Travel to China (2)

Shanghai has been one of my favorites stops in China. If you have never been there before, just imagine a megalopolis with many tantacles, some of which remind one of familiar modern Western cities (for example superimposed freeways) and others which remind us that we are still in Asia (for instance, old "hutongs" or narrow streets which look almost the same as in the Yuan dynasty).

This duality makes the greatest charm of Shanghai ! For the little story, to my knowledge, I think Shanghai is the only town in China where spitting is prohibited in the metropolitan area and this rule, against the tradition, seems to be respected ! However, in Europe, we still have in mind the image of Shanghai in the colonial times when it was called the "Paris of the East"; to give you a little historical background, in the middle of the 19th century, after the signature of the Nanking Treaty, Shanghai was divided into three autonomous parts: the Chinese Municipality, the smaller French Concession and, at the heart of the city, the International Settlement (mainly controlled by the British and Americans). Nowadays, we can still visit and see the remains of these concessions. Such a multicultural past explains why Shanghai has always kept a Western cosmopolitan flavor even after going through the communist years. European or American tourists will certainly almost feel at home!

The symbol of the colonial time is the Bund and its business and banking district on the seashore. The Bund, one of the most famous walkways in the world, has long been THE face of Shanghai, and in spite of the changes taking place across the neighboring River Huangpu, it remains mostly unspoilt, with nice views of the old colonial buildings behind and the river and state-of-the-art towers and skyscrapers of the Pudong Special Economic Zone in front. Among the most impressive buildings are the old Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation or the world famous clock tower of the British Customs House. The latter one was boasted by the English as the most extravagant construction erected in this region from Suez Canal to Bering Strait, but it is now the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, the current political center of Shanghai. The Bund is a very lively promenade at all hours of the day as many Chinese people turn up at dawn for their daily Taichichuan exercise routines, and after dark the Bund lit up until 10 pm and attracts many local and foreign people taking in the view or just hanging around.

The Shanghai Museum should be the second on your list of things to visit in Shanghai as I think this is one of the mandatory visits in the city. The new Shanghai Museum opened in October 1996 and has many luxuous marble rooms dedicated to their generous donators from Hong Kong. I particularly enjoyed it because in this brand-new building it gathers thousands of prestigious pieces of cultural relics including bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, painting, sculpture, furniture (one of the exhibitions I liked the most), jade and ivory carvings, oracle bones, seals, coins as well as minority arts, bamboo, wood and lacquer wares. The contents is so rich that we need several hours (or better two mornings or afternoons, if possible) to go around all interesting parts. So take your time...

I will not describe all exhibition halls as I would need more than a web page for this purpose but I will emphasize only on those which I particularly appreciated:

On the first floor, take a look at the Ancient Chinese Ceramics Gallery. Rich of 500 pieces, some of which very rare, from the Neolithic Age to the late Qing Dynasty. I particularly enjoyed some celadon ceramics of light green color.

On the same floor, next to the Ancient Chinese Ceramics Gallery, you will find the most interesting Zande Lou Ceramics Gallery. The gallery shows 130 outstanding Jin and Tang dynasties pieces.

On the third floor, in the Chinese Painting Gallery, you can admire some of the best examples of Chinese paintings from the Tang, Song and Yuan dynastics which are really worth looking at.

Finally, on the fourth floor, don't miss the remarkable Chinese Ming and Qing Furniture Gallery. It exhibits more than a hundred pieces of furniture, some simply-formed and others elaborately-decorated.

vase.jpg (11830 octets)

Ware jar with underglaze blue design of figures playing lute and chess and reading books (Ming Dynasty)

furniture.jpg (18529 octets)

Chinese Ming and Qing Furniture Gallery

The Old Town is also worths a visit if you like traditional architecture, markets and food stalls. Wandering around the narrow streets is a pleasure in itself but it should also include a visit to the beautiful Huxingting Tea House. Like us, you may be tempted to go inside and feel the typical atmosphere well described in Lao She's famous play "Chaguan" (The Tea House). I suggest that you try there some of the great flavored Chinese teas (the black tea served there is very nice!). You can buy the ones you really like to take home. Craft shops around are not really interesting as souvenirs are expensive even to tourists.

On the former Molière Road (in the French concession), now at No. 7 Xiang Shan Road, the well-renovated house of Dr Sun Yat-Sen is opened to visitors and gives a good insight into the life of this important figure in recent Chinese history. Sun Yat-Sen, the forerunner of the Chinese democratic revolution, and his wife, lived in this Western-style house from 1918 to 1924. You can visit several rooms in the house which includes lots of memories (it was in the hall downstairs that significant political meetings were secretly held). The garden can also be visited.