To complete our cultural
experience in China, we headed on to the last part of our tour: Shanghai.
Arriving in the evening, Shanghai
is the more metropolitan, modern version of the cities we visited. Shanghai is also
a popular tourist destination because of the attractions that blend with both heritage
sites and modern ones.
Bullet Train from Beijing to Shanghai
Bullet Train to Shanghai
The weather in China is behind
all the “normal” flight cancellations, but we had a schedule to keep. So our
host arranged for us to leave for Shanghai no matter what. We were told the bad
news that our flights were cancelled, but the good news was that we were to
take the bullet train.
Speeding at 300 km/h, we got to
see the countryside, train route and and wind-powered energy farms in wide view
windows of the train, and just how wide the land is in this country. It took us
six hours from Beijing to Shanghai, that’s how big China is, considering the
speed the train travels in. The train stops for only a minute in each station,
that’s just enough time to get in and out. Tickets are more expensive than
airline fares, but train rides are rarely cancelled; whether it’s rain or shine,
it’s a sure way of getting to one’s destination.
Yu Yuan Garden, Shanghai, China
Yu Yuan Garden
We passed by a small alley that
led to Yu Yuan Garden. It is a historic temple in Shanghai that is now
surrounded with many artisan shops and is a popular shopping site among
tourists. It’s really a temple inside with many artisans selling their wares
all over the place, from a tea shop, to jewelry, souvenirs, metal goods, even
food and department stores can be found in this tourist destination.
Choose your wild, an assortment of tea in Yu Yuan Garden
Tea to hoard in Tins
Tea of the day in Yu Yuan Garden Tea Shop
Shadow Theatre in Yu Yuan Garden, Shanghai
Nanjing Road
This is for the person who cannot
live without shopping and an unlimited amount of credit. Nanjing Road is a whole
shopping strip consisting of a 5-KM stretch of shopping malls left and right. If you have a whole day for
exploring the whole place, there’s so much to see. There’s an interesting
vintage photo booth complete with props that can take your photo and process it
Vintage Shanghai-style. There are also so many food stalls and souvenir stalls
all over. There are so many brands and shops, hello 5-KM stretch.
Corner Entrance to Nanjing Road, Shanghai
Nanjing Road Alleys, Shanghai
A corner building in an intersection road in Nanjing, Shanghai
Sights and sounds, Nanjing Road, Shanghai
Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower and World Financial Center
Here’s a quick trivia, one
building is privately called The Bottle Opener. By looking at the Shanghai
skyline, one can guess which one. We went to the Bund Riverside Walkway at
night to get a better view of the Pudong New Area and to get up close with the
Shanghai skyline. One could see the mix of architecture from modern, to the
renaissance style divided by the Bund Riverside separating the Pudong New Area
and the Old District.
This was one of our last stops before
heading on back to Tianjin for our closing ceremonies with TEDA and the Ministry
of Commerce.
Oriental Pearl Tower
World Financial Tower and Jin Mao Tower
View from the Bund Riverside, Shanghai
In the Bund Riverside with our translator Grey
It has all been an amazing
experience and we were all able to make friends and immerse in new cultural
experiences in a different country. I’ll be keeping the official site visits
private, but in the meantime, there will be more travel posts soon for the
year.
