The Many Sides of Shanghai

Before we set out to explore Shanghai with a local guide, our group of 14 travelers met at the hotel for an introductory session with our tour leader, Tina. Tina, whose hometown is Kunming in Yunnan province, gave us a few helpful pointers about Chinese culture, such as “tipping is not customary.” 

When Tina reviewed the itinerary, she told us we’d see five different faces of China during our tour: Shanghai, the most westernized city; Guilin, with its beautiful landscape and several of China’s ethnic minorities; Chengdu, home of the pandas and often called the most relaxing (or relaxed) city; Xi’an, home of the Tang dynasty and China’s historical center; and finally, Beijing, the country’s political center. 

 

Now it was time to focus on Shanghai. As I mentioned in my previous post, my Shanghai hotel, the Jin Jiang Hotel on Maoming Road, was located in a lovely upscale and relatively modern section of this city. In fact, it didn’t look particularly “Chinese” to me and I was eager to see some of the other parts of the city.

Following our introductory meeting we set out in our comfortable motor coach for the Yu Garden in Old Shanghai. Along the way, our local guide, a Shanghai native named Matt, shared some of the city’s history. Before 1842, Shanghai was just a small fishing village. Within 18 years, it became the biggest metropolis in the Far East. To understand why this happened, we needed some background information. Soon after the British established control of India in the mid-1700s, they began importing Indian opium into China. Large numbers of Chinese people became addicted to the drug. When the Qing government attempted to stop the British from bringing opium into China in 1839, the first Opium War broke out. The military conflict ended with a British victory in 1842. According to the terms of the Treaty of Nanjing, China was forced to open five “treaty” ports to foreign trade and to grant control of Hong Kong to Britain. Of course, opium continued to flow into China and the French as well as the British soon established settlements in Shanghai. This was the beginning of what the Chinese call their “century of humiliation,” 1845 to 1945. We would hear that term often during discussions of Chinese history over the next few weeks. 

 

Before we got off our bus, Matt warned us about the crowds we’d encounter at the Yu Garden, a classical Chinese garden and a popular tourist site. He certainly wasn’t exaggerating. The crush of people, primarily Chinese tourists, made me feel like I was in mid-town Manhattan on a busy weekday. I tried to ignore the crush of people, primarily Chinese tourists, and concentrate on the beauty of the gardens. The 5-acre Yu Garden was built in the mid-1500s, during the Ming dynasty, as a private garden for a retired government official and his poet wife. Private gardens were a status symbol and an attempt to bring back nature for those who lived in cities. They were similar in design to the much larger imperial gardens.

 

We learned from Matt that private gardens were always carefully designed as a maze so that the features – water, rock, natural plants, man-made constructions – are hidden and are revealed little by little as one walks along zigzag pathways. This makes the space look bigger and it also supposedly stops evil from entering. 

 

The Yu Garden contains all the elements of a classical Chinese garden, including pavilions, rock formations, and ponds as well as a couple of very old and very large magnolia trees. The garden is notable for its taifu rockery. Taifu rock, a unique type of natural limestone with lots of holes, was most prized. 

photo taken by Tina

Adjacent to the Yu Garden is the bustling Yuyuan market, with its beautiful Chinese architecture. It features tea houses, restaurants, and shops selling traditional Chinese products such as jewelry, silk, antiques, arts, crafts, snacks, and touristy souvenirs. At the center of the market is the City God Temple, a historic Daoist folk temple that honors three historical figures. The Yuyuan market attracts Chinese and foreign tourists alike. 

 

Lunch at a restaurant in the market introduced us to the Chinese approach to group meals that would be repeated throughout the trip. We were escorted to a private dining room containing two circular tables, each with a built-in lazy Susan. A few bottles of Coke, water, and beer were already in the center of the table. There was also a pot of hot green tea. Servers brought out one dish after another in no particular order that I could determine. Tina confirmed that the concept of appetizer, main course, and then dessert is not part of Chinese culture. Of course, I wanted to try a little bit of everything, which included rice, fried pumpkin, sweet and sour chicken, green beans, eggplant, shrimp, cauliflower, roast pork, French fries, glass noodles with vegetables, mapo tofu, and beef with celery. Ice cream would have been a very welcome end to the meal, but I had to settle for some sliced watermelon.

After lunch, we saw a completely different side of Shanghai. A short coach ride brought us to the Bund. This is the waterfront area that runs for about a mile along the west bank of the Huangpu River, the last tributary of the mighty Yangtze. It’s lined with elegant European style buildings, many in neo-classical, neo-Gothic, and Art Deco style. The Bund was part of the former International Settlement that was established after the first Opium War.

 

The Bund became the center of commerce and finance. So many foreign banks were located there that it earned the nickname East Wall Street. The area was especially lively during the 1920s and ‘30s. In fact, it was considered the Paris of the East. Nowadays, the promenade is a protected area and a popular destination for tourists and locals both day and night. The building with the clock in the photo below was the Customs House.

One of the most well-known buildings on the Bund was Sassoon House, built at the corner of Nanjing Road for the British tycoon Sir Victor Sassoon in the late 1920s. The style is a mixture of Gothic and Art Deco elements. It housed Sassoon’s real estate offices, a shopping arcade, luxury apartments, and the deluxe Cathay Hotel. After the People’s Republic of China was established, the building was converted into the Peace Hotel.

From the Bund, we had an excellent view across the river to the part of Shanghai known as Pudong (literally, east bank of the Pu river) with its impressive skyline. I learned some impressive facts about Pudong’s history from our local guide, Matt. Until 1990, Pudong was undeveloped farmland. In 36 years, dozens of modern skyscrapers have been built and the area is now home to about 10 million people. The first skyscraper in Pudong was the Oriental Pearl. The Shanghai Tower, built in 1994, is the tallest building in China at 130 stories. Pudong is a major port for cruise ships and containers. It is accessible by ferry and 10 subway lines as well as 14 bridges and 19 tunnels. 

photo taken by Tina

 

It was around 4pm when we got back in our neighborhood. Instead of resting at the hotel, I continued exploring on my own. I sought out a shop selling traditional indigo-dyed Nankeen cotton fabric that a friend had told me about. According to my map app, the route was fairly direct, down a main road. I walked about a mile down Huaihai Road (feeling grateful that street signs show the names of streets in Pinyin romanization as well as Chinese characters!) and then into a little maze of alleys. Fortunately, there was a sign directing me to the shop. Inside, I found a wonderful assortment of blue and white patterned clothing, household items, and souvenirs. I was tempted to buy so much, but since it was just the beginning of the trip, I had to show some self-restraint. 

 

There was time for a very brief rest at the hotel when I returned from my shopping excursion. I didn’t want to miss Tina’s exploratory walk through the neighborhood. She led us into the alleyways where the majority of Shanghai’s population lived before the traditional three-story buildings were torn down to make way for high-rise apartment buildings. There was usually a single kitchen shared by several families living in the building. Toilet facilities may have been in a small inner courtyard. 

Back on the main road, the lights were coming on.

 

We made a stop to sample Shanghai style fried pork buns. They were a bit greasy, but delicious. I could have eaten more, but we were due back at the hotel for our official Welcome Dinner.

The festive meal was served in the same manner as our lunch. This is what the table looked like before all the different dishes were brought out. Soup and dumplings arrived a little later. I learned something interesting when I asked for a glass of water instead of wine and was served a glass of warm water. Tina explained that the Chinese believe that drinking icy or cold beverages is bad for your health.

After a very full day, I was ready for a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, we’d continue our exploration of Shanghai. 

Shanghai: Day One

Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport was my point of entry into China. The airport was modern and huge. I must have walked at least a kilometer from the gate to Passport Control and the baggage claim area. After traveling for over 24 hours, I was relieved to see a man in the crowd holding an OAT sign. 

 

It was already 6pm, twilight, when I got my first look at Shanghai from the van whisking me from the airport to my hotel. The first thing I noticed during the nearly hour-long drive was the never-ending urban landscape of high-rise towers seeming to sprout out of the earth. Densely packed clusters of these modern 20-30 story structures went on for miles and miles. Most looked to be residential, but as we neared the Huangpu River that splits Shanghai in two, many had the names of major corporations blazing out in colored lights. 

 

After crossing the Huangpu River, we drove through the older part of the city. My destination, the Jin Jiang Hotel, was a European-style 13-story building completed in 1929. It was located on Mao Ming Road in the upscale French Concession neighborhood. The hotel was lovely and my room quite spacious and well-appointed. In the bathroom, there a fancy toilet with a control panel. I fell asleep in the wide bed as soon as I figured out how to turn off all the lights in the room, which wasn’t easy in my exhausted state. 

 

I had arrived in Shanghai a day early, before the official start of my OAT tour. After working my way through the breakfast buffet (always a challenge on the first morning), I spent this “extra” day at the Shanghai Museum East, located in the new Pudong area of the city. The museum, which opened in 2024, wasn’t at all crowded on this weekday although I noticed a few school groups. 

 

The Shanghai Museum East served as a great introduction to my China adventure because it brought me through thousands of years of Chinese history through its stunning collections of artifacts. The informative wall text and labels in English as well as Chinese made it possible to see bronzes, ceramics, jade items, coins, calligraphy, and paintings in their historical context.

 

I couldn’t stop taking photos as I made my way through the various galleries. I’ve included a selection of photos from each of the major exhibition areas that I visited. There was an extensive collection of ceramics, covering a period that ranged from Neolithic times up to the early 20^th century. 

 

One of the earliest pieces, a white earthenware pot with a carved pattern, was from the Late Shang dynasty (13^thcentury-early 11^th century BCE). 

 

Lead-glazed pottery, such as this jar of green glazed earthenware, was popular during the Han dynasty (206BCE-220CE).  

There were significant breakthroughs in firing technology between 581 and 960. This resulted in the production of polychrome glazed pottery. An example from the Tang dynasty (618-907) is this horse. 

 

Further advances in ceramics, made during subsequent dynasties, led to the production of celadon pottery in which a green or blue-gray glaze is applied to stoneware or porcelain. This celadon dish with an appliqué of clouds and a dragon dates back to the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368).

How would you like to sleep on this ceramic pillow made during the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127)?  

 

I was more familiar with the type of pottery produced by the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing dynasty (1644-1912). These two pieces date from the Ming era.

One of my favorite pieces in the museum was this lovely bowl produced during the early years of the Qing dynasty.

The museum has an equally impressive collection of bronzes. Several of the pieces were wine vessels and musical instruments. This bronze bell is over 2500 years old while the bronze drum dates back to the Western Han dynasty (206 BCE- 8 CE). 

 

Many of the wine vessels were in the shape of animals, such as the ox-shaped wine vessel from the late Spring and Autumn period (early 6^th century BCE-late 5^th century BCE), the fish-shaped wine vessel from the Western Han dynasty, and the elephant-shaped wine vessel from the year 1837 (Qing dynasty). 

I was eager to see the museum’s collection of jade artifacts. I’m not at all knowledgeable about jade and I learned that jade carving in China dates back to the Neolithic period. The carving on this early piece, which is around 5000 years old, shows a human-like deity, an animal, and flying birds at each corner.

The sword pommel with the comma-spiral pattern was produced during the Western Han dynasty (206 BCE – 8 CE).

 

Jade carving had become much more technically advanced by the Song dynasty (960-1279), as you can see in this plaque with cranes-flying-in-clouds design.

The Ming dynasty (1368-1644) was also a time of great achievement in jade carving, as seen in the belt plaque with dragon-flying-through-peonies design.

 

Jade was increasingly combined with gemstones and precious metals. This can be seen in the scarf pendant from the Ming dynasty and the tray-form case from the Qing dynasty.

One particularly interesting exhibit, the CeraMIX Gallery, used ceramics to explore the trade history and cross-cultural communication between China and other cultures. It began with the land and maritime Silk Roads that brought foreigners from diverse areas into China, especially during the Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907). 

 

These pottery figures of a camel with saddlebags date back to that period.

The figures shown below portray people who are obviously non-Han Chinese judging from their features and their attire. They are most likely from East Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia.

Overseas trade flourished during the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368). The Chinese produced a wide range of pottery, especially porcelain, for export. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Chinese ceramics reached Europe and the Americas, with Chinese artisans adapting their techniques, styles, and decorative patterns to meet market demands. Note the similarity between the Ming-era blue and white ceramic ewer and the 12^th-13^th century brass ewer from Khurasan in Central Asia.

Likewise, this Ming-era ceramic candlestick recalls a 15^th century Ottoman brass candlestick.

Initially, blue-and-white ware dominated the porcelain trade but gradually the share of overglaze decorated porcelain (which featured more colors) increased. Below are two examples from the 18^th century (Qing dynasty).

 

Ideas flowed back and forth between China and its trading partners, leading to innovation in both directions. As Europe acquired ceramics from China, European artisans began to adopt Chinese techniques and designs. In the photo below, you can see a Qing dynasty Chinese-made dish at the top and a pair of 18^th century Italian-made dishes that it inspired.

As an artist, I could have stayed longer at the museum. I’m always excited to see how people from different times and places have expressed their creativity. But after several hours at the museum – including lunch in their café – I’d reached saturation point. It was late afternoon, and using the Didi app (China’s version of Uber or Lyft) on my phone, I got a ride back to the hotel. 

 

By dinnertime, I was ready to go out again. Although it was dark, the temperature was still in the low 60s, i.e. quite comfortable. My tour leader, Tina, told me that Chinese people love to eat out and that there were plenty of restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. She took me to an unpretentious restaurant where I ordered a chicken dish and a green vegetable. Both were very tasty. However, I’d forgotten that the chicken wouldn’t be boneless but merely hacked into small pieces. Fortunately, my chopstick skills were up to the task.

 

When I finished eating, I was eager to explore the neighborhood. Tina assured me that it was perfectly safe to walk around in the vicinity of the hotel. What I found was a lively, bustling commercial area. Stores would be open until 10pm, and eating establishments even later. The sidewalks were packed with people of all ages, but especially young people, and the streets were humming with cars, motor scooters, and bicycles. I was pleased to see that cars and pedestrians observed the traffic signals. (The ubiquitous motor scooters were another story.)

And that was how I spent my first day in China. By 9pm (9am back home in Virginia), I fell into bed, eagerly anticipating the official start of our OAT tour the next morning.