Shanghai

Shanghai is one of the biggest cities in China.  Its urban area has a population of almost 30 million people.   It is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze river.  The Huangpu river bisects the city.  In recent years its skyline has been transformed by new skyscrapers.  It is one of the busiest container ports in the world.  

In the 1930s' it was a financial and commercial hub.  It fell to the Japanese during the second world war.  During the Japanese occupation many Jewish refugees came from Europe to escape Hitler's war against the Jews.  Many of the Jews left after Japan surrendered in World War II and Shanghai was retaken by the Chinese army.  It regained its reputation as a hub for international trade and finance.  It is home to several highly-ranked universities in the world.  Its subway system is the largest metro network in the world by route length.

I was booked into the Sunrise at the Bund hotel for 4 nights.  I arrived in Shanghai early because of the availability of flights and wanting to get acclimatized to the local time zone before beginning the rest of my China trip.  I also want to meet my friend Edward, whose daughter is working here in Shanghai.

Sunrise at the Bund hotel

Although it claims to be a 4-5 star hotel I will be generous if I give it a 4 star.  It is a beautiful building but the service compared to big-name western hotels like the Marriott or Hilton, it has a ways to go.  The staff show little enthusiasm in their work and most of the lobby staff like bell boy and concierge barely speak English.  

The hotel is located in the North Bund area.  The Jewish Refugee Museum is nearby, which means that many Jewish refugees lived her during World War II.  There are high-rise buildings everywhere and there is still construction of more high-rise buildings in the neighborhood.  My room was not ready when I arrived so I asked the driver to drop me off at a nearby mall so that I can find an ATM machine.  Shopping malls are a relatively new concept in China, starting in the 80s' after Deng Xiaoping decided to open up China.  Most malls in China are probably less than 20 years old.  The SMP mall that I went to is gleaming with new tiles and glass.  It was probably built before the popularity of online shopping started.  The shops are beautiful but they were not busy.  At the bottom level there were many restaurants catering to nearby office workers.

On the way back to the hotel I stopped at an ICBC Bank to withdraw some cash in Chinese RMB or Yuan but they were all in $100 bills.  Too big to give as tips so I went into the bank itself to get some smaller bills.  The exchange rate is US$1 = 6.82 RMB. 

After taking a short nap I was ready to do some exploration of the city.  I decided to go to one of the most popular tourist attractions in Shanghai - Nanjing Road and the Bund.  Since I have not learned how to use the Metro I decided the easiest way for me to go to there is using ride-share.  Instead of Uber, it is called Didi in China.  I downloaded the app before coming to China and entered all my personal and credit card information.  The bell boy helped me picked the spot where I should get off.  The ride costs about 20 RMB or less than $3.   

It's a Friday night so the place was packed with people.  No traffic is allowed on Nanjing Road.  Many people are happily strolling, sometimes stopping at shops.  The shops sell anything that you can think of.  Food, electronics, clothings, souvenirs, etc.  Here are some pictures:

Shop selling food

Scorpions and Centipedes

Apple Store

Department Store

Five Guys - American Hamburgers

There are a couple of technology stores, like Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi and Samsung.  These are mostly phone companies but the Chinese phone companies have branched off making Electric Vehicles (EV).  It's a very competitive market and the prices are low enough that Americans will drool over them.  Most of them costs around US$30,000 to $40,000.  Some higher-end ones can costs over $100,000.  If they are allowed to enter the US market without tariffs the legacy American car-makers may not survive.  You see them everywhere in other parts of the world.

Huawei Showroom

After Nanjing Road I took the steps up to The Bund.  This is a waterfront area and a protected historical district in central Shanghai.  There are many historical buildings in this area with different classical designs.  By the 1940s' many of the top financial institutions in the world were represented here.  When the communist government took over China many of these institutions moved to Hong Kong.  Today it is  developed as a tourist area and many of the buildings were returned to their former use as financial institutions or hotels.  Today it is one of the biggest tourists attractions in Shanghai.

Many tourists, local and international, throng the bund at night.  Almost all the buildings across the river on the Pudong side are brightly lit up by modern LED lights.  When I was here about 20 years ago some of these buildings were still under construction.  There are many cruises along the Huangpu river.

Nightview of Pudong from the Bund

Looking South

Looking North

The Peace Hotel and Bank of China buildings next to Nanjing Road

I have the whole day free the day next day so I set up to explore three places:  Shanghai Museum, Yu Garden and the Jewish Refugee Museum.  I decided to learn how to use the subway, which is called the Metro in Shanghai.  I have taken subways all over the way and it's easy to figure out how to use it.  But first I need to find the Metro station near the hotel.  They pointed to the direction of the Metro station and when I thought I was in the vicinity I couldn't find it.  There were no clear signs like in some countries.  I ran into a lady from Brazil who was looking for the same thing.  I asked a lady riding by on her bike and she pointed us to the right direction.

The International Cruise Terminal Metro Station

I asked Lavia where she was going.  She said she wants to see this interesting building called the Wukang Building.  I've never heard of it but I was curious so I decided to follow her.  There was a big crowd in the area.  When I first saw the building it reminds me of the Flatiron building in New York City.  The building was designed by a Hungarian-Slovak architect called László Hudec and was completed in 1924.  It has been the residence of many celebrities.

The Wukang Mansion

22-story Flatiron Building in NYC

The Wukang building is in the French Concession, a beautiful tree-lined neighborhood.  It was a Saturday so most of the businesses were closed.  We peeked into one of them and saw a violin repair shop.

A tree-lined street in the former French Concession

A violin repair shop

We next stopped at the Shanghai Library down the street.  It is housed in a beautiful building but not a famous Shanghai landmark.

Inside of the Shanghai Library

Livia and I then split up.  She wanted to go to Nanjing Road while I wanted to go to the Yu Garden.  I was here 20 years ago and remember the traditional Chinese-style architecture of the buildings and garden.  When I approached the garden I was stunned by the size of the crowd.  There were so many people that it was impossible to stop and appreciate any of the buildings or landscape.  Instead, most tourists were more interested in patronizing the restaurants and gift shops than admiring the garden itself.  After about 30 minutes I decided to leave and start walking towards the Shanghai Museum.  

I used Google Map to give me directions to the Shanghai Museum.  However, I seem to be going around in circles.  Google Map does not work in China!  I decided to ask a security guard at a building.  He pointed me in the direction of the museum but he told me that I won't be able to get in.  You need a reservation.  Then I decided to give up and go back to the hotel.

The next day I met my friend Edward and his family.  Edward and I have known each other since second grade, which means we have known each other for more than 60 years!  His daughter works for the Singapore government in Shanghai so they come here frequently.  He was the one who introduced me to Asia Odyssey Travel, who organized this trip for me.

We met at a building shaped like a ship, logoed by Louis Vuitton.  Why a ship?  I guess in order to be different and standout you want something that differentiate you from the other building.  Inside this "ship" is a massive shopping center. located on Nanjing Road West in Central Shanghai.

Louis Vuitton store shaped like a ship

As we walked around the neighborhood I was impressed by the shops and malls.  You'd think that you are walking in SoHo in New York City or Paris or London.  China has come a long way in terms of keeping up with the European and American cities.  The young generation are spending freely.  They have jobs and they have money.

Shops in the neighborhood

Inside a shopping mall

The area where my hotel is located is a mix use of office buildings, apartments, malls, banks, etc.  It is a couple of miles from the main commercial area.  One block away is the north Bund, a continuation of the popular Bund in central Shanghai.  China, or Shanghai, is no longer a backward underdeveloped country.  The streets are clean.  There are beautiful walkways around the park-like area, with gardeners attending to the beautiful plants.  In some cases it may be more beautiful than some of the European and American cities.

Gardener tending the flowers

Beautiful clean walkway for walking or jogging

Zinnias are in bloom

You can see high-rise buildings not far away

White Daisies

What stood out is that I did not run into any homeless people.  Is it the product of a communist system, where the government takes care of the people?  I also felt totally safe when walking the streets at night.  Owning a gun here is almost unheard of.  You may get run over by a bicycle or motorcycle but you definitely won't be robbed.

I am sure there are parts of Shanghai where the poor live.  The prices of most things are lower than in the US or Europe so I don't think the average worker gets paid a lot.  But their healthcare is taken care of.  They also can start collecting a government pension starting at 60 years old.  Not a lot of money but I heard it's a few hundred RMB.