oi oi people. i’m in shanghai, the marmite of the east. i’ll say for the record that i love it, where others have hated it. the whole atmosphere is lively, but not in the way nanjing was. in shanghai you feel witness to china’s progress. in other cities i’d noticed the advancement and catching up with the modern standard of living, but here you can see the chinese leading it.
i’ll start on the first day. on friday i went to the shanghai museum, which was pretty good, but i think more impressive for chinese people because it was about specific things in the history. the part on calligraphy was really interesting because you can see the different styles through the centuries, but again, maybe better if you could read what the characters said. then you could compare the structure and methods of expression. the painting exhibition was a bit dissapointing. i didn’t see much variety through the styles and focus. i think in europe we’re spoilt for art exhibitions. saying that, i could compare it with the stuff i saw in beijing with the modern art. i think i prefer the modern style.
i met a few people and went out on the first night to a bar called M2. it was pretty high-end, so i felt a bit out of place rocking up in my shorts, sandals and saigon t-shirt. but the american guy we were with spoke chinese and has the gift of the silver tongue, and he got us a load of free drinks. whiskey and soda. bleurgh. it took us twenty minutes to carry him into the hostel at the end of the night. good bar though. in china the bars are more like clubs. and in shanghai the clubs are pretty good. we went to a place called Windows which was a lot cheaper and a bit more underground. i went there with some english guys, a different american and a chinese guy called Ming. he’s been great. helped us around the place and order food and stuff. in Windows they had a stage where people could get up for a dance. of course i went up for a bit, but i’m glad i wasn’t up there when three western guys stripped down to nothing. twice. the first time they got away with it. but i think the security thought it lost novelty the second time, and they got kicked out.
just like in nanjing, i should add that i’ve been doing touristy stuff too. on sunday i went to The Bund and Pudong area, where all the new buildings have been constructed. the three famous ones in the area are the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jin Mao Tower, and the World Financial Centre. at the time of their completion, each has claimed the tallest buildings in China, and in some cases, the world. i found the real heart of shanghai development in this area. i took me twenty minutes to cross the road to these giants because of more construction happening. shanghai is preparing for Expo 2010. i don’t know what it is, but this city is a hive of activity because of it. i went up the Jin Mao Tower first, and went to the 88th floor. it was my first skyscraper and since the weather was quite good, you could see the city rolling on far beyond the horizon. after this tower, i topped the four hundred and something meters and crossed the street to ascend to the 100th floor of the World Financial Centre. really impressive building. i spent a good half an hour looking down at the Pudong area. it’s an architects playground. even the bank’s building have an unique style. we went to see the area at night from across the river. the whole area was lit up with lights, but you had to find the right spot to view it because more construction sites block the view.
today i went with Tiffany, Paul and Greg to the French Concession. there’s nothing to tell you when you’re there, and if you asked for directions to it you’d probably get frowned at, but you know when you’ve arrived. the style of houses is immediately recognisable as european, and the roads are lined with trees. and the clothing available is all to western tastes, but at eastern prices. shanghai is fashionable city. it’s kind of like london in many ways, but more excessive and outspoken.
this evening Ming helped me and Aaron order some toad for dinner. i’ll tell you now, i’m a fan. it’s an odd taste. a bit like fish. but there wasn’t much meat, as you can expect. after spending every trip to france determined to find frog’s legs, i’m glad i found something close on my first expedition to china.
don’t think we’re gonna do much tonight. probably have a few beers and watch a film. there’s a chinese girl in our dormitory who came with us to The Bund last night and i’ve been using my last chance to practice mandarin. but i want to get up early tomorrow to really have a go at the shops. plus there’s a park i want to check out. i should have a chance to write a final post at the airport before i set off.
see you all soon!xx
Tags: Shanghai
