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Published: December 21st 2008
Busy day
A local farmer in the village beside our uniYesterday was Karl’s first day in China and we had a day of contrasts, concerts, cake and cacophony. (Real big word but had to start with C)
We started the day by walking from the uni to our local shopping area, which is a short 30-minute walk away. We think it is called Chaolu, there is a sign saying that name but it could be called something else too.
It is the old existing market, plus new shops and restaurants as well as a huge “wet market”, trendy boutiques and street stalls, supermarkets, as well as the new high-rise residential areas of Pudong. A great way to show all the China can offer in three blocks.
The “wet” market is called that we think, as the floor is slimy with water, fish entrails, bits of dead chickens and pigs, and other less savoury substances. It’s where the locals go each day to get their supplies for their daily cooking needs. You really should not have a weak stomach to go in there, live fish flapping around and killed by being smashed onto the floor, chickens in cages, killed and gutted in this room which is like a scene
Busy day
Our dorm in the uni area, a really bad smoggy foggy day out of a horror movie, in live living colour.
One of the highlights of the area is the little cake shop, which made our Christmas cake in front of us. We pointed to one in the window and the man set about reproducing it, step by step, all by hand. No stick on Santa’s and trees for this cake shop, it’s all done carefully and with attention to detail all for 50Y.
Lunch was at the small restaurant, which has booths in the window a great place to people watch. Three dishes and a local beer for 57Y.
Later that night we took the 993 bus to the metro, changed metro twice and found our way to the Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre which is this massive building in Pudong. It’s shaped like four timpani and can have three performances on at one time. Swan Lake was also on as well as the concert we attended.
We found a great little Western style restaurant in the metro area called Latinos where we got pasta and beer and a Brazilian band, but at expat prices, oh well such is life here.
Our concert was a 5-piece traditional
Busy day
The village shops music group playing traditional Chinese instruments in both Eastern and Western styles. Five beautiful girls kept us well entertained for 150Y each, playing the erhu, (2 string Chinese fiddle), a type of harp, transverse and normal flute, lute like instrument and some instrument which looked like it was being played by chopsticks. A real cultural treat, something that we would not see at that professional level outside of China.
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