<A>Surprised in Shanghai

My Shanghai Experience

Being an avid country hopper, I’ve been here, there and a bit of everywhere. Mainly to countries in Europe and Asia if I’m honest, but nevertheless I like to think I’ve seen a fair chunk of what this wonderful planet has amidst its expanse. This brief introduction in mind, I hope to place emphasis on my experience in Shanghai with the bare minimum in literary savvy and just say: Never before has a city struck my imagination quite like this one. Countries have gone down in the diary as certainly having got my juices flowing, yes. India, for one, is a country to blow the least easily stimulated of appetites, but cities? Shanghai was a city that simply blew me away, from the very touchdown.

Making my way from Shanghai Pudong International airport to the Bund, an apparently happening place where I had subsequently planned to stay, aboard a local taxi was the first instance of my frequent giggles of excitement. The main road as you approach the Bund is a winding, elevated one, and there’s so much to see on either side of it that you feel like you’re on concrete safari! The buildings are positively looming, the architecture so diverse you’re left in awe. Shapes you never knew existed slowly appear from behind structures of similar splendour. I could have returned home at that point and been satisfied with the magnitude and array of visual stimulants beset before me, alas I had merely begun. Lucky for me, as I was about to be very excited on a regular basis.

The Bund is where it’s all at in Shanghai. Located right next to the Huangpu River, it allows for breathtaking views in all directions, the best in shopping, and a multitude of great places to stay. After checking out a few hostels that were a hop, skip and a small jump from the river I settled down in a Youth Hostel, situated on a relatively quiet little street a short walk from the main shopping street. The hostel provided top-notch accommodation not to mention a whole host of other services, including burning your photos onto a CD for you, that made my excursion a real breeze. I couldn’t have expected more from a fancy hotel, and the quaint little restaurant-bar with a pleasing social vibe was the cherry on the cake.

After dumping my heavy bags I was itching to get out and take in more of the city, so I began by making my way to Nangjin Road. The day I arrived happened to be a national holiday with an accompanying celebration of some description. Invariably, this meant that each way you turned you were facing what felt like everyone who had ever participated in a mass games. It was like being in one of those movies you see where people are swept along in human traffic; if this street were a vein in the human body it surely would have burst by now, and bled people. There was certainly no point in trying to swim against the tide, so I cheerily allowed myself to get swept along and was coughed up, to my delight, at the bank of the river.

From the river’s edge on the bund side you are privy to a first class view. The Jin Mao Tower, being the fifth tallest building in the world, and the Oriental Pearl Tower are just two of the outstanding sculptures that grace the skyline. And I apply the word sculpture as what you see there can only be described as art; and these fanciful buildings are popping up at a rate of knots, a bit like one of those mallet games where you have to whack the heads that pop up briskly one after the other. If a space isn’t filled by a grand high-rise of some description, the foundations are already in place for there to be one.
At night is when you get the best visual fix. If you have the patience to wait your turn in order to get to the railings from which the most central view, for the sake of getting a postcard picture, is available then its well worth the wait. As in most big cities in Asia, fluorescent light displays add to the metropolitan vibe there, and the hugeness of the buildings only amplifies this. But only until 11pm. An energy saving scheme is in place so the bright lights disappear late eve and darkness prevails.

Elsewhere in the city, there are still people every, which way you turn. Eating, drinking, vending, shopping, ogling. The stark contrast between the rich and the poor, a current concern in most of China, is cleverly concealed in this city. Back streets house the shabby abodes of the poor and bright lights lead the way to the predominant wealthy areas. Whilst checking out the Ritz Carlton Hotel for information on its Shanghai Acrobatics Performance, I ventured to the neighbouring Armani Store. It appeared to me that I was stood on the Rodeo Drive of China, in all aspects bar the beggar and his child out front. For all the people, the streets were nevertheless pristine in this particular area, as in most. Electric blue baubles hung delicately from the uniform trees lining the street, emitting a festive glow.

Another example of overwhelming grandeur was my ascension to the top of the Jin Mao Tower. Home to one of the many Hyatt Hotels, the middle of the building was hollow, allowing you to see from the very top floor of the hotel down to the reception desk at the bottom, an exquisite view. My only view unfortunately, as my modest end being only to visit the Cloud Nine Bar for an over-priced cocktail.

Across the road from the Jin Mao is where I got my heartiest feed of the trip. Large portions of good quality, traditional Chinese dishes whilst easy on the oil. That being my most troubling factor with regards to the food in Shanghai, everything seemed to be swimming in oil. But Shanghai, being well known for its dumplings, did a good job of tempting me to continue to order more throughout my trip.

A personal favourite place of mine in Shanghai is the old town, next to Yuyuan Garden. A very short distance from the Bund, it’s the perfect place to remind yourself of where you really are. With traditional Asian architecture modeled to form narrow streets, even the stingiest of photo takers can’t help but to snap at least a few. In this compact, yet bustling area, you can walk over small bridges and watch the vast number of fish swimming below. This is also a great place to pick up some souvenirs. From Chinese clothes, to sweets, to tea, there’s not much you won’t find here. It’s a little expensive, but the window-shopping is a cheaper yet equally as fulfilling experience. Although you must prepare to linger, as once again human traffic is heavy.
If you enjoy feeding the fish here then you may also find Jade Buddha Temple, also not far from the Bund, an enjoyable experience. Although here you not only have to pay to feed the fish, but to take pictures of them too! Nevertheless, this temple is an inviting place to visit, with a free cup of tea plus a tea advising thrown in with admission.

As much as I stepped up the pace to see as much as I possibly could of Shanghai in six days, nothing was quite as speedy as my journey out of there. I took the Maglev train from near where I was staying to Pudong Airport, a swift 430 mph making for a short-lived ride, just ten minutes in fact. But the feeling was great, interspersed with exhilarating tilts to one side you can’t help but feel like you’re on some kind of amusement park attraction. And whizzing over cars about 50 ft below certainly adds to the buzz. Alas, only ending up at the airport that much quicker, served to burst my Shanghai bubble. Seeing so much and being so impressed; lands awaiting my tread in the future certainly have a lot to live up to.