Saturday 10 November 2007

The way I remember Shanghai

Before going to Shanghai, I never thought it is a place that I will visit twice. Sure, Shanghai is a modern and vibrant city with a lots of charm but what is there a city girl like me have not seen? I did not think Shanghai could easily impress me.

I remembered the first day when I arrived in Shanghai, I thought the city is chaotic. And yet, when I am out of the "chaos", I realise there are many things about Shanghai that I miss....the picture perfect view of The Bund and Pudong, the incredibly stunning night scenery along Huang Pu River and the Chinese heritage and culture legacy embedded everywhere in the city. That is the thing about travelling, when you return home you bring back only to good memories, leaving behind the less desirables one (with the exception of Paris. Did I mention how much I hate Paris?).

Here are some of my favourite spots in Shanghai.


Looking fabulously good, The Bund, along side of dirty Huang Pu River.


Picture perfect, Pudong by Day. Have seen this view so many times on magazines and travel brochures.


Uniquely Oriental Pearl.


夜上海. In the middle is Jin Mao Building, one of the 5 tallest buildings in the world.


Unbeatable night scenery of Huang Pu River and The Bund.


This view is too good to be true! Mesmerizing!


Traditional Chinese architecture and rock sculpture at Yu Garden.


Koi Pond at Yu Garden.


In the mood for poetry or chess? Time seems to have come to a standstill.

And here is Duolun Lu, the cultural street in Shanghai. This was once the favourite haunt of writer Lu Xun and other Chinese literates. The well preserved houses are now converted into shops, cafes and art galleries.



A short walk from Duolun Lu will take you to Lu Xun Park. You can imagine how great Lu Xun's contribution to the cultural scene in China is such that a park is built to commemorate him. Unfortunately, I have not read even a single book from Lu Xun, sigh, once again I feel shallow.


A statue of famous Chinese writer Lu Xun.

On a Saturday afternoon, many Chinese gathered at Lu Xun Park. They are there to practise singing, folk dance, karoake, play chess. I am envious of their carefree lifestyle. Why is it that people here at home do not do activities like this? Perhaps the happiest people are those who know how to enjoy simple things in life.


Who's testing who's patience? A game of chess is all about strategy.


Open-air karaoke. I dare you to sing in public like this. ZN... interested??


绝对Superstar


Casual spectators


Even the signboard in the park is so poetic.


This is especially for Mr Hwang after our brief conversation yesterday evening. Have you ever heard the phrase "地大人广"? It describes China most perfectly. And here's a preview of the meaning.... the crowd at Yu Garden. However, this is peanut compared to what you will experience if you visit Tiananmen Square.

At Tiananmen Square during peak season, expect crowd like this magnify by more than 10 times. I have never seen a compound so huge and with so many peoples (almost like moving ants) than Tiananmen Square. Good luck at the Olympics 2008 haha!

And so it's 再见 Shanghai! I like the way of saying "goodbye" in Chinese, which means "see you again". We will meet again, definitely.

At last, I have sorted out the photos from my trip to Shanghai. Follow the links below to my album. Enjoy!




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