shanghai

It is rather stressful to visit a country where all the tourist guides are screaming "the locals are out to cheat you of your money!" That's what they said about Shanghai. So it was with some mild trepedition that we boarded the plane - but it was by far overpowered by the relief of getting away from the rat race, and the excitement and anticipation of seeing a new country and visiting the baby sister.

Roads
The adventure began the moment we got off the plane, with the most hair-raising taxi ride ever. our driving was weaving in and out of traffic doing 140 km/h, flashing his lights and horning at everyone that got in the way. (On hindsight I decided it was safer that he flashed and horned, but if I was any of the other drivers we passed he would surely have raised my ire.) So I smiled knowingly when I saw this headline on STI upon our return to Singapore: "Shanghai drivers told to hold the horn".

Cityscape
Driving through Shanghai is like driving through any modern city today, with elevated highways snaking in and around the city centre, and tall skyscrapers springing up every which way. A leisurely stroll down the city streets gives a much different experience, and you can really appreciate the full range of architectural styles, both classic and modern. Shanghai is like a microcosm for all cultures - in one moment you can be walking through high glass-walled boutiqes like 5th Avenue in NYC, the next moment you pass impressive colonial British fascades, and then sandwiched between a mall and a skyscraper you spy a chinese temple peeking out cheekily from another era. If there was one thing I will remember with fondness of Shanghai, it is the lovely buildings in a myriad of architectural styles. (Interestingly, my uncle who works there expressed his distaste at all the new buildings, which he sees as all the local architects striving to outdo each other with gaudier and gaudier designs. So I suppose it is possible to tire of it.)

People
While not everyone in Shanghai is out to cheat you of your money, most wouldn't have any qualms about profiting obscenely from your ignorance. The people in Shanghai are rude, impatient and very pushy when it comes to sales. This took some of the pleasure away from bargain-hunting, and made the overall shopping experience quite tiring at times. We were quite glad that we had come now, rather than on our honeymoon which was one of our previous plans.

The Propoganda Museum
The only touristy sightseeing thing we did in Shanghai, apart from all the eating and shopping, was to visit the Shanghai Propoganda Poster Art Centre. Nestled in the basement of a condominium, this little-known private museum provided a very interesting angle on Chinese history during the communist era. Captions beside each poster related it to changes in the political climate as major event and upheavals brought newe issues to the fore, as well as the artistic influences at play during each period. Definitely worth a visit!



Food

Food in Shanghai is cheap, and we were really looking foward to it! Among our gastronomical conquests we the most famous Nanxiang Mantou Dian in Yu Yuan for Xiaolongbaos, as well as the street food at Wujiang. Sticks of mutton kebabs, delicious BBQ chicken wings and huge oysters grilled in garlic probably made that the best meal of the trip! We also tried a Singaporean Rou Gu Cha restaurant, which gave some respite from the overly salty and oily Shanghainese fare.


Clothing

Another popular stop we made was at the tailors. Suits for S$120, shirts for S$20, cheongsams for S$60, and all manner of designs to choose from. And of course the girls went wild with all the other cheap clothes, shoes and bags.


... to be continued ...