Walking the Wall

The Bund

We arrived in Shanghai like a couple of wide-eyed kids from the country. Coming from Beijing, we’re no strangers to big Chinese cities, but Shanghai means money, fashion, glamour.

Pudong New Area, Shanghai’s financial district

Where Beijing’s colossal office blocks seem to squash you under acres of concrete and glass, Shanghai’s skyscrapers are graceful and sleek. Shanghai’s French Concession has shady, pedestrian-friendly streets lined with boutiques; Beijing has wind-blasted, tank-friendly boulevards lined with Communist Party monoliths. Beijing is men dressed in pyjamas playing Chinese checkers; Shanghai is women in little black numbers and high heels.

So we were prepared to be dazzled as we rode in from the airport. There was one small hiccup when we checked into our hotel, however. (Emma: “I have a reservation for a double room under, ummm, Emma.” The hotel clerk, frowning: “I don’t see anything for a Memma here.”)

Nevertheless, we managed to check in successfully and rode up to our room in an all-glass exterior lift. After changing into the only nice set of clothes we own in China, we headed out to meet some friends at the Glamour Bar, one of those places you need to go to at least once. The views of the Bund and the Pudong are probably the best in Shanghai, but the cost of one drink could have fed us for a week back in Gansu.

The Bund from the Oriental Pearl Tower

The next day we had brunch in the French Concession, spent an exhausting afternoon in the Shanghai Museum, window-shopped along Huaihai Lu. “Gosh,” we babbled. “We could live here!”

We even did some really touristy things, like go up the Oriental Pearl Tower – unforgivably tacky interior, but the views from the lookout platforms are amazing. The under-river train ride through the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel, while perhaps not the most sophisticated showcase for Shanghai, is fun if you like colourful, flashing lights.

The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel

Doo-doo-doo-doo doo-doo-doo-doo

But bit by bit reality intruded on our little fantasy. When we needed a break from the rush of the city, we couldn’t find anything comparable to Beijing’s quiet, leafy parks. Shanghai’s modern buildings and streetscapes might be more attractive than Beijing’s, but we missed imperial Chinese landmarks like the Summer Palace and Forbidden City. Most shocking of all, we found ourselves concluding that Shanghai’s taxi drivers are worse than Beijing’s – not only do they run red lights and everything in their path, but they watch TV while doing it!

At least he’s not channel surfing