China Diaries - Day 3
June 9
Yesterday was probably the busiest day yet. I went to explore Shanghai with Amy, the Chinese wife of our American friend (of course, Amy is not her actual name, but it is how she is known to the English-speaking world). I have always wanted to explore exotic countries with native inhabitants, so walking around with Amy was a dream come true. Not only does she speak Chinese and thus is able to actually communicate with taxi drivers, sellers of various stuff, policemen (when we needed to ask where the metro stop was) etc., but she also showed me some things I would not have seen otherwise - like milk tea from a Taiwanese shop. Not to mention that she was actually born in Shanghai!
So, first we went to Old City, which is probably the most touristy place, with traditional Chinese buildings, souvenir shops, fountains and orange fish. From there, we went to the Tailors' Market, which is a place where there are many tailors, each in their own shop, all around the three-story building. The point is to select something you like on the stand and then they can custom-make it for you based on the color and material you choose and your personal measurements they take right there. Amy and I ordered bright linen dresses and will see on Saturday how it turned out. Amy said that she has actually had quite a few things made there, including some winter coats.
After that, we went to explore French Concession, which is something like the French Quarter in New Orleans and was built by the French during the World War II (if I'm not mistaken). I really liked that area, which is really cosy, with a lot of places with European and American cuisine. And of course, clothes were hanging out of the windows, because there are people living on the second floor of the buildings. There are also many souvenir shops, and I really liked one named "Propaganda Art", which really had some propaganda posters and mugs, as well as some pieces of vintage stuff. (Pictures are really needed to illustrate my point, but they take forever to load, so later.) There we had lunch in a Museum Cafe, which had some European dishes, and where I so un-Ciinesely had pasta. (Interesting fact: service in restaurants in Shanghai, even in relatively high-end ones, is notoriously bad by Western standards, which means that you have to yell across the room to say something to your waiter, and they will not check on you during your mean to ask if you need anything. Also they might not give you napkins, and might even charge you for them if you ask. On the bright side though, you don't have to tip! (This also applies to taxis).)
Then we went to the Jing'an Temple again - the one I walked to on my first day and nearly got lost on my way back. This time, we actually went inside, and it turned out to be a huge Buddhist Temple with many different Buddhas and people actually praying. As I learned from Amy, in China mostly old people are religious, but young people can occasionally go and pray for something specific, like luck before an exam. Near the Temple, there is a big shopping mall of about 5 stories, with a lot of Japanese and Western brands. However, I did not see anything I liked in there. Oh, and we also took the Shanghai subway to the temple, so I had a chance to experience that. I have to say that the subway is probably the most modern thing I have seen in China until now. It kind of looks like an airport, with its broad hallways and train stations with fixed doors. It has 9 or so lines, most of which are under the ground, although 2 are below the ground - and I actually took one of those two on my way back to the hotel.
After the Temple/shopping mall, we went to 50 Moganshan Art District, which is, as the name suggests, Shanghai art district, but, interestingly, it used to be a warehouse area, so it still looks very industrial, but instead of stored goods, there are artists' studios. Again, pictures later. After that, we walked to the metro across some neighborhoods with very, very tall residential buildings, which again reminded me of Moscow (I wonder if Moscow will have scooter and bike riders if and when it hits 23 million people). And then we took the on-the-ground metro line back home and I said goodbye to Amy.
In the evening, I went with the conference attenders to probably the fanciest restaurant in town, called Lost Heaven, which is a Yunnan Folk Cuisine place also in the French Concession vicinity. Oh, and it had stuff dressed in traditional Yunnan costumes. There everybody shared some signature dishes, most of which were much spicier that I would normally eat. Oh well - when in China, do like the Chinese do!
As I mentioned before, photos are really slow to upload. So for now, just a view from our window. (Disclaimer: it's not really that blue outside; the windows are slightly darkened.)
Yesterday was probably the busiest day yet. I went to explore Shanghai with Amy, the Chinese wife of our American friend (of course, Amy is not her actual name, but it is how she is known to the English-speaking world). I have always wanted to explore exotic countries with native inhabitants, so walking around with Amy was a dream come true. Not only does she speak Chinese and thus is able to actually communicate with taxi drivers, sellers of various stuff, policemen (when we needed to ask where the metro stop was) etc., but she also showed me some things I would not have seen otherwise - like milk tea from a Taiwanese shop. Not to mention that she was actually born in Shanghai!
So, first we went to Old City, which is probably the most touristy place, with traditional Chinese buildings, souvenir shops, fountains and orange fish. From there, we went to the Tailors' Market, which is a place where there are many tailors, each in their own shop, all around the three-story building. The point is to select something you like on the stand and then they can custom-make it for you based on the color and material you choose and your personal measurements they take right there. Amy and I ordered bright linen dresses and will see on Saturday how it turned out. Amy said that she has actually had quite a few things made there, including some winter coats.
After that, we went to explore French Concession, which is something like the French Quarter in New Orleans and was built by the French during the World War II (if I'm not mistaken). I really liked that area, which is really cosy, with a lot of places with European and American cuisine. And of course, clothes were hanging out of the windows, because there are people living on the second floor of the buildings. There are also many souvenir shops, and I really liked one named "Propaganda Art", which really had some propaganda posters and mugs, as well as some pieces of vintage stuff. (Pictures are really needed to illustrate my point, but they take forever to load, so later.) There we had lunch in a Museum Cafe, which had some European dishes, and where I so un-Ciinesely had pasta. (Interesting fact: service in restaurants in Shanghai, even in relatively high-end ones, is notoriously bad by Western standards, which means that you have to yell across the room to say something to your waiter, and they will not check on you during your mean to ask if you need anything. Also they might not give you napkins, and might even charge you for them if you ask. On the bright side though, you don't have to tip! (This also applies to taxis).)
Then we went to the Jing'an Temple again - the one I walked to on my first day and nearly got lost on my way back. This time, we actually went inside, and it turned out to be a huge Buddhist Temple with many different Buddhas and people actually praying. As I learned from Amy, in China mostly old people are religious, but young people can occasionally go and pray for something specific, like luck before an exam. Near the Temple, there is a big shopping mall of about 5 stories, with a lot of Japanese and Western brands. However, I did not see anything I liked in there. Oh, and we also took the Shanghai subway to the temple, so I had a chance to experience that. I have to say that the subway is probably the most modern thing I have seen in China until now. It kind of looks like an airport, with its broad hallways and train stations with fixed doors. It has 9 or so lines, most of which are under the ground, although 2 are below the ground - and I actually took one of those two on my way back to the hotel.
After the Temple/shopping mall, we went to 50 Moganshan Art District, which is, as the name suggests, Shanghai art district, but, interestingly, it used to be a warehouse area, so it still looks very industrial, but instead of stored goods, there are artists' studios. Again, pictures later. After that, we walked to the metro across some neighborhoods with very, very tall residential buildings, which again reminded me of Moscow (I wonder if Moscow will have scooter and bike riders if and when it hits 23 million people). And then we took the on-the-ground metro line back home and I said goodbye to Amy.
In the evening, I went with the conference attenders to probably the fanciest restaurant in town, called Lost Heaven, which is a Yunnan Folk Cuisine place also in the French Concession vicinity. Oh, and it had stuff dressed in traditional Yunnan costumes. There everybody shared some signature dishes, most of which were much spicier that I would normally eat. Oh well - when in China, do like the Chinese do!
As I mentioned before, photos are really slow to upload. So for now, just a view from our window. (Disclaimer: it's not really that blue outside; the windows are slightly darkened.)