The often-photographed Huxinting Teahouse in the Yu Gardens.
The Dragon Wall in Shanghai’s Yu Gardens.
Shanghai is an absolutely beautiful city, but sometimes it seems almost too perfect. I have a feeling in the back of my mind this is some sort of utopian Sci-Fi city, a movie set, Disneyesque – or even the fictional “Capital” of the country of Panem in The Hunger Games.
Basically, it’s a city that has been built from the ground up in the last 20 years. So everything is new, and the architecture is among the most progressive in the world, featuring work from an international cadre of super-stars. It’s clean, sophisticated, and very, very contemporary. It’s hard to imagine we are in a Communist country.
We began the day appropriately, with a ride on the world’s fastest train – the Maglev. Reaching speeds of about 300 miles per hour, the train travels more than 18 miles in about seven minutes. German-built, the train is levitated with magnetic coils. The speed counters in the cars were, ironically, not working today, so there are no pictures of how fast we were going – you will just have to take my word for it.
Then we spent several hours in Old Town at the beautiful and picturesque Yu Yuan Gardens and the adjacent Bazaar in the surrounding streets. The Gardens date from the Ming Dynasty, and include lovely walkways, colorful flowers, bonsai-style plants and Koi ponds. The terrific weather and blue skies were conducive to large crowds today, meaning there was not an opportunity for any serene contemplation at the Gardens.
The shopping area was a nice combination of government-owned stores (no bargaining, but they take credit cards), private shops, kiosks and street peddlers. There were also several of the hundreds of Chinese Starbucks, a Dairy Queen and Cold Stone Creamery. BTW, KFC is also huge in China, and here in Shanghai we have also seen Hooters, TGI Fridays and California Pizza Kitchen. Most of the cabs are VW’s, and the cars on the road look very new; this is Audi’s biggest market.
It was a great morning, topped off by a really nice lunch at M on the Bund, a venture belonging to an Australian chef. We strolled along the famous Bund, Shanghai’s historic waterfront financial center, now resplendent with walls of patterned flowers. It was another great spot for a photo-op, this time looking back towards our Pudong Shangri-La Hotel and all the incredible high-rise buildings. A nearby building under construction will be 130 stories high, and the 24-hour, 7-day-a-week construction crews, finish one floor every week. You can see the sparks flying from the welding at what must be about the 100th floor. No OSHA or zoning restrictions here.
We returned to the Pudong side of the river through the kitschy Bund Sightseeing Tunnel, a 50-Yuan, standing ride and rather bizarre sound and light show. No one with claustrophobia or Epilepsy needs to try this.
In the afternoon, we walked around the Huangpu riverfront on the Pudong side where our hotel is located. There is an elevated walkway ring next to the Oriental Pearl (TV) Tower, and dozens of high end shops, malls and cafes. When it opened at 5, we went up to the nightclub, Jade on 36th, on the top floor of the other tower in our hotel, for a cocktail and an even higher view across the river. We had managed another Belgian Chocolate ice cream snack at Haagen Dazs since there was not time for a proper dinner tonight. No time, because we needed to leave at about 6:15 for the 7:30 Shanghai Acrobat Show. A private troupe that owns shares in their own theater put on a lovely and dramatic show complete with the expected contortionists, ribbon performers, acrobats and even, incredibly, seven motorcycles racing in a round metal cage (I could hardly watch).
Tip of the Day: Wake-up America . . . China is coming on strong.
Tea to welcome us in our room in the Shangri-La, Shanghai.
We began this day with a 1 AM call from our daughter back in NYC – telling us there had been an earthquake in Chengdu. We are a few hours away from there and thankfully have not been impacted by this deadly quake. Chengdu is where the famous Chinese Panda Preserve is located, and a popular spot to visit. News reports indicate the Pandas are OK; it was only about five years ago they were severely impacted by another quake where 87,000 residents were killed.
Still chilly and now foggy, we set off to see the Three Gorges Dam. Building the Dam has been a huge project resulting in the relocation of 1.3 million Chinese locals, and the flooding of dozens of villages and historic areas along the Yangtze River. The Dam was completed in 2009, and has been providing electricity for many parts of China. Plagued with controversy and problems, we heard stories of both sadness and triumph surrounding the project.
We visited the Three Gorges Dam Exhibition Center and then a beautiful park for a better view of the dam. But fog and pollution, or some combination of both, made it very difficult to take a good picture of this massive structure, the largest hydroelectric dam in the world. They say the Dam creates its own micro-climate, but it seems to me that pollution is a huge factor.
We then traveled downstream, through the remaining (eastern) portion of the Xiling Xia gorge towards our final destination of Yichang. Yichang was very grey and didn’t hold much promise for anything of real interest. It is a small Chinese city by comparison-only 1.3 million residents that has grown up due to the work on the Dam. The one thing notable were the lovely private homes being built – the first of their kind we have seen in China. The avenue and parks along the river would be lovely on a clear day –if and when that ever occurs. . . .
Off to the airport for our Shanghai Air flight to Shanghai. All I can say about our arrival in this beautiful, modern metropolis – is, wow. The view of the Bund at night from our room on the 27th floor of the Shangri-La Pudong is amazing. Can’t wait to see more!
Tip of the day: Get off the ship, do not pass “go”, do not collect $100, just get to the airport and leave ASAP.
Beautiful, rural countryside and dramatic views on the Yangtze tributary, Shennong.
Boatmen on the Shennong Stream
Today we really got the feel of the Yangtze River area. On the top deck at 7 AM, we were outside for the entry into the Qutang Xia (Gorge). The weather has returned to being quite chilly, and we have a brisk wind blowing today. This is the shortest of the gorges, but maybe the most famous, since an image of its Kui Gate appears on the Chinese ¥10 RMB note; it took us just ½ hour to pass through.
About an hour later (well timed after having some breakfast), we entered the longer Wu Xia gorge for a beautiful 2-hour journey. It may have been windy and overcast, but we did not have the fog that so often obstructs much of the view. This gorge features the Goddess Peak among its 13, with what appears to be a solitary figure standing high above the river – worshiping at two facing peaks. I was running in and out from the enclosed lounge/observation area to the deck and back and forth from the port to starboard sides to try get some good shots while trying to stay warm.
In the late morning we took a smaller ferry down the Shennong Stream, a much smaller, more shallow tributary. The scenery here was really spectacular, you are away from the commercial and transit barges, and have a much more intimate experience. It was also a bit warmer, since we were protected a little from the wind. High up in a dramatic crevice we also saw one of the unbelievable hanging coffins placed by the Bai, ancestors of the Tu Jia, who are indigenous to the area. It’s right out of an Indiana Jones movie.
Eventually we reached the end and transferred to wooden sampan boats for a lively ride with modern-day “trackers”, boatmen who rowed, steered and pulled us for about an hour. These craggy boys and men range in age from 17-87, and actually pull the boats along the stream from the side with long ropes. The tributary is still shallow and narrow, but before the 1950s the rough conditions called for extreme measures and the system of rowing and pulling was the only way to move goods and people in the area. In the ‘50s the rapids that caused the difficulty in the area were cleared ending the need for the men to pull the boats. It’s amazing the strength these men have – and all packed into such wiry, compact frames. Of note, the original tribesmen used to work with no clothes when they were standing in the water – today they all wear clothes (thank goodness) and keep the tradition alive for tourists.
This afternoon, back on our mother ship the Yangtze Explorer, we traveled through what used to be the most dangerous of the gorges (pre-river enhancements), the western portion of Xiling Xia.
During the evening, we took about four hours to successfully traverse the five locks of the river and lower the ship 370’. Between all this activity, we grabbed snatches of television and internet updates to follow the news back home and the ultimate capture of the second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing.
Tip of the day: God Bless America.
We saw some unusual items on Chinese menus, but never just pig snouts; market in Fengdu.
Fengdu day care kids at play.
We are spending the next three days on the M.S. Yangtze Explorer, reputed to be the most luxurious ship on the river. The 124 passenger ship is home to our group as well as A&K, Nat Geo and a few independent travelers. It is nice and very comfortable, our cabin having 333 sq. ft, a king bed and a balcony. Wi-fi is slow and intermittent, but we do have CNN, and can keep up with breaking news from Boston in the USA.
After sailing during the night, we docked around 7am at Fengdu, the Ghost City. When the Three Gorges Dam was built on the Yangtze and opened in 2008, the water levels rose and flooded many communities and historically significant sites along the river. In anticipation, the government moved 1.3 million people into new homes, sometimes nearby. In the case of Fengdu, most of the local residents were moved to new apartments across the river, and some were moved higher up the hill. The government also saved and moved several homes, each more than 100 years old.
Today we visited some of those beautiful historic homes, as well as a local market and a pre-school.
The children, ages 3-6 were precious and enjoyed singing for us, as well as playing games with us. My husband had quite a time playing with a group of kids with three soccer and basketballs – it’s hard to say who actually had more fun. There was a lot of laughter all around.
Next up was the incredible market. We saw beautiful vegetables, tanks of live carp, every kind of meat (and organ) you can imagine, teeth (yes, teeth), tobacco and more. Locals were playing cards on the streets, and people were everywhere. No matter where you looked, you saw something wonderful and interesting. The only place I was shooed away from and couldn’t take pictures or even watch – was a local Mah Jongg parlor!
We toured a historic home that had belonged to the area’s wealthiest citizen, a local salt merchant. As we continued walking through the reconstructed historic area, we were treated to a surprise reception from the ship, with a variety of beverages and tasty snacks set in a handsome courtyard with two beautiful girls playing some delightful Chinese music.
Today we felt like we had a window into the way typical Chinese live their daily lives.
Back on board the Yangtze Explorer, we have been relaxing, attended an interesting lecture about the river, ate, drank, ate some more . . . . and enjoyed the scenery.
Tip of the day- don’t eat the pig snouts.
