April
21, Saturday
We set off at 8:30 today to visit Shanghai, one of the world’s largest cities with a population of more than 12 million, making it China’s largest urban centre. Historically it is a fairly new city, coming in to it’s own when the British settled here and started the Opium trade in the 19th century. The Treaty of Nanking in 1842 opened Shanghai as a free port to western trade and influence. There were numerous foreign concessions along the water front now known as the Bund.
We start the day with a visit to the famous Yu Yuan Gardens in Old Shanghai. The buildings surrounding the garden have all been replaced by new buildings containing shops and restaurants, but the buildings are all in an old architectural style and quite beautiful. The gardens date back to 1559, from the Ming Dynasty, cover two hectares of space and are described as a serene spot. Well maybe not so serene because of the hundreds of visitors, but definitely beautiful.
The shopping and restaurant streets that lead to the Gardens
The gardens, pagodas and pond
Check out this elaborate high wall decoration. Traditional dragon holding a ball in its mouth.
Once we crossed into the other courtyard, I could see that the dragon's back and tail formed the top of the wall. Beautiful !
Chinese love these strange looking stones that often have holes in them. They are in every garden we visit.
Warrior on a horse, roof top decoration
Same photo, without the zoom
The gardens are lovely
Building under construction or renovation, with bamboo scaffolding all around it.
Beautiful monument on the Bund waterfront
Across the river is the Pearl Tower. Between the two large balls are 6 smaller ones; they each contain 4 hotel rooms ! I can just imagine what the cost is to stay there just one night.
Walking along the Bund
Statue of Mao
They have their own Bull, just like on Wall Street in New York
More views across the river
Beautiful statue, with a recreation of the flowing cape in the flower bed. Very artistic.
Check out the architecture !
We then drive to the Shanghai Museum where we have 1 ½ hours to browse around on our own with an audio-guide.Love it !I took lots of pictures but will only post a few bronze pieces that date back to the 13th to 11thcentury BC ! ! ! It is simply mind boggling. The culture here was developed so long ago.
We set off at 8:30 today to visit Shanghai, one of the world’s largest cities with a population of more than 12 million, making it China’s largest urban centre. Historically it is a fairly new city, coming in to it’s own when the British settled here and started the Opium trade in the 19th century. The Treaty of Nanking in 1842 opened Shanghai as a free port to western trade and influence. There were numerous foreign concessions along the water front now known as the Bund.
We start the day with a visit to the famous Yu Yuan Gardens in Old Shanghai. The buildings surrounding the garden have all been replaced by new buildings containing shops and restaurants, but the buildings are all in an old architectural style and quite beautiful. The gardens date back to 1559, from the Ming Dynasty, cover two hectares of space and are described as a serene spot. Well maybe not so serene because of the hundreds of visitors, but definitely beautiful.
The shopping and restaurant streets that lead to the Gardens
The gardens, pagodas and pond
Check out this elaborate high wall decoration. Traditional dragon holding a ball in its mouth.
Once we crossed into the other courtyard, I could see that the dragon's back and tail formed the top of the wall. Beautiful !
Chinese love these strange looking stones that often have holes in them. They are in every garden we visit.
Warrior on a horse, roof top decoration
Same photo, without the zoom
Another beautiful roof top decoration.
From there we go to another tea demonstration (and shop
!) and then we are only a few streets away from the Bund, historic water front,
where we have a delicious lunch (I’m eating way too much !) and then are given one hour to walk along the
water front and take in the sites
Beautiful monument on the Bund waterfront
Across the river is the Pearl Tower. Between the two large balls are 6 smaller ones; they each contain 4 hotel rooms ! I can just imagine what the cost is to stay there just one night.
Walking along the Bund
Statue of Mao
They have their own Bull, just like on Wall Street in New York
More views across the river
Beautiful statue, with a recreation of the flowing cape in the flower bed. Very artistic.
Check out the architecture !
We then drive to the Shanghai Museum where we have 1 ½ hours to browse around on our own with an audio-guide.Love it !I took lots of pictures but will only post a few bronze pieces that date back to the 13th to 11thcentury BC ! ! ! It is simply mind boggling. The culture here was developed so long ago.
The Museum is shaped like a cooking cauldron
Just like this one, a bronze piece in the museum
So beautifully embossed bronze pieces
Texas longhorns? No they are yaks ! (206 BC – 8 AD)
The museum
Pottery horse
Jade carving, only a bit bigger than 1 square inch
Carved jade cup
Beautiful stone in-lay on this wooden trunk
Looking down from the top floor.
Texas longhorns? No they are yaks ! (206 BC – 8 AD)
The museum
Pottery horse
Jade carving, only a bit bigger than 1 square inch
Carved jade cup
Beautiful stone in-lay on this wooden trunk
Looking down from the top floor.
A few people in the group opted out of the museum visit and went to the shopping district where the “knock-offs” are for sale. They had a great time as well.
By 4:30 we are all back at the hotel and have until 6 pm to get ready for dinner and an Acrobatic Show at the Shanghai Centre Theater, just beside the Shanghai Museum. It is a spectacular performance by all of them, but the one young acrobat is simply incredible. We don’t realize exactly know how young he is until the entire cast comes out for a last bow; he can’t be more than 13 years old. From a full side split, legs to the right and left, he was able to get back up to a standing position, as if he was a puppet on a string. It was pure magic. I wish they provided their names because I’m sure I will get to see this young lad again at some point during his life. Sorry no photos or filming allowed.
Forgot to mention that my legs are itching terribly. I have 36 bites on one leg and 38 on the other. Kit tells me that I was probably bitten by sand flees while I was on the sampan. The herbs used in the hot water for the foot massage may have aggravated the inflammation. I slather antibiotic cream on my legs and cannot take the Benedryl pills Kit has offered, because of my asthma. I’ll just have to endure the itching until it goes away.
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