Wrapping it all up in China


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Asia » China » Shanghai
June 8th 2013
Published: June 11th 2013
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My last week was supposed to have me hit up Hong Kong for a final contrasting city in China. However, lack of planning led to mismanagement of my visa and if I left, I’d have a hard time returning without jumping through a bunch of hoops and shelling out some cash. However, when one door closes, another opens and the mishap would allow enough time to visit my other pioneering teacher friend in China, Kayla Carter. When I had seen her 2 weeks ago in the city, she explained that she lived on the outskirts of Shanghai and that it was a nice 45 minute trip to the countryside. After another full week, I welcomed the idea of a slower pace. So as I boarded the bus out to meet Kayla, I was able to do some good reflection and I couldn’t believe my trip was already coming to an end.

When I arrived at Kayla’s school, I was confused to see a sign that read, “Resort Vancouver” as I knew I was pulling up to a Sino Canadian school, but didn’t get the link to a resort. However, as most confusing things in China go, there wasn’t a clear explanation. I was greeted by Kayla’s friend Nikki, who is originally from Penticton and has been teaching alongside Kayla for a few years. She was able to show me around campus, which used to be a Chinese amusement park. After a few too many accidents, the park shut down, allowing many of the buildings on the grounds to be renovated. However, there were still some buildings that needed to be converted and it was amusing to see remnants decorated with space ships and moons. After her gym class, Kayla joined us and finished the tour. Subsequently, we hopped on her scooter and she was able to show me some parts of town and into the countryside. It was unbelievable to be only 45 minutes out of Shanghai and to still be able to witness classic China. We toured old vegetable, seafood and meat vendors, which I’m confident didn’t meat health and safety standards, cruised around the countryside and watched as farmers bailed and processed rice and wheat using nothing but hand tools. The setting sun made for a beautiful backdrop and it was a fascinating way to begin to wrap up my time here. We finished the day with a few of Kayla’s colleagues and some hole in the wall Chinese food and it was off to bed for an early night.

Having a full night’s sleep was refreshing and I was happy to have caught up on some blogging and emails in the morning. I was also lucky that Kayla was only working half of the day, so we were able to take off to Zhouzhuang, one of China’s most famous water towns. I had a nice introduction to water towns in Suzou, but Zhouzhuang was bigger, more intricate and had many more shops. It was fun to wander around, bargain for trinkets, and share some conversation with an old friend about China. One of the highlights of our purchases was one that had me get both my and Richard's Chinese names written by a famous calligraphist on some race paper and this wasn't just any calligraphist. I knew he was famous because he looked straight out of a comic book dressed in a Bruce Lee styled traditional Chinese shirt with a long grey wispy comb over, bushy pointed eyebrows, and a face that looked so experienced, it made me feel like a young boy. I thought he was a symbolic person and that it was a perfect memento to represent my time here. After we were all shopped out, we scooted back to town for some Korean BBQ. My trip visiting Kayla was closing and I must say I am glad it happened. It was nice catching up and getting another foreigner’s thoughts and feelings about this most interesting country. After another great rest, I was back to Shanghai in preparation for my final two days and departure.

I met up with Forbes again, and we planned the final 48 hours. It included a last trip to the fabric market to try on some of the clothes I had ordered a few days prior. I initially went there planning to order a suit, but walked out with a suit, 4 shirts, 2 blazers and a winter coat, all custom tailored. It’s extremely easy to buy a lot of clothes there and still lose your shirt. After our errands, we finished with planning the last few evening’s festivities. I still had a bit of Shanghai left to explore, so we ventured out to the financial district, which is one of world’s newest and fastest growing centres. As we entered the area, I was awestruck by gigantic towers that made everything within eyesight insignificant. I’ve never seen such an imposing sight of human engineering. What made it more fascinating is that we would have been standing on rice paddies and farmland not much more than 20 years ago. To get an even more impressive perspective, we decided to venture up to the Shanghai World Financial Building and enjoy a drink 92 stories up. Our ears popped almost immediately as we climbed rapidly in the elevator. As we enjoyed our drink, we also got to enjoy the company of many other internationals witnessing the same, impressive view.

I decided to wrap up my last full day in China with a visit to Richard’s school for a concluding experience as to how he lives his life here. It was a great way to close as I was able to meet some of his students who partook in a Q&A session with me as the host, comparing Chinese and Canadian cultures. It was a very eye opening experience how young students in China are motivated to start to change some of the negative stereotypes that come with their country. It was an excellent way to finalize my time; however, there were still some lasts things before I left.

It wouldn’t do Shanghai justice to leave without a goodbye party, so my final few nights enjoyment included Bar Rouge, an infamous French club that has a panoramic view of the city, and a few other watering holes that were some of the expat’s favorites. I couldn’t have asked for a better send off with some of my new friends.

And that was it... As I boarded the plane, despite the fogginess in my brain, I was able to reflect on this most epic journey. This trip was unlike many of my others. It was so widely varied that I can’t help but say it was one of my favorites. I was able to infiltrate a close knit group of friends from all over the world that has made this bizarre place their own. I was able to go out on a few solo missions to explore the culture and sights on my own. And I was able to get two close friends’ perspectives on how it is to live and work in a completely different world. I’ve eluded a few times where I’ve had to scratch my head in China and I’m finding it hard to find the words to summarize my time here. It has its own set of rules, which are habitually bent and often broken. The people can be extremely kind, helpful, cultural and fascinating. They can also share a shocking set of behaviours at the next turn. The country itself displays a similar presentation and it can’t be blamed. I’ve come to think that this society has moved so fast in the capitalistic direction, yet has traditionally stayed quite behind such as the extreme contrast of culture including rich and poor. Whatever the reason, it has made for a most unique experience and although I’ve been put off one minute, I’ve been charmed the next. This trip had a unique mixture of traveling on my own, staying with a friend, feeling belonging in a group of new ones and an introduction to a unique way of life. Consequently, it wouldn’t have been the same without some of the most wonderful people I’ve met along the way. Experiences on this trip have allowed me to view the world in a different light, and I hope I can hold onto it. To all the Shanghai Ren, and to all the others across China, Thank you. Until our paths cross again.

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11th June 2013

WHOOP
Great travel blog, as usual Jason Gold. Thank you for letting me live out your adventures vicariously. You're a sexy beast.

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