Our Trip to the People's Republic of China

Day 08
Shanghai

Our trip to Shanghai was another 1-hour flight. The guide told us that if we had traveled from Beijing to Shanghai by boat, the trip would have taken three weeks. He said that flying is also much cheaper than driving because of the cost of gasoline, insurance, and toll roads.

The road from the Shanghai airport was lined with billboards. They were not ugly commercial advertisements, but a series of gigantic flower patterns, fencing off construction on the other side.

Shanghai is famous as a great shopping town. Our female Shanghai guide bragged that, even during the Cultural Revolution, the women of Shanghai were known for wearing the latest fashions. She also claimed that Shanghai natives could spot any outsiders because they are not as stylish.

The Bund

The Bund is the name of the area bordering the harbor. It has a reputation as an international architecture museum. Shanghai is a city of migrants. European-style buildings in the area are leftovers from the European concessions. Many Jews took refuge here during World War II and made their fortunes. Shanghai is not found on very old maps, because the landmass did not exist in ancient times. The Yangtze River delta was built up over time, much like New Orleans.

When the tour leader compared the city to New Orleans, I asked if Shanghai had above-ground mausoleums like New Orleans because of river flooding. He replied that Shanghai did not have graveyards. The government mandates cremation. An exception had been made for Mao.

Shanghai’s history is sad. The guide spoke of foreigners making war on China in order to take their land. These foreign "concessions" forbid entry to "the Chinese dogs."

The Shanghai Museum in the Peoples Square houses ancient Chinese art. It is built on West Nanjing Road, once the clubhouse of the Shanghai Racecourse, where no native Chinese were allowed.

The skyline across the river from the Bund looks like a science-fiction movie set. A tall Space Needle has two globes at its base housing the World Trade Center.

The public transportation is also quite striking. The monorail track has blue lights at its base. The freeways are lined with small planter boxes.

The city has a policy of replacing a certain percentage of torn-down buildings with pocket parks. The city leaders are very aware of the importance of greenery in aiding air quality.

Construction is everywhere. The city is growing so rapidly that maps are redrawn every six months. As a business center, the city competes with Hong Kong for direct foreign investments. Housing developments are replacing rice paddies in the suburbs. The growth has speeded up since reform policy in 1990. Prior to that date, the federal government would take money out of Shanghai, leaving its people to live in very crowded conditions. The favoritism toward Shanghai has come about partly because two of the former mayors are now high-ranking officials in the national government.

The old town area was especially notorious for its abysmal living conditions. Many families shared the same flat. The buildings had no toilet facilities. The occupants had to empty their chamber pots in a common sump each morning and use bathhouses to clean themselves. The conditions were so notorious that young men from old town had a hard time finding a girlfriend and getting married. A girl would ask, "Where do you live?" and "How big is your house?" If she heard the wrong answer, the relationship died instantly.

Yu Garden and Nanjing Road

Classical Ming Dynasty garden and old Shanghai shopping area

In the midst of crowded walkways and bustling commerce, the Yu Garden is a circle of quiet. As a classical Ming Dynasty garden, it combines buildings, water, plants, and sky as integral parts of its design. A descendent of the original owner lost the garden to a gambling debt and the property was split among three friends. The garden was finally united under government ownership.

Although dragons are supposed to be reserved as symbols for the emperor alone, the garden’s owner showed his ambition by incorporating dragons in the garden design. An undulating white stucco wall surrounds the garden. Black tiles, representing the scales of a dragon, top the wall. Grimacing dragon heads peak out from various corners.

We walked down twisting men’s and the women’s corridors. A different view is waiting at every turn. Reflections in the water created "borrowed landscapes." That is, features that are owned by the neighbors look like part of a continuous garden.

An open-air teahouse offered a good view of gargoyles on neighboring rooftops. Inside, the simplicity of Ming furniture contrasted with the extravagant materials and ornate designs of the Qing Dynasty. Ming Dynasty furniture is famous for its simple modeling, gracious line, and well-balanced scale. A Ming couch had marble insets because of the cooling properties of the stone.

Silk Carpet Factory

Chinese Acrobatics Show

Teenagers and younger children performed acts featuring plate balancing, chair balancing, contortions, and acrobatics. For the finale, four motorcycles sped and catapulted inside a metal mesh ball, barely missing each other.