Day Eight – Shanghai Part Two

From Nanjing Road, the Champs Elysees of China, we turned the corner into an alley and found ourselves in a completely different world. From the richest offerings of Nanjing Road to the simplest fair of the reality of Shanghai, the transformation was dramatic. As we made our way down the street clogged with people on their dinner break from the equally crowded stores selling Gucci and Cartier we felt the true contrast of China, there was no middle class here.
This, our second, and last, day in Shanghai was full of contrast and irony. We began with a visit of the Shanghai Museum, a world class museum featuring cultural and artistic artifacts from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The four floors had extraordinary examples of bronze work, porcelain, jade, historic coins, and ethnic costumes. The following pictures are from the museum.

This is the exterior of the museum.

Bamboo carving of Liu Hai and the Three Legged Toad (c. 1800)

A vase with a design of a Hundred Deers (Qing Dynasty c. 1700)

Ming Dynasty Porcelin Statue (c. 1500)

Ming Dynasty statue of man blowing a conch shell (c. 1600)

Red Pottery Pot (6,000 B.C.)

Qing Dynasty Coins (c. 1650)

The Han represent the majority of Chinese (95%+) but the other 5% are spread over 55 different ethnic groups of amazing variety. These are some ethnic costumes.

This wonderful dragon was suspended from the ceiling, the only thing missing were fire balls!

11th Century B.C. Jade Tiger

While not necessarily historically significant, this video-phone booth is certainly a sign of things to come.

After the museum we made our way to lunch, a Mongolian BBQ. You collected your raw meat and vegetables from a buffet line and the delivered them to the chefs for cooking on large grills. It was different, but delicious.

As was becoming the norm for our lunch stops, some time was allowed for browsing through the always convenient tourist shopping areas. This silk embroidered tiger caught my eye.

After lunch we made our way to “Old Shanghai,” also know as Yu Gardens and Bazaar. This was originally an old part of the city that was torn down and rebuilt from the ground up in time for the World's Fair. It was re-built in the same architectural style as the old city. Ironically, today it is a souvenir shoppers mecca where you can buy anything for any price.

Pictures below is a replica of the Huxinting Teahouse which is situated on an a literal island of stilts in the center of the bazaar. It's only way in or out are via zig zag walkways intended to keep out evil spirits who are unable to turn corners.

Another shot of the bazaar.

From the old city we went to Nanjing Road, the Park Avenue of Shanghai. Here you can buy the real Rolex!

This Apple Store on Nanjing road was the busiest store of all.

Stepping off Nanjing Road, this is where Lucie and I ventured down a side street to see where the workers from the fancy stores went for their dinner breaks. The contrast was remarkable.

From Nanjing Road we headed under the river to the Pudong for dinner at The Dynasty Restaurant. This is a shot of the third tallest building in the world and the tallest in China – for now.

The Pudong skyscrapers at night.

As our night came to a close, so did our visit to Shanghai. I close with Lucie and Michelle followed by Jean and Danielle. Tomorrow is a travel day as we head for our 4 day cruise up the Yangtze River.