GOODBYE SHANGHAI/GOODBYE CHINA

Friday, April 22 was our last day in China.  We left our hotel at 7:30 am to get ahead of rush hour traffic. It had rained overnight so the streets were wet and the sky was overcast.  Our motor coach took us to the station to catch the Maglev Train which would transport us to Pudong International Airport.

Here are some facts about the Maglev Train:

Instead of having wheels like regular trains, the Maglev floats on a magnetic cushion between the vehicle and track, and is held on the tracks by electromagnetic pull.


 The Maglev travels at a top speed of about 430 km (267 miles) per hour.

The train currently runs 30 km (19 miles) between Shanghai's financial district in Pudong and Pudong International Airport. 

We arrived at the airport about 9:15 am; checked in at 9:45; boarded the Air China plane about 11:30; departed for the 15 hour flight to New York about noon.






It was a great trip, I had a wonderful time and I hope to have the opportunity to visit again.









 

SILK CARPET FACTORY, YU GARDEN BAZAAR, SHANGHAI

This is our last full day in China.

After visiting the Bund, we toured a silk carpet factory. The guide explained the intricate process of designing and weaving the carpets. Most required many months to complete. Although the carpets were quite beautiful, I was not tempted to make a purchase.

After the factory we went to Yu Garden Bazaar. Although it was a weekday, the bazaar was very crowded. There were many vendors, many shops and many places to eat, even a Dairy Queen (yea!). The artists and crafts people were fascinating to watch. There was a man who created drawings of typical Chinese mountain scenes using the side of his hand and his finger nail. Another man used a microscope to write a message on a pearl.

We were fortunate to witness a traditional Chinese wedding party. The wedding party made its way through the crowd on their way to the Gardens.  The bride was in a covered chair sedan being carried by four attendants.  A couple of times the wedding party stopped and the groom opened the curtain of the sedan so the crowd could view the bride. 

SHANGHAI

Shanghai literally means "above the sea".  This city of over 20 million people is located at the mouth of the Yantze River. Because of it's port location it has become a major international shipping center.  
Our tour guide kept mentioning "Concessions" while explaining the layout of the city.  At the time I had no idea what he was referring to, but thanks to google I now have some background information. 
In the nineteenth century the Chinese government allowed foreign nations to visit and trade in China, this was the start of the foreign Concessions. In these Concessions, the citizens of each foreign power developed their own cultures distinct from the rest of China.  The British and American Concessions combined into the Shanghai International Settlement, the French Concession remained independent. Offices, banking and financial institutions were erected along the Bund where the Concessions originated.  Today the architecture of the Concessions reflects that foreign influence.
The word "bund" means an embankment. In Shanghai, The Bund is an area within the former International Settlement which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River.  About 52 British, French, American, German, Japanese, and Russian, as well as Chinese buildings in various architectural styles are located along the Bund. The area has become an international financial center and has been nicknamed "Wallstreet of the Orient".
Across the river from the Bund is the distinctive skyline of Pudong. The Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jin Mao Building, the Shanghai World Financial Center (bottle opener), the Shanghai Tower are the buildings that are outstanding.

I find it nearly impossible to adequately describe the immenseness of the city of Shanghai. I did come across the following quote that comes close.
"Shanghai makes American cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York look like overgrown suburbs"

Along the Bund

Pudong skyline

Cityscape

MY CHINA TRIP

I just returned from China. What a wonderful adventure! What a great time! Adding to the fun was the fact that two of my sisters were among the group of 29 on the tour. Our tour group left the St Mary's County Chamber of Commerce Office at 6:30 am April 14. We traveled by motorcoach to JFK in New York. How appropriate that the coach drove through Chinatown on the way to the airport. Perhaps this was an intended introduction to the culture we were about to experience on a larger scale. I had not been to NYC in years so it was a treat to see the Statue of Liberty in the distance as we drove; to see the Brooklyn Bridge; and of course to see the New York skyline. We arrived at JFK about 1:30 pm. Our flight left about 5 pm, a direct flight to Shanghai. We arrived at 8:45 pm April 15 but had to collect our baggage, go through customs and board a plane to Beijing. The plane to Beijing left about 10:30, arriving at 12:30. My seatmate on this flight was a Chinese journalist who specialized in economics. He was a fountain of information about everyday Chinese life, shopping, exchange rate, the written language. So interesting!! We finally checked into our hotel room at Pullman Beijing West Wanda at 3 am. Exhausted! How many hours did we travel? TO BE CONTINUED