think of it as the Rodeo Drive of China. It has a large pedestrian area on the eastern end with tons of high end retail stores. It sort of reminded me of Times Square but with unusual architecture. We were given free time to explore and of course it wasn’t long before Don & I ditched the high end side for the side streets which had fewer foreigners. Shanghai contained more Western-looking people than any of the other areas we visited. We had been expressly cautioned by our guides not to go down any side alleys with people promising us cheap Rolex watches and although we were approached Don was soon chatting it up with the local hucksters.

Nanjing Road

“Wanna buy a Rolex?”

Christmas decorations –
one of the only places we saw any.

A side-street noodle shop

Off the beaten path

I would not be purchasing a suitcase here since the prices were exorbitant! Our guide told us that a pair of Levi’s in The Gap here would set you back about $125. We are told that a unique shopping opportunity awaits us in Chinatown and Sunny, our local guide, assures me that I will be able to procure a suitable suitcase. We arrive in Chinatown and are taken to the tea shop that will be our meeting place.

Tea shop/jewelry store
in Chinatown

We are instructed to visit the shops and feel free to interact with the street vendors but be very careful of pickpockets and under no circumstances should we leave the confines of Chinatown.

Notice how tightly I am holding my purse to my body.

This man hand-carves chops to your specification. He was on our TV show, “The Great Race”.

Bridge over the koi pond
Chinatown

There were many interesting shops and the shopkeepers were all nice but the street vendors were relentless in their pursuit of your money. After a while we returned to the tea shop to find Sunny so I could inquire where I could get a suitcase. Sunny sprung up and told us to follow her. We raced down the concrete steps and out into the street. We darted down a side street and I noticed we were out of the confines of Chinatown. We ducked into a small storefront who’s walls were lined with luggage of all sizes and shapes. Sunny started speaking to the woman in the shop in Chinese and she pulls out a new, large, hard-sided suitcase with a grey textured exterior. She opens the bag which has a TSA luggage lock and ample storage space with compartments and securing straps. Sunny tells us that the woman wants $35 for it. SOLD! We now traipse back into Chinatown with every street vendor in the marketplace following us offering to sell us wares to fill our new purchase. I am exhausted and feel violated when I return to the tea shop/jewelry store.

“You need bag?”

We load up our new suitcase and hop aboard Bus #2 to visit the riverside area know as The Bund.
This area houses most of the older architecture of Shanghai and was where the embassies and major financial institutions were located and now many high-end hotels. It’s cold and windy with the breeze gusting over the river but the views are epic. We are told we only have a short time here as our dinner reservations are upcoming in a restaurant located under the walkway. Like little kids, we ask if we finish our dinner early can we return? It’s almost sundown and I am anxious to see the night skyline. Our guides agree and in no time Don & I are back on The Bund.

The Peoples’ Heroes Memorial on The Bund

The Bund

My favorite thing about Shanghai:

To top off our day we get to see our final performance in China. It is the famous Shanghai Acrobatics Show. In my opinion, this was the best show we saw while in China. These folks were like rock stars and perform dangerous stunts in a multimedia-type show. The finale is 8 motorcycles speeding through a round steel cage entering one by one until it’s a frenzy! The gasoline fumes alone are enough to knock you out so I can see why it’s the final act. One of the female acrobats is driving the night we are there and our guide tells us that often it’s 3 women drivers.

This guy does crazy things while balancing big, heavy porcelain jugs.

Amazing acrobats

Sunny tells us that careers are short when you are an acrobat and they are often disabled due to the punishing physical demands. Only the best of the best go on and become trainers for the next generation. She also tells us that they eat earthworms to “make their body soft” which I guess they believe assists them with contortionist activities.

No, thanks.

We return to our hotel and begin to pack. We decide to spend our last Yuan and I make contact with my kids to ensure that Thanksgiving preparations are in place. We will arrive home around midnight on Thanksgiving morning and will be hosting Thanksgiving dinner with a little help from family and friends. I decide I need a real drink tonight, not just the Chinese beer I’ve been periodically swilling the past 2 weeks. We head down to the bar which is empty and being tended by a Chinese girl who looks about 16 years old. I pick up the drink menu and note that it lists all the usual suspects, in English. I ask the girl for a gin & tonic. She stares at me blankly. I point to the words, “Bombay Sapphire” clearly printed in my menu. She smiles sheepishly. There is a picture of a Margarita. I point to that thinking maybe a visual clue will help. She nods enthusiastically and heads down the bar. She reaches under it and pulls out a book, a cocktail shaker and an orange. Now I am intrigued. Don goes to interrupt her but I wave him off. She adds to the cocktail shaker a hefty shot of tequila and another of Cointreau to which she adds the juice of half the orange and some ice. I believe she is trying to kill me.

How hard can this be?

Enter the guy who I assume is the real bartender. He glances at her and says something in Chinese which I assume must be, “Hey, what are you up to?” She responds, “I’m making this stupid woman some kind of drink.” He scans her recipe book and ingredients and he makes a face that says in any language, “What the @#$% are you doing?!” and then proceeds to yell at her. She dejectedly looks down and he grabs a Margarita glass and some limes from below and begins to construct my Margarita. I wave at him and signal for him to put some lime juice in the death drink the girl was making and pour that in the glass. He gives me the sidelong glance of incredulity and waves his hands in the ‘no way’ gesture. I pantomime that it’s OK and I smile at the girl who raises her eyes slightly and again offers her sheepish glance. I receive the drink, which I have now named a “Shanghaied” and take a swig. Don asks, “How is it?” I smile at the girl and nod in approval and say, “It’s the worst thing I’ve ever tasted.” I finish my drink and tip the girl my remaining Yuan.

Our last night in China

Our last day in China dawns like every other, grey and somber. The different groups have been assigned departure times based on which airport they are leaving from and their final destinations. My group meets at noon and will fly to O’Hare International Airport in Chicago for a layover and on to Dulles. We have already said good-bye to some of our friends after breakfast. I check our room one last time to see if we have left anything behind and I glance out the window. On this grey Wednesday morning in November the streets of Shanghai are busy with the workday world but at my eye level a few blocks away someone is on a roof flying a kite. Kites originated in China. Tradition and folklore says they are used to send greetings to family and friends who are no longer with you. How appropriate.

Kite being flown from a roof in Shanghai.

These China posts are dedicated to my friends from Bus #2

My kite flies for you.

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