Christmas Travels Numero Cinco - The Lights and Sights of Shanghai

On Boxing Day, it was time to be a tourist once more. In terms of tourism, Shanghai is a bit lacking in actual sites, but there is always the fun of marvelling at the sheer modernity and hugeness of everything. The most touristy bit of town is Old Town, which Liam and I set off to find in the morning. We thought we had found it but were instead walking around some of the residential bits of Shanghai where the people who are not millionaires live. It was quite interesting to see that different side of Shanghai which I imagine the average visitor does not see. We finally navigated our way to the real Old Town. The buildings here have been preserved in their original style and kept in excellent condition so that visitors can see a typical Qing style area, mixed in of course with gift shops and hawkers everywhere. Looking out towards the Old Town area there was a fantastic view of the Qing streets with the towering skyscraper Jinmao Tower just behind it. We walked through the Old Town to have a looksee and were constantly pestered by hawkers selling mostly watches, but also shoes and bags and so on. The kind of thing we can easily buy elsewhere! Our target was a teahouse right in the centre of the area, the Yu Yuan Garden. It was in the middle of a stretch of water, and to reach it we had to walk around a zigzagged path. The path was built that way to protect the buildings from evil spirits, as it was said that they can't navigate the corners! The teahouse was recommended by Francesca's guidebooks but when we got there we paid an obscene amount for a cup of tealeaves (they top up water as many times as you desire). The tea tasted like soggy grass because it was essentially just a cup full to the brim with leaves. I surreptitiously removed over half my leaves and wrapped them in a tissue in my pocket just so I could find the tea drinkable! It was STILL too strong and after a few cups just to feel we'd had our moneysworth Liam and I left. By this time, darkness had fallen and all the old buildings were lit up with fairy lights along their eaves. It was all really beautiful, but we didn't stay long as we still had a lot of ground to cover!
Next stop was the French Concession. The French Concession was one of the many foreign concessions in Qing Dynasty and Republic of China era Shanghai, and was the most affluent. It is now the hubbub of all the consumerism that Shanghai is noted for. We walked along some of the big streets checking out all the lights and westernness. The street was teeming with white people everywhere we looked! It almost felt like being back home, but bigger and brighter! (The Chinese do blatant capitalism better than we could ever dream of.) The main street we walked down, aside from Huaihai Lu, was East Nanjing Road, which was like how I imagine New York. One day I'll see for real I guess!
After seeing East Nanjing Road, our next stop was The Bund. The Bund is where all the old French Colonial buildings are next to the Yantze River. Over the river are all the new giant giant giant buildings. Basically the government decided to take a part of Shanghai, Pudong, and develop it, and so they did. To get to Lujiazui, where the Jinmao Tower is, we crossed the river via the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. This is an incredibly cheesy experience but one that shouldn't be missed, just for pure comedy value. You go in a little capsule through a tunnel with flashing lights and solemn poetic voiceovers. When we got to the other side we had to find our way to the Jinmao Tower, which we promptly did. The tower was the tallest in China (if you don't count Taiwan) but they are building one just a little taller right next to it. It looks a bit like it's made of metal Lego, which is always encouraging. Then we waited in a queue to get to the top. You go in an elevator which climbs so fast your ears pop. It takes something like 40 seconds to go to the 84th floor. Mental. At the top we could see all of Shanghai and realised just how big the city is. We also had excellent views of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, one of Shanghai skyline's most famous structures. I posted a couple of cards from the world's highest post office and highest postbox, 394 metres up on the 84th floor.
After climbing the tower we decided to go for dinner. By this time it was pretty late and practically everywhere was closed. Finally we found an open restaurant in the French Concession and I had some delicious sweet and sour cod steak. Pure heaven, but pricey with it! After dinner it really was getting on, and we had more to do the next day, so it was time for bed once more.

Forgive the huge amount of photos!

The bustling bit of 'real' Shanghai that we stumbled across.


Old Town, plus the brand spanking new towers in the background. I like to pretend that this is arty juxtaposition that sums up the old and new which is present throughout China... but we all know this is just a not-so-good photo...

The tea-house (you can just about see the corners of the zig-zag path on the left)

So pretty! Excuse the blur.


Yu Yuan all lit up at night.

The entire area's eaves are covered in little lights like this, which really accentuate the Chinese-style architecture.

Me on East Nanjing Lu. So many pretty lights! I've always been a city slicker at heart : )I am Hello Kitty in case you are wondering.

The pure unadulterated tack that is the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel.

Jinmao Tower. I forget who pointed this out, but they were very right in saying that it looks like it's made of Lego!

I was very proud to find this window! London and Urumqi, both in the same direction. I may be far from England-home, but here in Shanghai I was also 3240km from my new home! And then you can see the lights of Shanghai and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower from here too. Basically the best window in the whole of the Jinmao Tower!

Me posting stuff from the highest postbox in the highest post office in the world!

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Not the best picture as the outsides of the windows were very grubby. I wouldn't want to be the one that had to clean them though!

Communism? Er... sure.