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Published: April 12th 2014
Fall color
Xujiahui Parkoutside my window at 12 am? (and less spitting would also be nice)
We’ve officially surpassed our one year mark here in Shanghai. I can’t possibly imagine how that much time has gone by. It feels like only yesterday that we stumbled blearily off the plane and down Wulumuqi Road looking for late-night snacks. Yet a lot has happened since then and we’ve seen the city transform through its manic seasons of hot and cold. As usual, it’s been awhile since I’ve written a blog…it’s always hard to find the time. But here goes, a disjointed recap of the past several months:
The October Holidays In October, I found myself with some unexpected time off. First, there was National Week to celebrate the October 1, 1949 founding of the Communist Party…a glorious week of vacation! Secondly, due to our low enrollment, I was able to barter time off in exchange for teaching a weekend class…two more weeks free! The only problem was that our funds were too low to really travel, and C was also tied down with his work. So we had a staycation of sorts and used the free time to check out
Old Warehouse
Near Suzhou Creek some sights around the city free of weekend crowds. It ended up being a fantastic time!
On National Day, we headed over to
Red Town, a series of old warehouses and factory buildings near the Hongqiao Rd. metro station that have been converted into an art center. There are a collection of cafes, shops, and galleries. The best section was the Shanghai Sculpture Space, featuring work from local artists made from all kinds of mediums. There was a modern Buddha image made from mirrors, textiles, mosaics, and two peasants made from rough wood with long, expressive faces. Perhaps my favorite was a piece of interactive art: several sculptures of people huddling on the ground while a projector inundated them with swarms of letters and characters. The power of language?
Afterwards we took the metro one stop to the quiet
Song Qingling Mausoleum. The grounds were extremely peaceful and there was also a nice museum dedicated to Ms. Song’s very interesting life. Her sister, Song Meiling married Chiang Kai-shek, while Song Qingling became the second wife of Sun Yatsen. Her life was inextricably linked to the history of modern China. She lived to the age of 88, continuing to
lobby for international diplomacy, women’s rights, and children’s issues long after her husband’s death. She was even awarded an honorary presidency in her final days.
The October weather was quite pleasant and we took several picnics to
Century Park to sit on the grass and admire the flowers. We also returned to the excellent café at
The Power Station of Art, located on the roof with a great view of the river.
One of my favorite days involved walking around the
South Bund near the
Nanpu Bridge. There is a boardwalk and some sculptures, and a few grassy patches overlooking the busy river. We found a nice patch of grass near the former expo grounds where some families were flying kites, and watched the barges chug buy. As we were stretched out on the grass, we noticed a man in his skivvies saunter down to the edge of the water and jump in, casually swimming a few laps in the sludge before climbing out on the other side. He seemed to think nothing of the pollution for which the river is notorious. (and amazingly enough, he wasn’t the only swimmer we saw that day)
On several other
occasions we explored the area around Suzhou Creek. From the Xinzha metro station (Line 1) there is a nice stroll past some old factory buildings to Moganshan and the infamous graffiti wall. They’ve been threatening to knock it down for years, but last I checked it is still there, splashed with Dali-esque robots, caricatures, scrawled messages, and a fierce looking Ironman panda.
The weather remained more or less warm through November and fall color came late. By early December the maples in Xujiahui Park had turned a flaming red.
All I want for Christmas is clean air Shanghai and I hit a rough patch this winter. I mostly blame it on the weather. The same thing happened in the summer when it was sweltering, over 100 degrees, and relentlessly humid. I cursed the city every time I stepped out the door and wound up a huffing, puffing, sweaty mess. Then winter came and I was equally disgusted. I was tired of cold toes, scrubbing mold off the walls, and huddling around the heater in my poorly-insulated apartment.
More than the temperature, however, was the deteriorating air quality. In early December, the Air Quality Index
Taking it all in
View across the Huangpu River (measured by the US Consulate) topped out at 504. If that means nothing to you, then let me explain. The EPA has a way of breaking down the particles in the air – the smallest “fine” particles are measured at around 2.5 micrometers in diameter. Their readings suggest that 50 is healthy, 100 is unhealthy for certain groups, etc. Basically, anything beyond 300 is considered hazardous. When the smog rolled in I was aware long before I checked the web, due to aching lungs, a sore throat, and all-over exhaustion. I didn’t have the heart to take photos of the haze-choked city, but I did take a screen shot of the Consulate’s highest reading, describing the horrific pollution as “beyond index”. Who is responsible? The coal-burning north? The factories? The drivers? The government? The massive population? I suppose it is a combination of factors.
It’s truly unacceptable. The only glimmer of hope I have comes from my students. They seem to be acutely aware of their countries’ environmental problems and eager to solve them. A very popular topic in their essays, I can only hope their enthusiasm will lead to a better future for China.
During the winter
I also worked what seemed like a billion hours per week, juggling my usual teaching schedule with weekend classes and an additional part-time job interviewing prospective students applying to study abroad programs. I felt ready to pack my bags, buy a plane ticket, and set off for new; unencumbered adventures (preferably somewhere warm).
But then things got better. We DID go on holiday (for nearly a month!) to the palm-fringed beaches and lush mountains of Bali. I came back feeling refreshed, positive, and ready to begin a new chapter. The weather warmed up, the trees begin to bloom, and we found a new apartment far superior to our previous quarters. It’s hard to imagine that we’ve just passed the year marker of our time here in the city. One thing I can say is that time flies in Shanghai.
You know it’s spring when… The stinky tofu sellers have thankfully decreased (as have the stands selling sweet potatoes and hot chestnuts) and have been replaced by hawkers with baskets of fresh fruit. The heavy winter scarves and gloves have also been usurped by wide-brimmed hats, silk, and sunglasses. So much of China happens on the street right
in front of you.
The expats on Anfu Lu have also recovered from their long hibernation and on sunny days crowd into every spare nook and cranny along the street, sipping wine and babbling to one another.
It’s hard to lay on the grass in Shanghai. That’s because truly, there really isn’t much grass to be found amidst the pavement. What is available is guarded by angry, hawk-like security guards, who begin shouting if your toe happens to graze one pristine blade. Thankfully, there are a few places to escape and sit on the grass to your heart’s content, along with the rest of Shanghai. One such place is Century Park. We went on a warm Sunday a few weeks ago, confident that the sprawling grounds of the park could absorb the eager mass of humanity that was sure to descend. We arrived to find pure chaos, practically every square inch covered by…tents. Tents are very popular in Shanghai. There doesn’t seem to be too much camping involved, no scaling mountains or lying under the wild stars. The sole purpose of the Shanghai tent is to reserve a patch of ground at one of the obliging parks while
it’s proud owners nap, slurp noodles, test, and occasionally kick around a soccer ball.
With the right mindset, it’s actually pretty fun. On the day in question we managed to squeeze onto the grass, and spent a good 45 minutes drinking Qingtao beer and watching one poor park visitor try to wrestle his tent to the ground. We stared unabashedly (it’s China, after all) while he pushed shoved, heaved, and cajoled the tarp back into its original fold.
We’re also incredibly lucky to work on a beautiful campus, with our very own free lawn, garden, and trees. It’s quite serene and especially pleasant this time of year before the onslaught of humidity and mosquitoes.
Since returning from Indonesia we’ve celebrated C’s birthday, gone to several concerts, and spent time with friends. We went to see the color extravaganza of Yayo Kusama at the
Modern Art Museum.
We were also able to break away from the city for a day to go hiking at
Dongshan, near Lake Tai. We started at a little village with winding lanes, sleeping dogs, and curious old neighbors who grinned at us from their doorways. Behind the town was a tree over
1000 years old. It was propped up in a pen behind the refurbished temple, completely tranquil and undisturbed by previous waves of fire, drought, warfare, and landslides.
The mountain itself was a steep climb though the pines. The trail would have been nearly impossible to find if it weren’t for the hard work and planning of the guides at
Yejo Circle. At the crest, there was a lovely view of the lake, which is the largest in eastern China. There was also a peaceful yellow temple, with fluttering prayer flags, potted plants, rows of incense, and a laughing gold Buddha.
During our most recent long weekend for the Tomb Sweeping Festival, we played the role of tourist. We zipped around on the
sightseeing bus, went on a river cruise, and even made the journey through the unbelievably tacky
Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. Words cannot really do it justice. I love being a tourist. Some people roll their eyes, these things are only for visitors or family members. I disagree. Wandering along the Bund at night reminds me of my first visit in 2007 and I always feel a sense of awe like I’m seeing it for the first time.
Mountain Temple
Near Dongshan, Zhejiang Province Shanghai is an incredibly futuristic city with its flashing neon lights, mega-freeways, and skyscrapers.
It’s also old and chock-full of history. I love taking walks around Shanghai. You can easily pass through an alley full of hawkers with buckets of fish, chicken feet, and pig noses. There are old men hunched over their card games smoking and laughing. There are birds in cages and hunched women hanging laundry. Everyone looks like a character out of the Qing Dynasty. Then you turn a corner and there's the Marriot, a row of expensive restaurants, and a young women with a Gucci handbag crooning into her iPhone. I am especially fascinated by the marriage market in People's Park. Every Sunday a crowd gathers as parents look for suitable spouses for their children. They put up signs with information such as height and weight, birthdate, and job. Some have pictures. Some are flyers, some are handwritten signs taped to umbrellas. The patient parents sit and wait, they chat, they barter, they compare notes. If they're lucky, perhaps they'll arrange a blind date for their frustratingly single adult child. I asked my students if these young people had any idea that their parents were
trying to marry them off at the public park. "Maybe, but what can they do?"
When we came here a year ago, I wasn’t sure how I would handle living in what is arguable the largest metropolis on the planet. But I’ve adjusted. I’m happy to say that one year wasn’t enough, so we’re staying on for a bit in this big, crazy city. It’s nice to have some continuity, for once. Instead of packing our suitcases and boarding a plane, we packed our suitcases and moved into a new apartment. Since graduating from college I’ve bounced around from place to place; rarely staying for more than a year. While this has allowed for some amazing travels, it’s also been hard not having any stability. I’m excited to see how we build on experiences from the previous year and what this next one will bring.
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