Weekend in Shanghai: A Fan Girl’s Odyssey

Shanghai: Nov. 16 to 18, 2008

A Weekend in Shanghai: A Fan Girl’s Odyssey

Here are some pics, click slideshow for a larger captioned version:


Prelude
As a child growing up in the 1980s, my adolescence included boy band idol worship of...wait for it...the New Kids on the Block (NKOTB). (Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, just hangin' tough...Not my proudest moment, I know.) So you can imagine the volume of my girlish squeal when I learned of the NKOTB reunion tour this year...and then the volume of my cry of despair when I realized that I would not be in the United States during said reunion tour...

But I digress. Long story short, I was determined to get a boy band fix...so the second I caught wind that the Japanese boy band Arashi would be on a special Asia tour in the fall, with stops in Shanghai, I knew I had to go. (By the way, "boy band" is very a generous phrase...the youngest "boy" is 25...so they are all legal, and all perfectly age appropriate for me to squeal over...). By the way, I got into Arashi solely due to the power of the Japanese drama “Hana Yori Dango”, which features Arashi theme songs, as well as an Arashi member (Matsumoto Jun! Eeeee!) in the starring role.

Getting my hands on an Arashi concert ticket was a challenge. Sales dates were muddled, various sketchy-looking websites claimed to have tickets in stock, and if you called the official arena box office, like I did, using Skype, you had to muddle your way in explaining your call in Mandarin, refrain from screaming “Arashi! Pretty Japanese boys!”, and patiently ask if you could buy tickets over the phone with a credit card. (You couldn’t). The most helpful piece of information I got from the customer service rep was that I should find a friend in Shanghai to buy the tickets for me in person. OK, sure.

So as I was despairing and searching eBay and fan forums for tickets, I ran across a website that seemed fairly legit, and that, miracles of miracles, had tickets. Granted, they were not good tickets, but they were tickets. So I took a leap of faith and ordered from the site, paying a ridiculous amount to have the tickets DHL-ed to my residence in Hong Kong. I was a little alarmed by the confirmation email (“Hi, Ur order is being processed. Thx.”), but the ticket arrived one week later…so whee! I moved quickly at that point, getting my visa from China Travel Service (relatively painless, they had it ready in a week), booking a plane ticket from CTS (again, relatively painless, and surprisingly, cheaper than I could find online), as well as a hotel (I found a reasonable Chinese hotel online, the Jin Jiang East Asia Hotel, located on the “No. 1 Pedestrian Shopping Street in China”, East Nanjing Road, which is a superb location for touristy activities.)

En Route
After a harrowing ride on a double-decker Hong Kong bus that would take me to the airport (harrowing because the bus stops at the tram station to Big Buddha on HK’s Lantau Island (awesome, by the way…highly recommended…see my blog entry about that, coming sometime this decade), and wouldn’t you know it, it was “free tram ride” Sunday, so the bus was packed, and the bus driver was, cavalierly reckless, to put it nicely…) I arrived at the airport with an hour to spare before boarding time. And what do I spy in the restaurant area but a Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits sign. I kid you not, but angels were singing, full on with harps and triangles and bells and everything. Hallelujah…I haven’t had a decent biscuit in months. Nor a decent piece of fried chicken. (Note: KFCs in Hong Kong, at least the one in the mall that I frequent, do not have biscuits. Plus, and this is key, the chicken is not crispy….Blasphemy!) So I made a beeline to Popeye’s, waited patiently in line, and ordered a value meal that had two pieces of lovely fried bokbok, yummy seasoned fries, and a heavenly, flaky biscuit. And for a buck more, wait for it…POPCORN SHRIMP!!!! People must have thought I was insane, because when I sat down to enjoy that bounty, my eyes misted up, and I looked up into the heavens because the angels were at it again…and I might have yelped “Itadakemasu…Hallelujah…Praise all that is good and just in this world for fried chicken and biscuits!” I dunno. It’s all a blur. I only remember fried crispy goodness and buttery, flaky bliss.

So Popeye’s put me in a very happy mood for nearly an hour of taxi-ing on the runway before lift-off. The two-hour flight to Shanghai would probably been okay without the Popeye’s glow, but the chicken ‘n biscuits made it feel like I was in first-class. China Eastern Airlines actually served us lunch for such a short flight, which was nice. The meal was ok, standard plane food, but the highlight was the fruit cup with fresh melon (and a lovely slice of dragon fruit, which is magenta, horned, and a little scary-looking on the outside; white, with black specks on the inside; and tastes like kiwi crack candy)…and get this, mini cups of Haagen Daaz Ice Cream…I think I heard some harps again…

Hi, Shanghai!
Upon arrival in Shanghai, I got a blast of chilly air, which was a refreshing change from the mild, though thankfully less humid, Hong Kong air of late. This is the first time I had to break out my windbreaker and scarf. Immigration was painless, though the lady kept looking back and forth between my face and my passport…my passport pic is awful, but it still looks like me. She probably doesn’t believe that I am as old as I look. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Or vice versa. I had no luggage (I packed very light…one backpack with two days’ provisions) so was outta the terminal less than 40 minutes after landing.

I was excited about how I was going to get from the airport to my hotel. Now, I could have taken an airport bus, or a pricey taxi, but I opted for the third alternative, which time-wise, is probably slightly faster than both the bus and the taxi, and cost-wise, right between the two: Maglev Train + Underground Metro. My nephews’ love of trains, tractors, lawnmowers and generally, big loud fast vehicles with big rugged wheels, have ignited my interest in such things, so I was SUPER excited about the Maglev train. It was built about ten years ago, goes super fast (400 km/hr) and is powered by, and levitates over the tracks, via magnetic forces. Isn’t that cool?!!! The ride itself is very short, less than ten minutes, but it is a very cool ten minutes. There’s a digital indicator showing the speed of the train, and while the scenery isn’t very exciting, it is still a fun ride, because the train goes very fast, with a couple of hairpin curves. A roundtrip ticket (return trip must be within 7 days) on the train is 80RMB, or about $12, which isn’t bad when compared to the bus ($4 for one-way), and certainly cheap compared to a taxi, which can run up to $30 or more depending on traffic. Time-wise, the train + Metro is probably fastest during rush hour, getting you from the airport to downtown Shanghai (Puxi) in about 40 minutes. Of course, this method is only feasible if you have minimal luggage, as you will be schlepping your stuff from the airport terminal to the Maglev station, and then from the Long Yang Maglev stop to the Long Yang Metro Station. The distances for these transfers are not bad (probably 5-10 minutes), but can be troublesome if you have lots of luggage. If I had a big piece of luggage, I’d probably opt for the airport bus (if the bus stopped near my hotel), or a taxi, or a combination of both. The Metro station took a little getting used to. It has been a year, you know. All the characters are in simplified Chinese, and all the people were chattering in Mandarin…I had a Metro card from my last trip to Shanghai, and I tried to add-value to it at a machine, but the machine wouldn’t take my card. The customer service agent very kindly pointed out that the machine I was at was an add-value machine for a new type of multi-transit card which was clearly different from my card. (Look at the pretty pictures, Mable…) He directed me to the service desk, which was able to add 40RMB (all the small bills I had) to the card, and then I was good to go. The Metro ride was a direct one, lasting about 25 minutes, and I arrived at People’s Square Station in good time and spirits. (Though it got a little crowded at one point…people just kept pushing their way into an already packed train…and you have to basically push your way out when you arrive at your stop.)

The hotel is a brisk 5-minute walk from the Metro station, and I was able to check in at 5pm. The East Asia Hotel is in a very old and historic building on East Nanjing Road, and is actually located inside a department store. So I needed to walk past an area selling men’s suits (I saw a really cool wool coat that I wanted…) and take an elevator to the second floor, where the hotel registration is located. I’ll tell it like it is: The hotel is cheap ($35/night), with an awesome location, and that is that. The place is clean enough, with all the basics: Bed, bathroom, TV, toothbrush, shampoo, hot water pot, slippers. And it has some unexpected perks, like the in-room computer with free Internet access. The walls are wafer thin, though. (I swear I heard someone next door snoring when I went to bed that evening!) It’s a Chinese hotel serving Chinese, not foreigners, so I wasn’t unduly surprised or disappointed. I unpacked my backpack, checked online for the Metro route to the concert arena, and took a power nap before taking off for a snack and the concert.

I felt such a kinship with several riders on the Metro train en route to the concert arena. One girl had an Arashi song as a ringtone, another had on an Arashi T-shirt, and I eavesdropped on two girls having a spirited debate on which boy was the better dancer. The ride to the Shanghai Grand Stage (aka Shanghai Indoor Stadium) was about 20 minutes from my hotel, and is actually right next to the Shanghai Stadium, which is an outdoor stadium. This confused the heck out of me the first time I went there, which I believe was for the ill-fated Andy Lau concert. (See my Sept 2007 entry.)

Anyway, I arrived there about 45 minutes before the show was to start. Believe me, I wasn’t the first to arrive. Hoardes, and I mean swarm-like hoardes, of girls were already here, ranging in age from teeny boppers to somewhat more dignified 30-somethings. And yes, there were tour groups from Japan and Korea. I would say 90% of these girls had some form of concert accoutrement (i.e. dazzling glowsticks, or flashing light sticks with the “A” (for Arashi) logo, glossy round fans with a sultry picture of a band member on one side, and his name on the other, neon signs, hand lettered signs, banners, binoculars.) Those who did not have such accoutrements could purchase them from the various vendors on site. It was pandemonium. The fangrrl hormone levels were palpably thick…you could cut through the excitement with a knife, or a lighted glowstick topped with a pointy-A (for Arashi).

The lines by the entrance gates were insanely long, and a bunch of girls surrounded the staff entrance, probably hoping for a glimpse of the boys arriving. I think they waited in vain, though, since I suspect the boys were already in the arena.

I gamely walked around the arena, checking out the vendors’ Arashi schwag, as well as scoping out the entrance with the shortest line. Door number 4 seemed shortest, so I hopped in line and waited patiently, waving off vendors trying to sell binoculars, tickets, and glowsticks with a polite “Bu yao le” (“Don’t need it”). There were two ticket checks before they let us in, both with handheld blacklights.

Once inside, I found my terrible nosebleed seat (you know where the spotlight control area is in the balcony? I was one row in front of them) conducted a visibility assessment, and returned outside to the concession stand to buy a pair of 10RMB ($1.50) binoculars. Yes, it was that bad! One girl who later joined my row couldn’t believe how bad her seat was. I agreed with her, especially for the price we paid (we had the “mid-range price” seats). We actually compared our tickets, and even confirmed with an usher, and yes, those crappy seats were ours. Ah well.

I took a couple of pictures of the arena and the stage, got yelled at by the usher, who was more of a security dude/camera cop, and then waited with my fangrrl sisters for the blessed moment when the concert would begin. One note about demographics. Not surprisingly, it was 99% female. The 1% males I saw in the audience appeared to be there not by choice; dragged there by their female significant others. Also, while the majority of the audience were Chinese and spoke Mandarin, there was a significant Japanese presence, due primarily, I suspect to the tour groups. The row behind me was almost all Japanese, and they appeared to be die-hard fans, well-suited up with glowsticks, fans, and neon signs.

Various recorded messages, in three languages (Mandarin, English, Japanese) played on a loop, warning us against unauthorized photography and recording…the threat of being thrown out, as well as the burly camera cops, is the reason why I don’t have ANY pictures or video of the concert…sorry!

And then, a hush filled the arena. Lights went dark, the screen showed a countdown clock….and then BOOM! Almost simultaneously, 10,000 fangrrls shrieked as Arashi members popped up onto the stage from hidden trapdoors. I refrained from squealing, as I wanted to pace myself. Must conserve the voice for truly squeal-worthy moments.

I wish I could present a detailed, blow-by-blow, song-by-song, booty shake-by-booty shake, description of the concert, but I confess to A) being so fangrrl excited, that I can’t remember every deet; and B) Having a crappy seat, for which cheap binoculars and the jumbo monitors couldn’t compensate for. I do remember certain moments, of course. They opened with “Love So Sweet”, which is the theme from HYD2, a fluffy, poppy ditty, which, I love but can’t sing except for, the English bits. They wore very costumey outfits, usually all in the same color scheme, but not identical. For example, some of the boys may be self-conscious about their scrawny arms, so opt to not wear sleeveless shirts. They would then wear shirts with different sleeve lengths and detailing. If the boys’ costumes are constructed identically (i.e. all tailored suits, or all leather jackets), then they would opt for different colors each. The matchy-match chick in me likes the thread of consistency that ties the looks together.

Arashi is known for their upbeat songs, and their matching dance routines. They opened the concert with upbeat, fast-paced songs, and as I review a fellow fangrrl’s faithful documentation of the songlist, I see that of the first 14 songs, which included three member solo performances, all group songs were fast-paced and required some form of dancing. Now I am not the best judge of dancing (I usually choose the wrong dancer on “So You Think You Can Dance” and such), but I like how Arashi dances. They look good when they perform, and I think they move very well. Five good-looking young men dancing/gyrating and singing – what more can you ask for?!

The production value of the concert was quite good, effective, impactful use of lights, pyrotechnics, costumes, and gyrating boys. While there was no live band, the concert did have an army of backup dancers, who turned out to be two up and coming boy bands from Arashi’s management company, Johnny’s Entertainment. That was a nice stroke of cross-promotion/free backup dancer resources.

I really liked how each member had a solo song to perform that “fit” them. Nino, who was in Letters of Iwo Jima, sang a ballad while playing the piano, which fits his low-key personality. Ohno, the adorably clueless group “leader”, who is probably the best dancer in the group, did an R&B number with lots of Justin/Usher-esque dancing using a chair as a prop. Aiba, the cute, emotional space cadet of the group sang a happy summery tune about friendship, and which featured a harmonica solo. Sho, the smart one who likes playing dumb and useless, and who moonlights as a newscaster, performed a rap-heavy R&B tune, which was appropriate, as he is the “rapper” of the group. And then there was Jun. My dear, dear Jun. He is my favorite. How to describe him? Not classically pretty, with seemingly “wrong” features (outrageously disproportionately sharp cheekbones, full lips, bold eyebrows, long wavy hair, slim-bordering-on-scrawny body) that somehow, when put together, are so right. I find him very pleasing to the eye. There’s just a way about him…he carries himself in such a self-assured manner…charismatic. Attractive. Sigh. Swoon. Melt. Excuse my fangrrl moment. Anyway, Jun sang “Yabai! Yabai! Yabai!” which loosely translates to “Uh-oh! Oh no! Awful!” and is this unbelievably upbeat and ridiculously addictive song. Jun is dressed in an “on anyone else, this would be terrible and would make you question my sexuality” sequined tracksuit with his initials (MJ) embroidered on the chest of the jacket and “Yabai Yabai Yabai” on the back. He preceded the song with an amazing wired aerial routine where he walks upside down on a catwalk at least 25 feet above the stage, and does a series of tumbling dives in mid-air that should disorient him…but instead, he goes directly into an intricately cute dance routine (that involves a “moonwalk” move, eee!) while singing live, sporting a huge, adorable smile and kawaii facial expressions the whole time. I heart Jun. He can anything.

Then there was the “MC” portion, where they talk. This portion seems very natural and spontaneous. They just seem like a bunch of super-close, loveably dorky friends shooting the breeze. They started out with a translator, as the boys cannot speak Mandarin. Though they did each learn a Mandarin phrase, which they all recited to the audience. Jun’s was “I love you.” Sigh. Swoon. Melt. Um yeah. I also thought it was cute that they also said their names in Mandarin. So they talked about things like going to eat the famous Shanghai hairy crab, and then Ohno, with his expressive body and expressionless face, did a crab impression, which was so dead on that the rest of the members pretended to fight over his crab legs. Yeah, sounds silly, but so cute.

Then they brought out the boy bands that were backup dancing for them, and introduced them and thanked them for their hard work. One of the bands had a member who is famous for doing an imitation of Jun’s dance moves. Jun, who claims to have never seen the imitations, wanted to see, and then settled back comfortably in a prime seat on stage to do so. The upstart wannabe did a funny (but dead-on) imitation, and then one of the other band members suggested that the wannabe and Jun should do the same routine at the same time in order to do a comparison. So to loud applause, they did so (Jun was better)…and then the fangrrls started screaming “One more” in Japanese, so then they two did another dance in unison (Jun was better). It was cute. Jun was awesome. I heart Jun. He can do anything.

Arashi sang all the songs I wanted them to sing, though one song, “Wish”, they sang during an encore, so they did not do their intricate dance routine to go with it. Darn. That one had some fluffy, cute gyrating.

Speaking of encores, the band did four multi-song encores. Four! I dunno about you, but that seems like a lot. I mean, they did a full-length, high-energy concert, 28 songs in 2.5 hours, plus cute MC conversation time, no intermission or breaks. Then four encores where the sang an additional 8 full songs…pretty amazing. During the encores, the boys wore jeans and their concert T-shirts, which features an A (for Arashi). It seems that’s a tradition. (I’ve done my research since the concert, watching nearly every concert they’ve done thanks to YouTube and accessible Hong Kong DVDs.) They also tend to be very casual (no intricate dance routines) and do lots of audience participation, pandering and interaction (i.e. waving, winking, “thank you”s, etc.) Oh, and they like leading the audience in, for lack of a better term, “cheers”. You know, leading them in moments in the song where the audience sings along and does some sort of arm movement.

Oh, did I not mention the cheers and arm movements? The fangrrl arm movements – let’s call it “hand-dancing” -- in perfect unison to the songs? My bad. Oh my goodness, I have never seen an audience like this before. They stayed on their feet THE WHOLE TIME. Well, not the whole time. They sat down when the boys asked them to during the MC segment. But basically, if the boys were singing, the fans were on their feet. Yeah, me too. Only because I couldn’t see if I didn’t. Nothing to do with my needing to bob and bop in time with the music. Nope.

Then there were the glowsticks. I swear, the whole arena was a sea of glowstick lights, at least one per seat…and usually, several clustered together because the person couldn’t stop at one. And if you forgot your glowstick, there were enterprising entrepreneurs who, unable to scalp their surplus tickets, entered the concert with a backpack full of glowsticks and started selling them by moving row by row, methodically, making people with no sticks (like me) feel like an unworthy fangrrl, and thus, guilt-tripped them into buying one (or more) for 10RMB a pop.

But back to the hand dancing. Arashi has fairly iconic “hand dancing” for nearly every song, and they are actually quite consistent across videos, live promotional appearances, and concert performances. So it is quite easy for fan grrls to learn these hand dances, and do them at concerts to show their undying devotion. Now, I’m ecstatic that I actually went to an Asian concert where the audience was so enthusiastic and participative. I’m used to Asian concerts where you’re lucky if the audience deigns to applaud, though recent concerts have shown me that the younguns are getting more “into” the concert experience…and this has, of course, has single-handedly saved the glowstick industry. But back to this particular concert. It was so surreal. Yes, there were the “normal” fangrrls, who were waving, well, fans, as well as glowsticks, in time with the music…and then there were the hand dancers. It was dark, so I couldn’t say this was something lots of fangrrls were doing, but I witnessed a bunch of them first-hand (two next to me, a gaggle behind me), and based on this close encounter observation, I can only say that there is an Arashi cult, and they may just take over the world. The two hand dancing chicks next to me stretched their arms delicately before they began, and then just started doing the same hand dance moves the boys were doing, only these gals were doing them in a robotic, “I just had the Kool-Aid” sorta way…I wish I could say their faces showed pure bliss, but for some odd reason, I felt awfully scairt when I spied them in their full-on blank-faced, serenely hand dancing glory.

But back to happier things. The boys even sang a couple of their songs partly in Mandarin, which was really cool. Their accents were so-so, but I thought it was a nice touch, and nod to the fact that they have fans outside of Japan…it also gives me hope that they will conquer the Chinese market, and then subsequently take over the world with their army of robotic hand dancers.

The boys sang a bunch of popular songs for their first few encores, and also did one song where they entered a wired basket-eque platform that was raised high into the air, and allowed the boys to get closer to the audience in the balcony. That was a lovely gesture, though I was so far away, the levitating basket didn’t exactly improve my visibility. But it was nice that they wanted to get closer to the fans, and also allowed the daredevil Jun to show that he’s not afraid of heights by crouching casually on the platform in mid-air (and under the safety gate) to wave at fans below him. Jun was also the only member to jump down from the stage and sing “on the ground” so to speak, amidst the audience. Yeah, he had security around him to keep the rabid fangrrls at bay, but still, I’m sure he made quite a few fangrrls’ night when he did that. By the way, I adore Jun, but I am the first to admit that during live performances, he’s an attention whore who knows how to play to the camera (pouts, winks, etc.), and to the fans. This is probably due to the fact that he has been in the biz since he was a pre-teen…I also find it interesting that outside of live music performances (i.e. during talk shows and variety shows), he is actually very smart, low-key, blunt and sarcastic who has a rep for being someone you don’t want to have mad at you. (Evidently he is also a Type-A obsessive who gets annoyed very easily. That does it; we’re perfect for each other.) I heart Jun. He can do anything.

The fangrrls, for all the jabs I have taken at them, really are wonderful. They sang along, they chanted “Arashi” enthusiastically before every encore, and they even sang “Happy Birthday” to Ohno, whose birthday was in a week or so. I thought the concert was amazing, and an experience I would very much like to have again, perhaps in Japan, and perhaps with much better seats. Let me get working on that…

After the concert, true to form, I got to the MTR station when it just closed (Dammit, why does the Shanghai MTR close so early (before 11pm!), especially on a night when 10,000 fans might need public transportation?!) So I hailed a cab, and butchered my hotel’s name in Mandarin to the driver. I think he asked me if it was ok if he took the expressway, rather than the surface streets, and me, in my geographic cluelessness, just said “whatever you think is faster”. I was probably being taken on a ride (ooh, a lame pun!) by the cabbie, but was in such a state of post-Arashi bliss, that I really didn’t care. The cabfare came to 26RMB, which is about $4, so really, how bad a ride could it have been?

After that strangely exhilarating, and exhausting, evening, I slept like a baby, this despite the snoring through the wafer-thin walls. I even managed to sleep in despite the banging of doors at 8am in the morning (guests leaving, housekeeping cleaning), and despite the effin vacuum cleaner that began running at 10am. Sidebar: Do peeps think a “Do Not Disturb” sign emits an audio shield that protects guests from the cacophony of chattering housekeepers and insanely loud vacuum cleaners?! I mean, yeah, it’s a lazy arsed thing to sleep til 11am, but dammit, I’m “on vacation”, and if I want to sleep in, I damn well will.

So I finally drag my arse out at noon, and grab brunch at Kung Fu, an indigenous fast food joint with a logo featuring a dude in a yellow jumpsuit who looks uncannily like Bruce Lee. I’ve always meant to try this place, but got turned off by it when my digicam got pickpocketed after I snapped a picture of the chain’s logo last year. But anyway, bygones. I must say, for fast food, they give surprisingly hearty portions, a claypot of rice with entrée (such as BBQ eel, pork spareribs, or spicy beef), a side dish of veg, and a tureen of “old fire soup”, which is basically slow-cooked to bring out flavor, and also loaded with some herby looking things that I am sure my Mom would say is good for me. And the price was right – 35RMB ($5), which includes a tall glass of milk tea.

So yeah, I was pretty bloated after that meal…and of course, what’s the best way to work off a bloat? With a massage, of course! I fell in love with the Shanghai-based day spa chain Dragonfly last year, and I was determined to pay them a visit this time around. They are a lovely spa chain with a Zen ambiance, “Western” spa amenities and services, and at reasonable prices (i.e. $20 for an hour-long massage). I found a branch fairly close to where I was staying, so I hopped on the MTR and made my way there. It was close to the Shanghai Four Seasons near the Jing An Temple, so that made it pretty easy to get to. The spa was located on a trendy block that looked like a yuppified street from a yuppified Western neighborhood; there were a couple of serene looking spas, a wine merchant, a cheese shop, a shop selling pet accessories, and several restaurants and cafes. Of course, it didn’t look entirely like Yuppie Block, USA: A crowd of workers untangling a giant hairball-eque mass of used electrical wires, right on the sidewalk in front of a shop undergoing renovations, was certainly not a sight you’d typically see in a gentrified US neighborhood.

I didn’t have a reservation, but the girl behind the counter at Dragonfly was more than happy to pencil me in, for well, now. I immediately booked a one-hour Chinese massage, and one-hour foot massage. I can’t remember much about the services…aside from being in absolute relaxation heaven. I do recall being on the verge of proposing my undying love to my massage therapist, especially when she hit that sore tension knot under my shoulder blade. That was the most lovely, relaxing two hours I have had in a very long time. Sleeping on a crappy foam Student Residence regulation mattress has been hell on my back.

Relaxed and happy, I made my way back to the Huangpu district, and decided to walk along my favorite part of Shanghai, the Bund, which runs along the Puxi River, and allows stunning views of the old architecture along the Bund, as well as the new architecture across the river in Pudong. I was hoping the Peace Hotel would be open by now (they were closed for renovations when I was here a year ago) but alas, they were still closed. The view along the Bund was still gorgeous…I love being able to see both the old, stately, classical architecture on the Puxi side and the new, modern skyscrapers across the river on the Pudong side. Speaking of modern skyscrapers, it was jarring to see the stately and beautiful Jin Mao Tower (Golden Prosperity Tower), which is a sleek chrome building modeled after a pagoda, and was, until about a year ago, the tallest building in China at 88 stories, be marred by its neighbor, the Shanghai World Financial Center, a blah-building that looks like a bottle opener. Not that I don’t like gaudiness, mind you. The totally gaudy Oriental Pearl Tower, with its space age, faintly phallic connotations is totally awesome. But back to the Bund. Yeah, there were loads of tourists and hawkers selling everything from toys to tourist trinkets, to grilled meat on sticks to kites, as well as vendors offering to take your picture at a scenic photo spot and print it for you in 3 minutes. But I still love the Bund. There’s something so magical about it. I hear the “Shanghai Bund” theme song, feel the breeze from the water, see the glittering water, twinkling buildings, and the pinky-orange-purple sunset, and I am just transported to another time.

Shanghai is hosting the World Expo in 2010, so there is a countdown clock along the Bund, along with a huge plastic statue of the ridiculous blue blob of a mascot. It was so silly and lame. So yeah, of course I snapped a photo. But I digress. Because of the event, Shanghai is doing some major building and infrastructure improvements along the Bund, so there is a lot of disruption on Zhong Shan Road, which is parallel to the Bund, and it makes it almost impossible to cross the road to get from the Bund to the opposite side where all the stately old architecture reside. I found that out the hard way, as I had planned to walk the length of the Bund, then cross Zhong Shan Road and make my way to Yuyuan. It was mayhem. No streetlights, no crosswalk, no old ladies to hide behind and shadow as they made their way confidently across the road! Several other people (not plucky old ladies) were waiting to cross the road, too. Cars were coming from all directions, and construction cranes and jackhammers masking the sound of beeping car horns…and we looked at each other, and basically, must have thought “Screw It” at the same time, and just crossed when it looked slightly less dangerous. That was more than enough excitement for me, thank you very much.

But I made it to Yuyuan, which is nestled in the “Old Neighborhood” and is now a tourist destination with a dedicated market. The complex, with its lovely Chinese garden architecture (not ancient, but still purty) is trimmed in white lightbulbs, so at night, the outline of the pagodas can be seen from a distance, and the effect is quite stunning. I remember being able to see the lit up Yuyuan complex from way across the river, and way up high, on the 88th floor of the gorgeous Jin Mao Tower. What is Yuyuan? Yuyuan is an old scholar-style garden, with greenery, flowers, ponds, serene rock sculptures and pavilions and whatnot, and while lovely, for me, there is only one main attraction at Yuyuan: the Shanghai steamed “little dragon” dumplings. They are these magnificent, miraculous pouches of heaven that somehow hold a flavorful liquid broth and yummy meat center within a dainty, doughy dumpling shell. The perfect dumpling should burst and release it’s lovely broth only when you consume it, though, of course, probability will have at least a couple burst on you beforehand, which is a sad thing, but it at least makes you appreciate the ones that don’t burst even more…By the way, the official name in Mandarin of the dumplings are “xiao long bao”, which translates to “little steamer dumplings”, because that they are prepared in bamboo steamers. But as “steamer” and “dragon” are homonyms in Chinese, I have always called them “little dragon dumplings”, mostly because dragons are the symbols of emperors in China, and I think these dumplings are fit for a king.

So like a bloodhound, I bypass all the lively tourist shops and the crowds of peeps taking pictures, and the various food vendors, and make my way to the dumpling line. Other vendors sell dumplings, too but there is one vendor that sells the best ones, and you can tell which one by the line of people waiting patiently by the stall. The stall has a window that looks into its prep kitchen, and it’s mesmerizing to watch the chefs form the magic pillows of deliciousness at lightning speed, from cutting the pieces of dough, to forming the dumpling mixture, and to filling the dumplings and placing them in baskets (by the way, the secret to the how the soup broth stays in the dumpling is a combination of the dough consistency, the length of time cooking, the sturdiness of the broth gelatin bits, and the skill at which the dumpling is formed). The one thing I found to be the most funny though, is the fact that the stall has an old-school steaming cooker that can only accommodate 24 baskets per batch. And it takes eight minutes to cook a batch. So basically, they can sell 24 baskets (or orders) every eight minutes, which explains the long lines. Customers are limited to two baskets a person (one basket holds 18 dumplings, and costs only 12 RMB, or about $1.50, which is the deal of the century…) One basket, by the way, is a hearty meal for one person.

So I wait in line patiently for about 10 minutes, and am next in line to pay and get my basket of brothful bliss. And wouldn’t you know it, the lady in front of me snags basket #24, the last one, of this batch. Can you imagine the look on my face when I realized that? When I realized that I was eight minutes away from having dumplings, waiting in agony and hunger, while being taunted by the towers of uncooked steamers full of uncooked dumplings, and by the vendor employee merrily counting all that scratch they just took. (Dude, the place is making some serious coin.) So picture Sad, sad Mable, nose pressed woefully against the window.

So six minutes tick by, and the employees start prepping to sell the next batch. Two minutes to Dumpling Time, yay! Then some chick in a fluffy white muffler, tank top, and Ugg boots tries to do the unthinkable: cut in front of me by hovering by the window innocently, pretending to admire the chefs while subtly clutching 12RMB in her grubby, claw-like hands. That was the straw that broke this camel’s well-massaged, and dumpling-craving, back. So I told her, in a no-nonsense, ‘oh no you di-ent’ tone of voice, that the line was back there, gesturing with a “don’t mess me, girlie” toss of my head. Then Ugg girl has the audacity to say “Oh I know, I’m in the line to buy tickets for the dumplings.” I screeched, in perfect Mandarin, mind you, that that was what we were all in line for! Believe you me, I was ready to take her down. You do not get in the way of a hungry Mable and her soup dumplings. Not after witnessing the last basket get swiped under my nose. So chickie sighed, pouted and then Ugged her way back to the end of the line. Damn straight.

Finally, the blessed dumplings are taken off the steamer, and I get the coveted Basket #1. I grab my container, splash some vinegar on the sweet white pouches of joy, and then make a beeline for the benches. I snarfed those suckers down in minutes, and whee, only popped a couple. So I had at least a dozen perfectly soupy, broth-in-your-mouth dumplings. The angels were singing again….

Oh dear, my eyes are misting up just remembering the taste of those dumplings. That is the best $1.50 I will ever spend on food, and that includes the $1.50 I spent on the fried Oreos in Las Vegas (which, by the way, is the second best $1.50 I ever spent on food.)

I wandered around Yuyuan, had an egg tart and bubble tea for dessert, then made my way back to Zhong Shan Road. This time, I did not cross the street to the Bund; however, the construction still made it very difficult to maneuver my way on the sidewalk opposite the Bund. I tried following a couple of locals who were circling a construction site to walk adjacent to oncoming cars, and waited there for a good three minutes with another lady. Then we nearly got beaned in the head by two construction workers using a huge shovel to carry a couple of buckets who blithely passed us to enter the construction site. That very close call was so jarring (the back of the shovel was a couple inches from my head as they passed, and if I hadn’t noticed and made a sudden move in the wrong direction, it would have been buh-bye for me…) that I took the long way round, and finally made my way back up to the safety, and neon, of East Nanjing Road.

East Nanjing Road was a lovely visual and audio cacophony of sensations, as usual. I managed to avoid the stores, except for a liquidation sale store featuring 10RMB scarves, boxes and piles of scarves strewn haphazardly, two barkers/cashiers/security at the doors (these guys were good multi-taskers…simultaneously screeching about the deals to be had, while deftly taking money, making change, and bagging purchases) What is it with me and Shanghai scarves?! I can never resist. So I bought a few (fake Burberry, fake pashmina) since it was so very BRRR and I needed extra layers. I also made one final stop at the “No. 1 Shanghai Food Store” which, I understand, refers to its history and not necessarily its ranking in terms of quality or pricing. The store is a weird combination of supermarket, bakery, tourist foodstuffs, exotic dried goods/herbs, and then, deeper inside, a “wet market” of sorts where you can buy seafood and meats. I wanted to get some authentic Shanghai treats, but ended up getting chocolates wrapped in labels featuring Shanghai tourist sites…the authentic treats didn’t sound very appealing…i.e. dry, brittle layered cookie type bits (called “so”) flavored with things like black sesame and roses.

Bye, Shanghai!
Then it was back to the hotel for beddy-bye…and the next day, back to good ol’ Hong Kong. I thoroughly enjoyed my return Maglev train ride to the Shanghai Airport. It was a little bittersweet saying buh-bye to my beloved Shanghai, but I know I’ll be back someday…for those lovely Little Dragon Dumplings, and the inexplicably awesome feeling of strolling down the Bund while “Shanghai Bund” plays in your head…