Shanghai surprises

Should have known this, I suppose, but I’m unable to connect to facebook or twitter here.  Internet, yes, though I assume that some sites cannot be accessed.  (I’m not going to test this theory!)

Until the Communist Revolution, it was legal (and apparently quite common) for a man to have two wives.  Houses were designed to be shared by two families, with three bedrooms upstairs.  One on each side for wife #1 and wife #2 (the “concubine”) … and the middle bedroom for the husband: the Master.  Hence, “Master Bedroom!”

I had heard about the explosion of development in Shanghai.  But to see high-rise buildings on the scale of Hong Kong Island – that did not exist until 20 years ago – is simply staggering!

Favorite moment(s) so far all experienced during an early morning walk on the Bund: Kite flyers. Old people walk, stretch, jog, walk backwards, play badminton. Friendly hellos.  Curious looks at my Flip video camera. A pair of cigarette-smoking maintenance workers repair a light pole. I take pictures of families with their camera, then pose with them for their photo. A little kid beams as he (she?) learns to roller skate. The “Bottle Opener Building” – momentarily obscured by clouds – reappears.  A bicycle-riding municipal worker wipes down the sidewalk trash receptacles.

Photos:

The Bund

One of the most recognizable architectural symbols of Shanghai.  The word ‘bund’ derives from an Anglo-Indian word for an embankment along a muddy waterfront and that is what it was in the beginning, when the first British company opened an office there in 1846. It became the epitome of elegance during Shanghai’s history as a city of trade. A 771-metre long retaining wall for flood control was built. Atop the wall is a spacious walkway for sightseeing. Paved with colorful tiles and dotted with flower beds and European-style garden lights. It is a good place for a leisurely stroll and a view of the Huangpu River.

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The Bottle Opener Building

This is really the Shanghai World Financial Center – but more commonly referred to as its resemblance to a beer bottle opener.

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The Pudong

In the 1980’s Pudong was agricultural land on the other side of the Huangpu river from the historic city of Shanghai. The fields of Pudong have been planted with skyscraper seeds and they have sprouted up all over. Shanghai’s Pudong New Development Area is China’s answer to Hong Kong. Many foreign banks and insurance companies have opened offices in Pudong. The planning in the Pudong New Development Area has been good, and it is blessed with wide boulevards, bicycle lanes, subways, tunnels under the river and a fast train out to the new Shanghai Pudong International Airport.