Shanghai
The last leg of our tour took us to Shanghai, the financial capital of China and possibly the next New World. After a morning spent exploring the artifacts inside the Shanghai Museum, we went to the observation deck at the Jin Mao Tower. Unfortunately, all we could see was white as we stared out the windows of the observation deck. We then strolled along the Bund, across the river from the tower. The following night, we went back to the Bund, and there, staring back at us from across the river, the brightest neon sign of all, was The Golden Arches of Mickey Ds. Just like the Starbucks in Japan, another American entity finds itself among the most prominent icons of another culture.
Chinese written language originally began with characters inscribed on turtle shells and animal bones used in divination over three thousand years ago. Through the centuries, these characters have evolved and transformed so much that the majority of today’s mainland Chinese are unable to read the characters of the ancient Chinese calligraphy.
Cursive Chinese calligraphy is an art form that allows the artists to express their individuality, thoughts and feeling through free form strokes and continuous lines
An extensive collection of Chinese currency including coins dating back to the Silk Road help to piece together the birth and development of China’s monetary system.
The interesting architectural design for this building was based around the lucky number 8. When spoken, eight rhymes with the word prosperity in Chinese.
Across the street, the Shanghai Tower is under construction. When completed, it will claim the title of China’s tallest skyscraper boasting 128 floors.
The top of the Jin Mao Tower was swallowed by a dense blanket of gray. The Jin Mao Tower, with 88 stories not counting the 5 spire floors, is currently the second highest skyscraper in Shanghai.
The Bund, the symbol of Shanghai’s fast-growing economic power, is the prestigious residential address for dozens of national and international financial institutions, business corporations, hotels, and private social clubs.
It is said that if you want to know the political climate of China, go to Beijing. If you want to learn about Chinese history, visit Xi’an. But if you want to know the financial future of China, Shanghai is the place to be.
Inspired and moved to action by the acrobats show, we attempted a routine of our own back at the Pullman Hotel.
Suzhou
I had been silently waiting for this day since we booked our tour. Today, we visited the garden town of Suzhou and the water canals of Tongli. I must have spend over a hundred hours of my youth watching Chinese soap-operas dubbed in Vietnamese. As a little girl, I had imagined myself gliding down the pavilions surrounding well-groomed water gardens, stepping through a circular door along the wall, and sitting under a plum tree blooming with purple blossoms as I embroider the very same blossoms onto my handkerchief. With our visit today, my childhood dream was realized. I love circular doors; they are so romantic! On top of that, we filed into a courtyard that looked as if it was straight out of a Kung Fu movie. We couldn't help it. We had to stage a Kung Fu fight right then and there. Jimmy is such a great national guide; we felt so comfortable with our group that we had no hesitations to act out our impulses. It was one of the most fun and lighthearted moments we had on the tour.
The Garden of the Master of the Nets showcases the essential elements of a private garden during the Ming Dynasty. The central focus is the Chinese garden is the pond, which is surrounded by a walking pavilion.
An ancient city with over 2500 years of history, Suzhou is known for its classical gardens, stone bridges, grand canals, and world renowned silk tradition.
Kung-fu fighting in the rock garden. Thu’s employing the snake style against Nini’s hairy sloth.
Tongli
China Spree guides know exactly when to engage in conversation with you and when to leave you alone so you can rest. Well rested after a power nap, we were once again in high spirits for we had read such wonderful things about Tongli, the Venice of the East. After a visit to another garden, we toured the town via a gondola ride along the narrow canals lined with shady trees. Our gondola came equipped with a little Chinese girl with rosy cheeks and an huge smile. Shy at first, she began to open up and talked to us animatedly in Chinese. Although we didn't quite understand what she was saying, her universal gesture of falling overboard was easy to follow. We then went to an interesting marriage museum housed in an old-fashioned home. All too soon, our time in this charming village us up. We wished we had more time to roam the alleys of Tongli.
The old and the new vying for space in this fast-growing country. New concrete buildings rise behind a dilapidated wooden home sitting along the canal.
“Fa Shui La!” giggles the little girl in the pink sweater as she warns us about falling into the water during our gondola ride.
Shanghai is relatively a “young city” in China. In the 11th century, Shanghai was but a small fishing village. Over hundreds of years, Shanghai slowly grew into one of the largest cities in China by the mid 1800s. With the defeat of the First Opium War in 1842, Shanghai was forced to open its doors to international occupation and thus transformed into a major trading port. British, American, and French nationals were allowed to live within their own concessions, territories that did not have to follow Chinese laws. Western culture greatly influenced many aspects of the development of Shanghai, such as in food, fashion, religion, and especially in architecture as witnessed by the myriad of European style buildings lining the Bund.
We met up with James for some of Shanghai’s famous steamed dumplings at the restaurant recommended on Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.
A scaled model of Shanghai and all its structures occupies one whole floor of the building. Impressive.
Opened in 2007, The Shanghai World Financial Center claims many titles: second highest building in the world, tallest building in the China including Hong Kong, and the tallest observation deck in the world located on the 100th floor.
The city is crawling with all types of shopping centers: underground discount area, outdoor bazaars, high end plazas, and indoor malls. There’s not much else to do in Shanghai but shop and eat.
Courting etiquette in Shanghai requires the boyfriend to carry the girlfriend’s handbag.
This magnetic levitation bullet train travels at a top commercial speed of 268 mph. It took us only 8 minutes to cover 20 miles.
We had such a great group! Everyone was respectful of each other and of the learning experience.
Salute to Chairman Mao. Jimmy is the best national tour guide one could have asked for. He was attentive, accommodating, efficient and professional. Jimmy genuinely enjoyed his job and truly wanted to do everything in his power to ensure that our trip was smooth and memorable. And it was.
George Wu, our Beijing local guide, had just the right touch of comedy and seriousness to lighten the subject as he spoke of the charged political history and current government policies.
Chang Khue, our scholastic local guide in Xi’an was seeped in knowledge. With a gentle smile, he shared his devotion and love for Xi’an, gifting us
with a more intimate relationship this historic city.
Jenny, our soft-spoken guide in Guilin personified the beauty and romance of this rural region.
Eddie Thao, the young and fashionable local guide in Shanghai exemplifies the culture of this bustling city. His stories of growing up in this fast-changing global city provided us with a tangible understanding of the city’s developments.
