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Xujiahui Travel Blogs

Background: For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.

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By aimsey and roelie
June 26th 2009

Zai Jian Shanghai, part deux Asia » China » Shanghai » Xujiahui

We'll miss Sasha's

If the title confuses you, we've already published a "Zai Jian Shanghai part 1" that didn't seem to get through...so feel free to check it out, and comment please on our homage to our visitors. As for this final Shanghai blog, we have to say that even putting the words Zai Jian to paper brings a lump to our throats…but we appreciate that the Chinese words for ‘Good-bye’ (Zai meaning ‘again’ and Jian ‘meet’) amount to something akin to au revoir. So as we wave zai jian, or au revoir, to this incredible place called ‘Shanghai’, and close [View Full Entry]

By aimsey and roelie
June 19th 2009

Zai Jian Shanghai...part 1 Asia » China » Shanghai » Xujiahui

View from the Top

Hi all, This blog is about one big Yin (look for part 2 shortly on the yins AND the yangs of two years in Asia) as we’ve devoted this entire penultimate blog to an homage and revisiting, if you like, of our visitors. For the visitors, we hope you enjoy…for the rest, please read on too…and plan to visit Shanghai at some time on your own. You won’t be sorry! Christmas! For our first Christmas when Chris visited, we were still getting the hang of the place, so we really appreciated his help at navigating the city with his excellent Chinese. [View Full Entry]

By Mcsmigly
June 4th 2009

SJTU Party at Minhang Campus Asia » China » Shanghai » Xujiahui

Bus to SJTU Minhang Campus

For a colorful introduction to this entry, I had to pay 150 yuan today for new bedding for the hotel! I fell asleep with my highlighter and it made a nice pink spot. They tried to charge me right away after their failure of handwashing it out (handwashing! what the hell is that gonna do to a stain...). So I told the maid to "chill" and I took it to the laundry mat, washed it for 20 yuan and only the outline of the stain was left. However, they still wouldn't accept it, so I unhappily paid and that was that. [View Full Entry]

By Mcsmigly
June 3rd 2009

Bboy Lavy Asia » China » Shanghai » Xujiahui

Finally found some time to hit up the Caster Studio again. I practiced some powermove transitions and freezes - only had 50 minutes there. While I was there, I saw another bboy in the larger room and didn't feel like really talking to him since I only had a few minutes until he started pulling out some airflares to flares to mills transitions, ha! He had decent style too...only problem was that he spoke very very little English, like my Chinese, ha. So we just exchanged names and then I kept solo training....I really need to learn how speak Chinese better [View Full Entry]

By Mcsmigly
June 2nd 2009

Xiao Long Bao and McDonalds Asia » China » Shanghai » Xujiahui

Ted showed me this tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant yesterday with some amazing "Xiao Long Bao" - soup and meat stuffed thin dough balls! They're handmade and the cooked in bamboo baskets in this large steamer on the street. They were so delicious and only cost 5 Yuan for eight...I'll be going there quite often, as in more than once a day! I'll put some pictures up later. However, today after working out at the gym in Metro City for the first time (which always makes me feel great and uplifts my stamina and confidence) I got a little hungry...only problem, I wanted [View Full Entry]

By Mcsmigly
May 26th 2009

French Concession and Bboyin session Asia » China » Shanghai » Xujiahui

Largest/Only Wine Store I've Ever Been In

It's Tuesday and Dragon Boat Festival is on Thursday! See (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_boat_festival). And as a part of the SSP program we get the amazing opportunity to share the festival with a local family and absorb some culture! But we do need to buy a gift for the host family to show our appreciation and the most suggested item was a bottle of wine or chocolates. So my group - Sam and Sae Young - decided to go with both a bottle of wine and a cake. Ethan and few other students had come across an extensive wine store in the French Concession [View Full Entry]

Very suggestive pose for the Expo Mascot

By Mcsmigly
May 23rd 2009

Shanghai Tour Asia » China » Shanghai » Xujiahui

...

Apart from one student in the program waking up in a random apartment in Pudong with two French girls who were just glad he was alive and not in a coma and who helped him pay for a taxi back to SJTU and him barely making it to the tour on time, that morning was uneventful - though I did go for a another run and cut my leg on something. First stop on the tour Saturday morning was at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre. We had a short tour of the place, seeing the history of the Bund, how [View Full Entry]

By Mcsmigly
May 23rd 2009

Friends in Shanghai!? Asia » China » Shanghai » Xujiahui

Fruit Sushi!

After the tour, I met up with two friends from Georgia Tech, Christine L. and Jonathan H. Actually, it was the first time Jonathan and I met, but we quickly got acquainted. We ate at the bottom of a Bellagio? Hotel and had some delicious shaved ice (mine looked a bit like poo). Then we walked around to a few random DVD stores and ate at sushi bar!! I've never been to a sushi bar before, so many easy-to-grab with chopsticks and non-greasy yums compared to what I've been eating. Though it's still better than typical American greasy food... [View Full Entry]

By Mcsmigly
May 21st 2009

Local Market and More Family-style eats Asia » China » Shanghai » Xujiahui

Scolding clean water

Joey mentioned he was hungry around 6pm, so him, Brandon, Helen, Cherry, I and two other students headed out passing a bakery and then deciding to hit up the family style place we tried earlier. While trying to find it from a new route, we actually came across the most residential area I've seen yet in Xuhui. There were a few locals sitting out with Chinese checkers sets waiting for a component and a local market straight ahead. I'll need to grab some pictures next time, cause I've never seen anything like it before in-person. Cherry (from Taiwan) said it [View Full Entry]

By Mcsmigly
May 21st 2009

The Shelter Asia » China » Shanghai » Xujiahui

Chillin

Found out the club was actually within walking distance, at least for me, so I decided to go even if nobody else was down. But Brendan and Joey said they'd come...after a few drinks, then Sean and Matt decided to tag along too. I knew the general way to get there, but it ended up being about a 20 minute walk through some very convenient construction and what would be sketchy areas if guards weren't everywhere. On the way, I guy dressed in some hip-hop garments approached us, so me being way too distracted by the prospect of finding other [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » Asia » China » Shanghai » Xujiahui