Shanghai Nights

After our first night in Shanghai, I was ready to pack up and head back to Beijing. We have been staying downtown, within walking distance of the Bund, and 2 blocks from Nanjing St, a major pedestrian-friendly fairly upscale shopping area. We spent the first day exploring the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum, followed by a nighttime visit to Nanjing Street. While we are not the only foreigners in Shanghai by any stretch of the imagination, we discovered that, especially on Nanjing St, we are targets for every possible type of scoundrel imaginable: shady street vendors selling, among other things, shoes, CDs and fake Rolex watches, prostitutes, drug dealers, "massage" parlor owners, beggars, etc. The harrassment never seems to end from these people and after spending one night exploring Nanjing St, Shanghai had left a bitter taste in my mouth. That changed the next day, however. First, we visited the Bund and the Oriental Pearl building, where we figured out that street vendors don't like to have their pictures taken and enjoyed the beautiful views of Shanghai and the Huangpu River (a tributary of the Yangtze). We then took the subway to Century Park, where the regular Shanghai citizens were spending a lovely (relatively cool and cloudy) Saturday afternoon. We rented bicycles (tandems and a four person carriage-like thing) and rode around the park for an hour. No harrassment even though we were some of the only foreigners there, just smiles and hellos from everyone. Plus, riding a bicycle put everyone in a good mood again. That evening, I went with 2 of my friends to a quiet ex-pat bar with a rooftop view of the river and the Pudong, followed by another walk down Nanjing Street. This time, however, it was raining lightly and most of the scoundrel types stayed away and the night was much more enjoyable. Yesterday (Sunday), we had a chance to visit the wonderful Shanghai Museum and see a variety of historical Chinese artifacts, from ancient bronzes and ceramics to calligraphy, paintings, coins (both Chinese and Silk Road), and Ming Dynasty furniture. Coincidentally, I have been reading Peter Hessler's latest book on China, Oracle Bones, which contains some of the history of the Ming furniture and how it came to be at the Shanghai Museum.

We are finishing up the last leg of our trip tonight, with a train back to Beijing, where we will stay until flying out Friday morning at 8 am Beijing time. Although I am sad to be leaving, I am excited to get back home to my own house and Matt and my animals. If I have the opportunity, I will write again from Beijing, but if not, I will start posting pictures when I get home.