The Bund at Night

Shanghai: A Great Place to Refuel

After a month or so of wandering China, Shanghai was a wonderful place to rest up. It’s very much a modern city, with all the bright lights, shopping, dining and entertainment venues one could ever want. It’s also got pockets of history, tradition and cheap eats if you wander away from the big tourist spots. The first place we stayed was in a cool neighborhood near a couple of parks in the west of the city. There was a bustling street market during the day, and we got breakfast each morning from a lady who made the best buns on the street. Our favorites were filled with spicy greens. The pork filling was a close runner up. We also found chuhai (the can Japanese alcohol made from shochu) in the store on the corner for our evening treat, so we were all set.

The Bund

The hostel (Rock & Wood) was really nice, too with clean sheets, modern furnishings, free laundry and comfortable hang-out areas. The first night we head out to the Bund for some classic neon shots and crowd navigation. Nanjing Road and all its shops were jam-packed, as was the Huangpu River walk. The views of Pudong, Shanghai’s business district, were pretty slick, with the Oriental Pearl’s changing colors dominating the scene. Glowing river cruisers slid by through the dark water. The historic buildings on the near side of the river were illuminated as well, but with soft spotlights. The architecture of this former International Settlement is varied. Most of the buildings formerly housed banks, consulates and trading houses. There are 52 historical buildings ranging from Neo-Classical to Gothic to Baroque to Art Deco. It makes for a beautiful, impressive walk, especially at night.

Shikumen House

Shanghai Neighborhoods

Apart from a day trip to Suzhou, we spent each day exploring one or two Shanghai neighborhoods. The French Concession had lots of cafés, shopping and a few more quiet streets. Some serious high-end shopping was happening around Xintiandi, but the highlight for us there was an open shikumen (stone gate) house/museum. It gave a good picture of what life was like in Shanghai during with lots of period furniture and other pieces. The houses look something like a townhouse, and combine both Chinese and Western elements. From the late 1800s to early 1900s a large percentage of Shanghai housing was this style. It seems there has been a big effort by developers to preserve and restore some of these structures, and for better or worse, many galleries, restaurants and shops now occupy them. We visited the Shikumen Open House Museum, which was a very interesting pit-stop! Sun Yat San’s former home as well as the building where the Communist Party of China was founded in 1921 are in this area too.

Jade Carving at Shangai Museum

The “Old Town” area around Yuyuan Garden was filled with small alleys and old buildings. It was great for an afternoon walk. The City God Temple was worth a look, and nearby there were dozens of restaurants specializing in Shanghai snacks. Avoiding the hawkers and firmly saying “No!” to the dozens trying to sell us a Rolex or iPhone, we sampled a bun filled with broth that you suck out with a straw before eating, some sweets and a number of other items. The garden itself is separated into different sections of rock sculpture, ponds, flowers, paths, pavilions, etc. divided by undulating gray walls each ending in a big dragon’s head.

Another rainy afternoon we spent in the mid-town museum quarter. People’s Park was a pleasant walk, while the Shanghai Museum holds a very impressive collection of Chinese sculpture, art, bronze, jade, ceramics, calligraphy and coins. The tempory exhibit was Maori from New Zealand. The top floor holds a collection of costumes and information on China’s many diverse ethnic groups.

For photos, click HERE.