The Pearl of the Orient

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Most of you are aware that the we are all safely back home. I apologize for not writing for so long, but the jet lag was awful once I returned. I was warned it would be, but I am pretty physically active person, seldom get sick, and consider myself a healthy person, but I have to admit it has taken a while to get back to my normal routine. I have been like a baby with their days and nights mixed up, but all is well now and I do want to make several more posts.
First, I want to tell you about Shanghai. We caught a plane from Xi'an and then on to Shanghai. The flight was about two hours.

Here are some facts I think are particularly interesting about Shanghai.

A) My first impression of Shanghai was how huge a city it is. Shanghai is listed as the 9th most populated city in the world with 17.9 million people. In case you are curious the eight cities with higher populations are as follows:

1. Tokyo, Japan - 34,100,000
2. Mexico City, Mexico - 22,650,000
3. Seoul, South Korea - 22,250,000
4. New York, United States - 21,850,000
5. Sao Paulo, Brazil - 20,200,000
6. Mumbai, India - 19,700,000
7. Dehli, India - 19,500,000
8. Los Angeles, United States - 17,950,000

These numbers are per the about.com

B)Shanghai means “on the sea”; it is seated on the Huangpu River, a tributary of the Yangtze River. Shanghai is also known as the "Pearl of the Orient".

C)The photo is in front of the Shanghai TV tower. Geared toward tourists, the lower part of the tower--measuring no less than 263 meters--provides panoramic views of the city. On the few, clear days Shanghai has to offer, this view is spectacular.

The ground floor features a shopping area, cafe and an international city exhibit. The Tower also offers deluxe conference rooms that have hosted leaders and VIPs from around the world.

Those of you taking CIS 110 should recognize it from the photo on your text. Did you?

D) Shanghai now the world's largest cargo port according to Asia Times Online

E) The average life expectancy in 2003 was 79.80 years, 77.78 for men and 81.81 for women.

For more information about Shanghai check out wikipedia.org. In particular scroll down to the bottom of that page and look at the photos of Shanghai. Notice the lights on Huaihai Road and the photo of the traditional street.

While in Shanghai we visited, along with the University that included in the previous posting, the Shanghai Museum, a Jade Buddha Temple and included a Huangpu River Cruise. The Shanghai Museum includes a collection of over 120,000 pieces of cultural relics in twelve categories. This museum is included in the book "1000 Places to See Before You Die".

Look at this site for the museum which includes an awesome virtual 360 degree view of the outside of the museum.

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Photos

Pearl of the East
Standing 468 meters high, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower is one of the highest towers in Asia.

Comments

[Chip Foss]

Shanghai
Wow! I had no idea Shanghai was one of the largest cities in the world, however it doesn't surprise me one bit! Glad you are recovered from you jet lag! Welcome home!

[Heather Taylor]

Shanghai Sounds Wonderful
The entire trip has been so fascinating to keep up with. Shanghai sounds wonderful. The picture is absolutely beautiful.