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Published: February 2nd 2016
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Colors ...
(the skyline of Shanghai) China and Korea- what can I say? Although I stayed there only two weeks it was a very amazing experience. I should also mention that it was a business trip, but we made the best out of the rare spare time.
Shanghai / China - Uniformity and colors
The first week I spent in Shanghai, which mainly meant feeling the spirit of the "big city". The arrival in Shanghai by airplane was puzzling because we were only allowed to leave the airplane once the Chinese stewardess left the plane. While waiting for this procedure to finish, some cleaners joined the scene and cleaned a part of the runway next to the plane. It was fun to watch because it looked a bit like
rhythmic gymnastics 😉 Just as Shanghai itself, the number of passengers at Pudong International Airport was huge. So it was no big surprise that around 3 rows of people with the typical "Mr. XYZ", "Group XYZ",... signs overwhelmed us. After we made our way through the crowd, we went
to the city by
Maglev, top speed of 300 km/h, but still very comfortable. A bus brought us to the final destination: a hotel close
to the campus of Fudan University. The warm and humid climate (
rain rain rain!) was a challenge for us continental Europeans. But not only for us: a lot of buildings and also bicycles were challenged by the climate, but sooner or later they will lose their rusty fight.
During the days we had to spend our time listening to lectures on the
Fudan campus, which was HUGE and had a lot of corners to discover. The campus has its own Fudan campus museum and the Guanghua Twin Towers offer a nice view on the surrounding area. Very memorable were the
dining center meals on-campus, served on a tray with different sections. The vegetables were diverse and tasty - also for us unusual things like boiled salads - but the meat not so much - usually it was a bit overcooked. Of course, one had to line up several times - for the salad, for the side dish, for the meat, and for the drink. Nevertheless, on our third day in Shanghai, we decided unanimously to eat out in the food mall. This huge, interesting smelling complex was solely selling food - different kinds on different floors connected by escalators
- and had to offer some nice restaurants. I absolutely loved the concept of ordering food together and sharing plates 😊 There were some really tasty meals, e.g. some special beef, but I never got used to the calamari... I also made the experience that the cheapest restaurants offered the best food =) In the most expensive restaurant, they even served chicken heads and feet. Maybe it is more challenging for me to eat something which still looks like the formerly living animal. Or it was just around the time when I started to eat meat again, step by step, after some months of avoiding meat completely. Whatever it was, I was not used to that, and honestly, the idea of eating these animal parts was not very appealing to me. Despite the food, I enjoyed refreshing, delicious bubble tea from a food truck next to the university campus (try it, it really is refreshing). But the campus offered so much more: an older gentleman practiced
Tai Chi in front of the main entrance of the university. His presence even motivated university students to join - and without any word spoken they emulated the movements of the silent "teacher". Contrastingly,
... and chicken heads :O
(In a noble restaurant they served ... chicken heads.. Not exactly what I love to eat!) there was a graduation party taking place on campus - the students were not only happy and giggly, had a fun time, and took pictures in each and every posture, but some were also quite tipsy 😉 The Fudan campus was circumscribed by different roads - it was quite common to find the pavement right next to the bicycle and scooter lane, separated from the car lanes by waist-high fences (usually a steel fence). Despite this kind of special organization, the "toot" of the unrelaxed road users was a constant companion. Another special experience is the
road traffic: it was a good idea not to trust any car or (moto- and bi-)cycle driver. Just when you do not expect it they approach with high speed from the left. So if the cars stop at a traffic light it does not mean the cyclist will stop, too. So look left (and right, of course) and take care.
One day trip led us to the
China Maritime Museum, which was very nice. It is the largest comprehensive maritime museum in China and shows China's past, present, and future maritime development. Our group learned how to make proper knots into sisal ropes,
some of us were faster, and some others just did not figure out how to coordinate their hands :D Afterwards, we were able to admire the core piece of the new city development in Shanghai - the
Dishui Lake, a nearly exactly round lake in Shanghai with a surface area of ca. 5 kmĀ², human-made. Around it were only empty streets, and even emptier building areas, only rare occasions of meeting other cars or people, that appeared a bit strange. The trip took us further to the
Yangshan-Deep-Water-Port area, where we hiked up a hill and had a quite nice view onto the ocean as well as the port area. To advance the existing port into a modern port facility, a lot of social and resettlement programs were necessary. According to the information panel, the pagoda was built to remember the people who "voluntarily" left their fishing villages here ("bearing the overall interest in mind") to make way for Shanghai's port. Does it sound a bit flattering to you?
In the evening we either had a great time in areas around the campus or went to the city center. A colleague of mine, which had stayed in the city
Street shops
A first impression of the Chinese city culture :) for some months, suggested getting a foot/ neck massage. Despite the relaxing effect on my shoulders, the foot massage part was partially pretty painful. It is unbelievable how much pressure bare hands can apply. But in the end, the calf muscles were relaxed by applying some kind of timpani mallets. Very recommendable. Another "sight to see" is
the Bund: a really nice waterfront area next to the Huangpu River. It is the perfect spot to take pictures of the skyline of Pudong, especially when it rained shortly before. Many lights reflect in the puddles on the ground and give the pictures a special charm. But aware, there are a lot of travelers and tourists - just like me - strolling around and it might get crowded at times. When we went there it rained so heavily that most of the people stopped walking and took shelter in the building entrances. Luckily I had my umbrella with me. In case someone forgot it at home there was a lady who sold different umbrellas for far too much money. She was trying to make money, just like all of the guys, and girls offering massages, watches and whatever you can think of
Our first Chinese meal ...
... and our Chinese friends chose the meal. It was delicious! at
Nanjing Road. This famous shopping and restaurant road leads directly to the Bund waterfront. I found a nice porcelain store just a block off Nanjing Road. That said, it is worth exploring not only the main street but also the side roads.
Overall, although too short (as usual), it was a nice, overwhelming and funny time in Shanghai. Especially the food - like chicken heads and feet - was frightening and interesting at the same time. The city is so huge and bustling! And the air was so dusty and the climate tropical, no wonder one could watch rusting bikes in slow-motion. The contrast between uniformity - grey buildings of the same standard - on the one hand, and all those little colorful shops and lights and the bustling people perfectly reflected the two-sided character of Shanghai.
The second part of this trip follows in the
next blog entry, have fun everyone 😊
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