Yuyuan Gardens, Shanghai

Shanghai

Monday, September 29, 2008

On Monday, September 29th, we started the morning with a buffet breakfast at the hotel and then went to visit Old Shanghai.  Today is the start of a seven day National Holiday for the Chinese, so the city is very crowded.  Shanghai, which means “out to the sea” has a population of about 17 million and is the largest city in China if you only count the city proper.  The highest building is 108 stories tall, just a few more than the Sears Tower in Chicago.  It won’t be the tallest building in the world for long, but currently holds the title.  Shanghai is a cosmopolitan, bustling city and the crowds on the sidewalks can be overwhelming.  Old Shanghai had many old buildings and shops, but also several Starbucks and a Dairy Queen.  The Yuyuan Gardens are part of the old city.  These gardens and residence date from the Ming Dynasty.  Chinese gardens do not contain many flowers but must have the four elements important to the Chinese: water, rock, trees and buildings.  We took a bus ride back to the Bund to see the Shanghai skyline by day, then drove on for lunch at a restaurant above an embroidery gallery.  The art in the gallery is amazing.  A hair-thin silk thread can be split into 48 fine threads, and these are used to hide the ends and joints.  You can view the front and back of some of the finished embroideries.  The prices start at about $1,000.  One picture can take many months to complete and they are all gorgeous.  We got back on the bus to go to the Shanghai Museum.  It has art dating back thousands of years.  Some of us walked back to the hotel where we had a few hours to rest before dinner and the acrobatic show, which is considered the best in China.  A wedding and reception was taking place in the restaurant, so we had a taste of the wedding tradition in China.  The acrobats were incredible athletes and the show was terrific.  Tonight we said goodbye to Terry, David, Paul and Jack, who are flying home on Tuesday.  Gayle, Jerry, Lynn, Jim, Barbara and Jay are going on a four-day extension to Hong Kong.

© Jay 2020