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Tokyo-Shanghai <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Saturday, July 5, 2014 Tokyo-Shanghai Sashaying Around Shanghai, China The Narita Express train (easily accessible from Tokyo\u2019s Main Station) whisked up off to Narita airport at. 7 15 am. It is a modern, sleek and efficient service and although the distance covered is great, the speed is so enormous that one arrives at Narita Airport… <\/p>\n
\nAround Shanghai, China
\nNarita Express train (easily accessible from Tokyo\u2019s Main Station) whisked up
\noff to Narita airport at. 7 15 am. It is a modern, sleek and efficient service and
\nalthough the distance covered is great, the speed is so enormous that one
\narrives at Narita Airport within the hour. Our Japan Rail Passes were valid for
\ntravel on this line\u2014which saved us a neat buck or two.
\nto China on China Eastern Airlines:
\nflight from Tokyo to Shanghai took about two and a half hours. Check-in was
\npeaceful but already we could see a visible difference in the manner in which
\nthe Japanese handle business and service tasks (with quiet and extremely polite
\nefficiency) and the way the Chinese do it (brusque, lacking smiles or finesse
\nand much less efficient). We knew we were going to miss Japanese culture and
\nwork ethic after more than two weeks of being spoiled by their kind
\nprofessionalism.
\naboard the aircraft was nothing to rave about either but there was an
\nimpressive level of efficiency at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai
\nwhere we landed to go through Immigration formalities. That done, we left the
\nairport terminal in search of the Airport Bus No. 2 (as instructed by the folks
\nat the NYU faculty accommodation in Pudong where we would be staying). We found
\nthe bus stop easily enough and ten minutes later, were on our way after
\npurchasing a ticket for 22 yuan each on the bus. And that was when our first
\nimpressions of Shanghai greeted us.
\nis clearly a city on the move and on the rise. A network of soaring flyover
\nhighways connect Pudong airport with the city center enabling traffic to move
\nswiftly past concrete jungles that are mushrooming up quicker than you can say
\n\u201cChop Suey\u201d (which, incidentally, we did not find on any menu in China!).
\nCranes are everywhere, high-rise buildings reach for the skies in close
\nclusters that form gated communities for the nouveau riche<\/i> of this economically galloping society. What is
\nmarvelous is that while the population is burgeoning and youngsters are
\nflocking into the urban metropolitan cities (Shanghai, Beijing) seeking
\nemployment and advancement opportunities, the infrastructure (roads, highways,
\nbridges, universities) is keeping up magnificently with them so that they are
\ntaking for granted an extraordinary quality of life of which its nearest rival,
\nIndia, can only dream. I was completely smitten by its attitude and its
\naccomplishment.
\nforty minutes later, we were deposited at the bus terminal near Jing\u2019An Temple<\/b>, a beautiful gilded
\nconfection of pagoda roofs, columned terraces and wide walkways that made up
\none of the city\u2019s landmark places of worship. No doubt, once upon a time, it
\nbuzzed with devotees\u2014today, all I saw were tourists clicking pictures as
\nChina\u2019s religious fervor has been suppressed by Communism. From the bus
\nterminal, we found a taxi (plying in droves outside in the busy shopping
\ncomplexes that included high-end names such as Armani, Zara, Gap, etc. For 20
\nyuan, we were dropped off, ten minutes later, at our accommodation, the Oakwood Residence,<\/i> which is where
\nVisiting NYU Faculty stay when on teaching assignments at NYU\u2014Shanghai. It was
\nthey who had recommended this place to us\u2014and we were wowed by these classy
\nservice apartments!
\nconcierge on the ground floor helped us with our baggage and directed us to a
\nfifth floor Receptionist who swiftly checked us in, handed us keys, a map of
\nthe city and instructions for taking a cab to start seeing the city center.
\nFive minutes later, we were entering our beautiful studio apartment on the 20th<\/sup>
\nfloor with its gorgeous wide balcony that offered stunning views of the city\u2019s
\nPudong area. We gasped at the superbly-appointed efficiency kitchen, the swanky
\nbathroom and wonderfully comfortable bed. Llew switched on the giant TV to
\ncatch a Wimbledon preview in English\u2014after more than two weeks of Japanese TV,
\nit was wonderful to be able to understand what was being said.
\nto the Old City:
\nmuch as we would have loved to linger in our five-star accommodations (such a
\nluxury after the handkerchief-size rooms we had endured in Japan), we got ready
\nto leave for the taxi ride to the \u201cOld City\u201d which is constructed around the YuYuan Gardens<\/b>, a famous landmark in
\nthe city center. We reached there within a half hour and made our way to the
\nelaborately curved Chinese pagoda rooflines that we could see from the main
\nroad (Renmin Road). Once we got there, it was like being in Chinese Disneyland.
\nThe attempt to reconstruct Shanghai as it looked two hundred years ago when men
\nroamed around in pyjamas wearing long pigtails and conical straw hats, has
\nresulted in a wonderland that completely floors the visitor. Built entirely of
\ntimber early in the 20th<\/sup> century within the walls of what is
\nreferred to as the Old City, this space is a star attraction today as golden
\ndragons and giant gilded lions decorate the structures.
\nthe next one hour, we roamed around in a maze of narrow streets lined with
\nmodern shops selling jewelry, jade, souvenirs, tea, painted scroll
\nwall-hangings, etc. and a variety of food items upon which the Chinese were
\njust falling. The place was crowded as entire Chinese families had zeroed in on
\nthe area for an evening out. We found local delicacies being devoured and we
\ncould not resist purchasing long skewered, batter-fried crispy soft shell crab
\nthat is a seasonal delicacy that the Chinese adore. It was sprinkled over with
\na spice powder that made the entire dish delicious and Llew and I who shared a
\nskewer with me thought it a very good buy indeed.
\nmeandering around the area led us deeper and deeper into the heart of the Old
\nCity towards the Huxinting Tea Room<\/b>,
\na temple-like pagoda-ed structure that you can enter for a cup of traditional
\nChinese tea. Because it was mobbed, we avoided it and bustled around through
\nthe outskirts of the walled city with the idea of wending our way towards the
\ncity\u2019s next attraction, the Bund.
\nAlong the Bund:
\nleaving Old 18th<\/sup> century Shanghai behind and entering into the 19th<\/sup>
\ncentury where, under British colonial control, a modern European quarter was
\ncreated on the banks of the Huangpo River that slices the city in half. Think
\nMarine Lines in Bombay with the ferocity of the Arabian City on the one hand
\nand the row of Art Deco residential buildings across the busy thoroughfare.
\nWell, the Bund is a similar creation. Only instead of the Arabian City, there
\nis the placid river flowing along and instead of the residential buildings,
\nthere are solid, colonial, commercial buildings (mainly banks and financial
\nedifices) that had made Shanghai (after London and Hongkong), one of the
\nrichest cities in the world.
\nat the Bund also gives visitors their first glimpse of 21st<\/sup> century
\nShanghai which sits astride the Huangpo on the opposite bank in what has come
\nto be known as Pudong.<\/b> What was once
\nswampland and later the heart of the Chinese underworld with its brothels, bars
\nand gangster activity, today shows evidence of the miraculous resurrection of a
\nCommunist country that is determined to stake its place in the developed world
\nas a power to reckon with. Its mindset is reflected in the towering skyscrapers
\nthat crowd Pudong, most noticeable of which is the Orient Pearl and TV Tower<\/b> that resembles the Seattle Needle but is
\nmuch more creatively illuminated. Every few seconds, its lighting is programmed
\nto turn a different color\u2014so that no two pictures of the tower at night can be
\nexactly the same. Yes, it does offer an Observation Deck and getting up there
\nis high on the list of the Chinese who visit from other parts of the country;
\nbut its neighbors are just as impressive\u2014the Jin Mao Tower, designed by a firm
\nof Chicago architects, the World Financial Building, etc. Just as in London
\nwhere cheese graters, gherkins and walkie-talkies are rapidly transforming the
\nmodern skyline or Dubai where the rate of growth of the skyscraper city is so
\nrampant that the skyline changes every week, so too here, the impact is awesome.
\nNeon advertisements run along the facades of the buildings as slow junks ferry
\npassengers along the river for dinner cruises.
\nby this point in time, it began to rain and being sans<\/i> our brollys, we were grateful to take shelter on the Bund
\nunder a giant umbrella put up by a salesman. Soon rainwater pooled on the
\nsidewalks and the lights of the buildings, so beautifully illuminated on the
\nBund periphery were reflected softly as to create a magical effect while we
\nwalked by each one of them taking in their Victorian solidity or Art Deco
\ndelicacy. As we moved along, we were part of the great crowds of local Chinese
\nenjoying the wet summer evening, their enthusiasm none the worse for the
\ngeneral dampness in the air. If China is the world\u2019s most populous country, it
\nwas definitely evident this evening as thousands surged forward and back in
\nthis busy quarter.
\ninstructed to enter the Fairmont Peace
\nHotel<\/b>, we did just that and admired its Art Deco ambience. Recently
\nrefurbished at a great cost, the building scintillates with five-star charm. In
\na long gallery, referred to as the Peace
\nPhotography Museum<\/b>, we saw pictures of the original hotel\u2019s founder, Sir
\nVictor Sassoon, with leading lights of his time: Charlie Chaplain, Noel Coward,
\neven later politicians of the Revolution such as Chou El-Lai and Mao Zedong. It
\nwas a nice photo capsule of the life and times that the hotel had seen.
\nTime on Nanjing Road:
\nout on the Bund, we decided to go out in search of some dinner and were swept,
\nonce again, by the momentum of the crowds to Nanjing Road which is the busiest
\nthoroughfare of the city. Today, the road dazzles, especially at night, with
\nthe over-sized neon signs of designer clothiers such as Versace and Ralph
\nLauren who are catering to the money-ed Chinese consumer with his love for all
\nthings Western. Malls rise up at every street corner. Their garish neon signs
\nannounce food offerings through pictures of restaurants to be found in their
\nfood courts. Unfortunately, much of it is in Chinese and virtually no one on
\nthe streets can communicate in English. Going only by instinct, we found a
\nplace on the 7th<\/sup> floor of a mall\u2014we don\u2019t know the name of the mall
\nor the restaurant. All we know is that it exhibited pictures of what Llew
\ncalled \u201crecognizable Chinese food\u201d at very reasonable prices and so in we were.
\nfound ourselves in a massive restaurant with at least 300 covers but most of
\nthe tables were empty as the Chinese end their dinners early. It was about 9.
\n00 pm when we sat down to eat\u2014late by Chinese standards. Still, we were very
\nwarmly welcomed by the sweet girlish wait staff who couldn\u2019t speak or
\nunderstand English but were eager to please. They seated us, presented us with
\na packet of wet wipes, poured us Chinese warm green tea into tiny cups and
\npresented us with the extensive menu, all the dishes of which had accompanying
\npictures.
\ndid not take us long to order Chinese Cabbage (Bok Choy) with Garlic and Chilli
\nPeppers and a Dish of Stir-Fried Duck with Onions and Black Pepper. We also
\nordered one small bowl of steamed rice. Our dishes arrived within ten minutes
\nand left us awed\u2014they were so scrumptious. For the next hour, we took our time
\nsavoring the two courses, washing it down with green tea and then helping
\nourselves to some more as the portions served were huge. And when our bill
\narrived, we were stunned by how little we had paid for such a good meal. We
\nwere also stunned that we were charged extra for the tea and for the packets of
\nwet wipes only one of which we had actually used!
\nwas difficult to find a cab back to our hotel after our dinner as most
\nmerry-makers had the same objective. But soon we were in one of them and
\nwending homeward. Our hotel staff had presented us with cards which were
\nprinted in Chinese that said, \u201cPlease take me back home to the Oakwood
\nResidence\u201d. The cabbies read these printed cards and took us home with no
\ndifficulty. Needless to say, we were grateful for our glamorous facilities, our
\nsteaming showers and our air-conditioned room and we fell asleep exhausted,
\nquite charmed by Shanghai and the first impression it had made on us. <\/span>