Shanghai Sunday 6 June 2010
We were dropped off this morning in downtown Shanghai in the Nanjing Road area, the major shopping street of Shanghai, where we visited ‘Shanghai's No. 1 Department Store’, the first and only department store in Shanghai at one time, hence the name.  I was disappointed to find the prices were much the same as at home, but the colours and excitement of the street made up for it.

Nanjing Road

Shanghai No. 1 Department Store

Then headed for ‘The People’s Square’, south of Nanjing Road.  The People’s Square is one of the key landmarks of Shanghai and hailed as the ‘Green Lung’ because of its parklands.  It’s 140,000 square meters and the cultural and political centre of Shanghai.  Prior to 1949 it was a course for horse racing but became The People’s Square when the communist government banned gambling.  China’s history is incredibly rich and the museum in The People’s Square is four floors of Chinese artifacts and craftsmanship.  The building itself is a work of art built on a square base with a round top.  For me the handcrafted furniture dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, the traditional village costume displays and virtual room displays of a time past, were fascinating.

Traditional Costumes

Too much culture needs some unwinding so after the museum it’s back to Nanjing Road via an underground arcade designed circa China 1930s. This arcade takes you into 'Old Shanghai' with a vivid recreation of an old style street of Shanghai in the 1930s with shops: smoking dens, a Parisian style cafe (Shanghai was known as the Paris of the East).  An amazing transportation into a past era.   

Witnessed a funny incident in this underground tunnel world …. some Chinese setting up illegal portable market stalls to be chased through the tunnels by Chinese police on those motorised stand-ups.  I am not exaggerating when I say the stalls packed up in 1 second and everyone running for safety.  

 From here it’s shops, shops and more shops.  A bit disappointing to find no bargains here - as mentioned earlier prices were much the same as at home.   The buy of the day was several pairs of roller blades.  Paul thought it a good mode of transport for us to get around Shanghai quickly and easily – he must be kidding.  A quick way to break a leg no doubt.  We settled on buying them for the kids at home.  From here we took a  Chinese taxi a little like a motorised rickshaw, to the Bund, the financial centre of Shanghai.  What fun…. Hooting around the Shanghai streets facing backwards, not knowing what’s in front and hanging on for dear life.  I swear those drivers go twice as fast for the tourists to get a good laugh. 

The Bund

After walking the Bund and imagining Paul’s father entering the many commercial buildings that run parallel along The Huangpu River, we went for lunch, and can you believe it, in an Italian restaurant.  And why not, if the Chinese can’t cook spaghetti, nobody can, and it was very good.  As a matter of interest, Paul’s father was born in Shanghai and only left before the war started in about 1939 but after the Japanese had invaded in 1937.  He was descended from the original Portuguese settlers in Macau.  But that's another story.

The Bund

Huangpu River

Huangpu River

 













Back up the Nanjing Road to meet Anne and Chris, our fellow tour travelers from New Zealand.  We were picked up and dropped off at the Expo again.  We only had time to visit the Spanish pavilion and then caught the metro back to the hotel.  Quite an exercise as all the signage is in Chinese, of course.  Just as well  Paul knew to count the stops!! 

Chinese Street

Now ... back to that purchase Paul made of the roller blades.  There is high security everywhere these days where there will be multitudes of people and entering the Expo was no exception where Olympic level security measures were in place.  Unfortunately for Paul they pulled him up with the roller blades accusing him of trying to sell them at the Expo (all two pairs that he was carrying) … after much hand waving and many loud expletives he had to leave them behind.  To say that he was ‘pissed’ is an understatement and  Anne, Chris and I having already passed through the gates are standing to one side expecting to see him hauled off at any moment to the Chinese jail cells for 'people who try and smuggle roller blades into the Expo'.  The irony of it and just to add insult to the wound, I had already gone through with 2 pairs of these mobile transports in my bag as well…. Yep, went through the cameras with not even a wheel showing.

Smoggy Day in Shanghai