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Published: June 29th 2009
On the spur of the moment, I decided to get away for my last weekend in China. My first choice was an overnight, mini-retreat in a Buddhist monastery, but that was all booked up. So I opted for a short hiking and biking tour to Moganshan with Bohdi Adventure Tours (which I’d read about in City Weekend Magazine).
Here’s a description of Moganshan according to one guidebook:
“Moganshan offers natural relaxation in the form of fresh air, and the pristine beauty of the mountains and the bamboo forest….In those oft-mentioned glory days of Shanghai in the early 1900s, the mountains of Moganshan were a popular summer destination. The area provides a naturally cool climate and was a great way for city dwellers to beat the scorching heat of a Shanghai summer. The area was frequented by foreigners living in Shanghai, and by 1910 an estimate of about 300 foreigners (mostly Americans and Brits) had set up holiday homes in the hills. Most were abandoned and passed on to worker communities with the rise of the communist party in 1949. Remnants of older settlements remain and are points of interest along the many hiking trails in the area. These days
with air conditioners, most people remain in the city during the summer and Moganshan has remained pristine and, for the most part, undeveloped.”
Six of us (plus a driver) left Shanghai in Bohdi’s mini-bus on Saturday morning at 9 AM: Tim (our guide), Kenneth and his 8 year-old son Henry (both British), Kim (from New Zealand but now a London resident), Connie (from Malaysia), Sally (also from Malaysia) and myself. All of us have been living and working in Shanghai and felt the need to get out into “greenery” and to do some sporty activity.
After a 3-hour drive, we arrived at the foot of Moganshan Mountain and hiked up, down into a valley and lake, and then up again to our hotel at the top. Although it was grueling hot when we started out on the climb, a rainstorm broke in the late afternoon, and we got drenched. How nice it was to have a hot shower and to change clothes upon arrival at the hotel!
Following dinner, we drove up to The Lodge, a coffee shop/restaurant run by a rather charismatic Englishman called Mark Kitto. A former Welsh guardsman turned media businessman and media mogul
in Shanghai (he founded the “That’s ……” series of magazines), he lost everything when the Communist Party seized his business in 2004. He then moved his family to Moganshan, opened The Lodge, and wrote about his experiences in his autobiographical book, "China Cuckoo: How I Lost a Fortune and Found a Life in China. "We were lucky enough to meet and talk to Mark and his wife. Incidentally, I bought his book, which makes for interesting and entertaining reading.
The next morning, we set off DOWN the mountain on mountain bikes. The scenery was spectacular. After lunch in a local restaurant, we piled up our bikes into the van and drove to a reservoir for a swim. Then it was the 3-hour drive back to central Shanghai. It was a great weekend.
Four more days of school and then I’m off Thursday night for a week in Bali! I’ll write about my stay there in my next entry. Back to Paris on July 11 and on to the western states of the U.S. on July 21.
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Shirley
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Weekend sounds great!
What a beautiful spot! Especially in such a densely populated country. And your description of the people is fascinating. Bravo to these pioneering folks willing to take on life in such a "different" country. Hope to see you during the few days you'll be back here in July. Ahmet arrives tonight, for all of July, then we're off to Turkey for August. Am enjoying my recuperation and my new hip. Dick got his new knee yesterday, is doing well. The test worked, in that I went to your "test" mail and then clicked "previous." Shirley