Travels in China (Shanghai)

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We boarded our Eastern Airlines flight in Xian at 8:00am for a two-hour flight to Shanghai. The weather had turned cold and it was sleeting and snowing as we boarded the aircraft. We sat on the aircraft for an hour and I watched as the wings iced over hoping that the flight would be delayed or cancelled. About an hour later the word came for the passengers to exit the aircraft and proceed back to the terminal. Around 4:00 in the afternoon, we again boarded the aircraft. By that time, the weather had subsided somewhat and the runways had been cleared. Personnel were in the process of deiceing the wings of aircraft. As soon as this was accomplished, we departed Xian and landed at Shanghai a couple of hours later.

Shanghai is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River and is a relatively young city by Chinese standards. It grew from a fishing port in the 19th century to a metropolitan area of 20,000,000 people today. When we arrived there it was cold and wet, however it wasn't polluted like Bejing and Xian.

While in Shanghai, we visited Yuyuan Garden. This garden covers an area of five acres and was finished in 1577 by a government officer of the Ming Dynasty named Pan Yundam. It was built for his parents as a place for them to enoy a tranquil and happy time in their old age. There are six main scenic areas: Sansui Hall, Wanhua Chamber, Dianchun Hall, Hujing Hall, Yuhua Hall, and the Inner Garden. This garden is filled with pavilions, halls, rockeries, ponds, and cloisters and all have unique characteristics. It is a tranquil and scenic place to wander through and I would recommend a tour of this place by anyone who visits Shanghai.

I had a discussion with the guide about Tibet. China regards Tibet to be a part of the land since the Mongol dynasty extended into the Himalayan region about 700 years ago. In the 18 & 19th centuries, Tibet was made a protectorate of China. Tibet was a somewhat backward place when China began paying attention to the region in the early fifties. Now, it is more developed. Being a Communist country, China is an easy target for the demonstrators who enjoy portraying the nation as somewhat barbaric when it comes to Tibet and regard China's claim to it as illegal. If one looks at the state of Hawaii, there are similar circumstances involved. Many Americans are not aware of the underhanded way the U.S. government conspired with the sugar planters which eventually led to the overthrow of the monarchy and ended with the islands being annexed by the U.S. and eventually becoming a state. British occupation of Northern Ireland could also be used in the same light. However, since the U.S. and the UK are both democracies, we can get away with that sort of thing and our citizens can continue criticizing China. This is somewhat hypocritical when one considers that both nations pounced on China when it was a weak nation much like jackels go after the carcass of a zebra.

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