Days 31 & 32

  This is my last weekend in Shanghai.  Classes are over and I fly back to the USA on Monday, so I've got to see as much as possible on Saturday and Sunday.  Note, if you want to see any picture larger than the small image here, just click on it, and you should get a full screen image.

On Saturday I went to the town on Qibao and to the art complex, M50.  Qibao is a town with a canal and a lot of little stores.  It is also on the Subway line, so it is easy to get to.  I thought it would be similar to Xitang, the cute water village we visited several weeks ago, but I found out it was very different once I got there. Once I got out of the subway station I was in the middle of a large city.  I walked in one direction and did not find anything, then walked in the other direction.  Did not see anything, until I saw a large picture of a water town on a billboard.  Kept walking in that direction and finally thought I needed to ask for directions.  Saw signs for schools teaching English and thought I could explain my dilema and ask for directions.  It worked, and I was now heading for the canal area. Found it and explored the stores, alleyways and canal.  It was not old like Xitang, and there was just one canal.

Left Qibao and went to M50.  M50 is an old industrial complex that has been converted into individual art galleries and studios.  There are many buildings and galleries, and it is similar to the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria Virginia.  Visited many galleries, ate lunch there, attended auctions, and openings of exhibitions.  Most unusual work was video on wall with picture of woman and words telling you to call a phone number.  Guys working the gallery told me to call it, which I did.  When you call the number, the woman picks up the phone, moves around, then sends you a text message on your phone.  Very amazing.
I met a woman managing another gallery and we decided to go out to dinner.  We first went to another gallery and met the family of the artist.  It turns out the artist is an art professor in the US, and we were talking to his neice, who is also studying in the US.  He gave me his card and you will see a photo of Josh Yu.

On Sunday I met my friend Jay Zhou, and his girl friend Yolanda.  I met Jay at a Toastmaster's meeting at Shanghai University.  He is an engineering graduate student and has been very nice and helpful to me.  He wanted to show me around Shanghai on Sunday, and we were busy from 8:30 AM to 9:30 PM.  Also, he wanted Yolanda to practice her English on Sunday.  We first traveled to the Longhua_Temple via subway and bus.  Spent some time there, and Yolanda made several prayers.  Although most Chinese are not religious, many will say a prayer at a Buddhist temple, requesting good health, good luck, help finding a marriage partner, or success on an exam.  After we visited each of the Temples, we met up with Peggy and her mother.  Her mother was very sweet and treated us all to lunch.  After lunch we took a bus to Xitiandi, a very fancy area with many cafes, restaurants and shops.  We stayed there while Jay took Yolanda to the train station, as she had to return home Sunday afternoon.  After relaxing at a local cafe, we toured the house where the Communists had their first meetings.  Then we walked to Wu Jiang Road, also known as the food street.  We had dinner there, and each of us made a custom bowl of soup.  After dinner we walked around a bit, then walked back to Huaihai Road.  We passed a large Apple store, went in the Louis Vuitton store, which was just accross the street from the Cartier store.  After this we all went our ways home via the subway.  In the subway I met another couple from the US who happend to also be staying at Shanghai University.  We all got off at the Yangchang exit together.  I was exhausted.  The end of my Shanghai exploring.  Tomorrow I had to pack and go to Pudong airport for my trip home.

Fountain and play area near entrance to canal in Qibao

The canal in Qibao

Shopping in Qibao

Food vendor in Qibao

Two men at tea house in Qibao

Buildings and canal in Qibao

Jeff and Professor Josh Yu at his grand opening at M50

Jay with his friends at Longhua Temple

Yolanda lighting sticks and saying prayer at Longhua

This is the Buddha of Wisdom.  Parents come here to say a prayer for their child.

Women were singing prayers

Photo of Temple with 500 Buddhas

Our group at lunch.  On my left is Peggy, friend of Jay's, and her mother is on my right.  Mother was very nice.

Jeff with Yolanda and Peggy in Xitiandi

Jeff with Yolanda and Peggy, admiring Jeff's stomach

Jay and Yolanda

Peggy and Yolanda in doorway

Our group by fountain in Xitiandi

We are at sidewalk cafe in Xitiandi

Our group at Wu Jiang Road, the food street

Cartier store on Huaihai Road, across the street from Apple store.  Both buildings were lit up with blue lights at night



My Certificate



Days 30 & 31

My studies are coming to a close and I am doing some last minute touring of Shanghai. These photos are from Thursday and Friday, June 23rd and 24th.  The pictures include the largest shopping center I have ever seen, and it had mostly all luxury stores.  Shopping center included a department store, movie theaters, many restaurants, and of course many luxury stores.  As I walked around the area, you will see that it is as modern as any American city, and also has some unusual and interesting architecture.

I also took a walk through a park and you will see pictures of kids learning to skate and the the shooting of a commerical.  I've often mentioned that the Chinese were very friendly, and the site where they were shooting the commerical was no different.  As soon as I got there someone came up to me, said "hello", and started a conversation in English.  It wasn't the best English, but he tried, and he wanted to practice his English.  Then his friends came over and we all talked for a while.

Friday afternoon we were invited to a celebration of the 90th Anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party in China.  My friend, Professor Zhang Xijiu (retired Dean of the College of International Exchange) invited me and a bunch of other students to go to the celebration.  There were many singing and dancing groups there, and it was quite some show.  Much to our surprise, he schedule us to go on stage and sing for the large audience.  Fortunately for us we had Omar.  Omar is a fabulous singer and he sang a song, in Chinese, telling everyone how wonderful China is.  We danced while he sang, and the audience loved it.  There are many pictures of the show, and two of us on stage.



Huge indoor shopping center with mostly luxury stores, many restaurants and a movie theater

 

Buildings and another shopping center in the area

 

Unusual building with Chinese house on top of it



At one entrance to park, workers are planting flowers



Shooting of commercial.  One of the workers spoke some English and befriended me



Children learning to skate in Park

 

Singers and children at Community celebration of 90th Anniversary of Communist Party




People receiving awards at the ceremony

 

Another performance



Very colorful group of performers



Three men dressed as soldiers.



Here is our group.  Omar is singing while we are waving flags and sort of dancing.  The audience went wild over our performance, because Omar had a great voice and was singing the song in Chinese.

 

Our Group picture after the show. That's me with the professor in the center

                             

Me with Sergy, my friend from Russia



This is our group from the Special Topics in the Chinese Culture class.  Girls around me are Stephanie and Franchesca, students, and Dr. Sophia Chen, our instructor on the right

Street where we had our farewell dinner, all lit up at night



Days 28 & 29

Today's posting is about the subways, a quick visit to Pudong, the financial center of Asia, and our class field trip to an old neighborhood of Shanghai.

Shanghai has a very extensive subway system, called the metro, that operates throughout the city.  The system is clean, and the trains run frequently.  Two differences between it and the Metro in Washington are that food and drinks are allowed on the trains, and many of the metro stations have rest rooms.  At rush hour the trains are unbelievably crowded, with people forcing themselves on in extremely crowded positions.  There is no need to hold on because you can't move.

On Wednesday morning, June 22, 2011 our China Phenomenon instructor took our class on a field trip to one of the older communities in Shanghai.  It was built by the Communist government around 1960, and included many apartment buildings, a large and active community center, and large markets.  When the government first built the apartments, they were given to residents.  Now that they have a free market economy, the units sell on the open market.  We started the tour with a trip to the market, which was extremely large.  There were two large makets, one for food, and the other for clothing and the daily necessities.  We visited the food market and I took many photos there.  Many of the vendors specialize in specific items, so I took pictures of many of their shops.  For example, there were vendors specializing in fresh vegetables, fish, poultry(live birds,ducks, etc.) corn, tofu, eggs, soy sauce, frogs, grains, noodles, etc.  After we visited the market, we went to the community center, and it was unbelievably busy, and with a very active program.  There was a large auditorium with school children practicing a play, and rooms for dancing, reading, singing, computer usage, etc.  All were very busy and filled with active retired persons.  When the singers saw our group come, we got up and sang for them.  We sang the Star Spangled Banner.  After we finished visiting the community center, we were treated to lunch in the apartment of one of the residents.  It was a feast.

I also visited the Shanghai Fabric Market, which is a huge building with hundreds of vendors, all trying to sell you a custom made suit.  As you walk through the market, usually young cute women approach you and try to get you in their shop to sell you a suit.  Once in the stall, you need to pick out a fabric, a style, and then negotiate a price.  Prices usually start out at 1,000 to 1,200 RMB, and they usually end up agreeing to a final price of 500 to 600 RMB.  I had two suits made.



Subway station.  Even though photo is fuzzy, you can see thousands of people entering to find their train.



The Pudong area, with its many skyscrapers, and lakeside setting.

A few of the many tall buildings in Pudong

In spite of all the tall buildings in Pudong, this one is planned to be the tallest one in China.



Grain vendor in Food Market

Frogs for sale.  For food, not for pets

Fish vendor selling live and cut up fish

Poultry vendor selling birds, ducks, geese.

Vegetable vendor selling many kinds of corn

Vendor specializing in many types of eggs

Fresh vegetable vendor

Vendor specializing in pork and bacon

Noodle vendor

School children practicing for a play

Singing session in the community center

Our class singing to the group

People dancing for fun, and taking dance lessons

In the living room of the family that hosted our lunch.  On far left is host, and far right is instructor, Deeping Wong

Outside the food maket, looking across the street to the other market.

These were typical apartment buildings.  Six stories with no elevators.



Mary and Jeff.  Mary operates one of the stalls in the fabric market that makes men's suits and women's clothes.  Her husband, and several other tailors, make the suits, while Mary does the selling and fiting. I bought two suits.