Duck Season, Fire!

Shanghai, November 11, 2007 (Sunday)

After a late brekkie, I hopped on the 925 to People’s Park, then walked to the Dong Tai Antique Market, an open air market of canvas booths that stretched a couple of blocks. The market is supposed to be a 10 to 15 minute walk from People’s Square. But true to form, I zigged when I should have zagged, and ended up taking the long way round. That is, I strolled along the Huangpu District for a good 30 minutes, aimlessly wandering, really, not super concerned about where I was going. The streets are so lively, with something interesting in every direction, that it’s hard to stay on a set path. Plus I suck with directions and map reading. I stopped for coffee at UBC Coffee, an upscale chain of cafes that serves beverages and soy sauce western food. The cafes are decorated in a tropical lagoon theme, with stalks of bamboo and running water fountains and walls. It was a really lovely setting to rest, refuel and reconsult my map. I had a lovely coconut roasted iced coffee, which cost about the same as a latte in Starbucks, only in a much, much nicer setting. I have to comment on the restroom here. There’s a unisex restroom, with individual “pods”, not stalls. The back of each pod was glass, with natural light spilling from a skylight onto stalks of bamboo and pebbles. The unisex bathroom shared a natural stone sink that was a trough-like structure with faucets that you controlled with foot petals. It was oddly elegant, and quite user friendly, actually.

Properly rested, I made my way, this time in the right direction, to the antiques market. The guidebooks recommend this market for tchotsky souvenirs and fake antiques. Most of the booths sold similar things. What stood out for me were Mao lighters and watches where the Chairman’s waving arm is the hour hand. I trolled the market before selecting a suitable stall to try out my bargaining. The lady was charming, and her opening price laughably high. She took my second offer…and while I talked her down to les than half her offering price, I still felt like Daffy Duck in the Bugs and Elmer Fudd hunting trilogy cartoons – “Duck Season, fire!” That is, I felt like I had won, yet I’m pretty sure I hadn’t! I really do suck at bargaining.

While still doing Daffy-esque calculations in my head, I lucked upon a lovely park with artificial lake. I think it was called Xintiandi Park, or I saw a sign saying Xintiandi, so I figured I was on the right track, as I wanted to explore Xintiandi next. Xintiandi, loosely translated as New Heaven Earth, is a shopping and residential area that is centered within a complex of painstakingly restored traditional Shikumen buildings. A note about the Shikumen buildings. They refer to the stone framed double doors of the single story buildings. The double doors are often black, and have round brass handles on them. Xintiandi is an immaculate, charming, slick, artificial yuppie nirvana of hip shopping and dining. Needless to say, the yuppie-hugger in me liked it…pristine, comfortable modernity wrapped in a traditional, old yet shiny, new package.

The shops here were high-end boutiques, lots of international brand names I recognized, as well as names that were probably too high-end for me to even recognize. A lot of the cafes had outdoor seating, and many expats and young hipster yuppies were out in full force. I thought I’d join ‘em, only it was a little too chilly, so I opted for afternoon tea indoors. Inside a neo-traditional Chinese tea house called Herbal Garden. The interior was modern, with traditional Chinese accents: traditional rosewood furniture, a wall of teas, another wall with brightly colored paintings of historical Chinese figures. I ordered the set tea menu, and soon, a steaming pot of Chrysanthemum and Wolfberry tea, a flaky beef curry layered tart, and a fluffy, airy, mango mousse cake magically appeared.

While reading my excellent David Sedaris book (I haven’t read this much in AGES, by the way…this is what happens when you take a break from your torrid, obsessive, co-dependent affair with Tivo, I guess…not that I’m complaining. I heart reading.), I eavesdropped on a table catty corner from me, where a European lady was speaking fluent Mandarin with the server, while speaking French with her friend. Some people just have a gift with languages, I guess.

After that delightful interlude, I stumbled upon Changle Road, which would take me to Thing, a tiny, very cool, local shop that sells awesome graphic tees and totes. I salivated over several designs, before finally settling on a clever design featuring a parody of the Puma logo, only with a cat, and the word “Miao”. Brilliant. I also had to get a vampire panda shirt. There is no original idea, my friends. I thought I was the first to think of Vampire Pandie, but alas, Thing beat me to it. (Sidebar: In 2006, a news story about Gu Gu, a Chinese panda who bit a drunken tourist (who was trying to give Gu Gu a hug, and who bit the bear back in response…he was really drunk…) captured my heart, and I decided to be a vampire panda for Halloween, sporting my favorite hostile catchphrase “Bite Me!”. Wait. Maybe I can still do something with it. Vampire Panda, “Bite Me”, Copyright 2007. Dammit.)

After that bout of retail therapy, I passed by a stall selling Arrrgh DVDs. (Ed. Note. Arrrgh is the sound a Pirate makes, and is my not so subtle code for something pirated.) First off, I was surprised there was so much American TV. That warmed my heart. Aside from fairly current stuff, like Prison Break, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, Lost, and 24, there were some older, more obscure titles, like BBC’s MI5, Married with Children, Mash, Supernatural, Everybody Hates Chris, Dark Angel, Buffy, Veronica Mars. Also a lot of current American, Korean, and Hong Kong movies. I picked up a couple of things, but what I really wanted were older Hong Kong movies and TV series.

It was getting dark, and I found myself smack in the middle of HuaiHai Road, another neon-packed shopping artery of Shanghai. This street is packed, and it’s worse than Nanjing Dong Lu because cars are also thrown into the mix. The mall highrises here are big and numerous, and hordes of people spill from the malls to the streets and vice versa. Street hawkers also crowd the sidewalks, and huge LCD billboards cast their shifting light on the hawkers’ wares, ranging from socks and fake designer underwear to scarves to Arrgh DVDs.

I spied the grand old Art Deco Lyceum Theater, and hoped it had a box office. I wanted to buy tickets to an “Old Shanghai” music show that was running for three days next weekend. Unfortunately, the theater was closed. Grrrr. I’d have to go to a third party ticket vendor. Oh well. At this point, I was suffering from crowd fatigue, so I ducked into a Chinese fast food chain, called “Mother’s Dumplings” (mind out of the gutter, please) that serves, you guessed it, dumplings. It also serves rice and noodle dishes. I ordered up a platter of shrimp and crab dumplings, along with a bowl of chicken soup, and this hearty meal chased away the grumpiness, along with the last vestiges of my sniffles.

Sooo Suzhou

Shanghai, November 10, 2007 (Saturday)

Tour bus tourists, part deux. This time, I and my fellow tourists boarded a bus to Suzhou, a charming water town in Jiangsu Province, about an hour and a half south of Shanghai. This time, the whole bus was on the one-day tour, and there was no on-board tour guide, just the driver. When we hit Suzhou, we disembarked and boarded an older tour bus, where a local guide waited to greet us.

Suzhou is in the midst of an economic boom outside of the tourist industry, though it feels much smaller than Hangzhou, most likely due to the fact that there is a local height restriction ordinance in effect. Ahhh, height ordinances…petitions…checking signatures…good times! Before anyone gets too gung-ho about how progressive the height ordinance is and whatnot, it should be said that the height limit is 22 floors. I dunno about you, but 22 stories is still pretty damn high!

I’ve been so de-sensitized by the towering skyscrapers of Shanghai, that being able to actually see the sky without arching my neck back to a near-acrobatic angle, is unbelievably refreshing, and certainly gives Suzhou a small town feel. The fresher air is also a treat, though traffic is pretty gnarly. Another thing that gives Suzhou a fresh, quaint feeling is the “water town” aspect; that is, the abundance of water. Canals run throughout Suzhou, and we encountered many quaint, picturesque bridges over still water. A striking image for me was an overarching maze of elevated highways, with cars zipping crazily along them, and below those highways, was a serene canal with a lone boat drifting lazily along.

Suzhou’s local administrators must work hard to keep Suzhou looking pretty. In addition to the building height restrictions, public areas are kept sparkling clean and immaculately landscaped. Also, public buildings and spaces are designed in the overarching Suzhou garden theme (Suzhou is famous for its beautiful gardens). Imagine bus stops designed to look like garden pagodas and corridors, with beautifully carved eaves and dashing calligraphy denoting the bus stop name and route.

One additional note about Suzhou. It recently hosted the Chinese equivalent of the Oscars, the (I kid you not) Golden Roosters. Lots of Chinese movie stars had flocked to the area a couple weeks ago, not only for the awards ceremony, but for the film festival. I had been hoping to get tickets to some related event, but was too late. Alas, I had watched clips from the event on TV. Tony Leung, his gal Carina Lau, Jacky Chan, Alan Tam, and Karen Mok were a few of the stars who attended.

Our first stop on the tour was a small, intimate home and garden from the late-Ming Dynasty, called Ou Yuan. The main buildings were in tact, and we saw the reception hall, the bed chambers, a man’s study, and the lady’s saloon. Each room or building had a grand name, which was written in beautiful calligraphy and hung above the main entrance. Each room was furnished, and cordoned off so visitors couldn’t mar the antiques. The heavy, dark wood furniture sported intricate carvings, and accessories were sparse; a vase here, a calligraphy hanging there. Each room was simply decorated in order to highlight the garden view, I expect. Each room and building opened onto the garden, or was connected via airy corridors lined with art or open wooden screens. Indeed, one room had two large picture windows that acted as frames, that opened onto the garden.

And now to the garden…lovely, lovely, lovely. Beautiful rock sculptures (which are believed to be lucky) are one distinctive feature of the Suzhou garden. The use of water and greenery, especially bamboo and willow, is also common. The effect is a serene, beautiful space where every angle brings a delightful view, and every spot allows unique enjoyment of the garden. I think I’d be able to create lovely art and poetry, like the original owner, if I had a garden like this!

The garden connects to a canal, and has a small dock attached. Small boats, piloted by sturdy, strong, middle-aged ladies wearing huge bamboo hats, awaited us. We boarded the boats, which had a 10 passenger-capacity, and were taken on a short, charming voyage along the canal to the opposite shore where our tour bus awaited. The voyage was a little choppy, but our boat’s lady captain was an absolute delight, singing Shanghai folk songs while propelling out boat with a sturdy bamboo pole. This was one of those magical, indescribable moments: bouncing merrily along a clear canal in a boat with crisp cloth roof, willowy trees framing the shores, a plucky, tanned woman singing and rowing cheerfully, without missing a beat.

Our next stop was lunch. Another tourist lunch spot, with a set menu. Only it was a single restaurant, and we were the only tour group, which made it feel less like a cattle drive. And no restroom gang fights! The food was so-so, edible. One thing to note was that our individual place settings (chopsticks, ceramic plate, bowl, spoon and teacup) were all neatly cellophane wrapped, and marked as costing 5 yuan. Dudes, that’s 68 cents. How can they possibly afford to do that?!

After lunch, it was like déjà vu…we were taken to a silk factory…and given a hardsell. Seriously, they did the same “pull on the silk webs” demo as in Hangzhou! I must say though, it was interesting to see a fully operational silk production line (the on in Hangzhou was a single person doing demo, not a full production line), and the royal dragon robes on display in the silk museum (Suzhou produced the imperial family’s embroidered silk robes) were stunning. I picked up a few embroidered trinkets, since Suzhou’s silk embroidery is so famous.

After that retail interval, coupled with restroom stop, we hopped onto the bus and made our way to a larger garden, the Lingering Garden (Liu Yuan). This one was even more gorgeous, and crowded than the other garden. It had a larger body of water, with a little rowboat, and several bridges. Tall rock plateaus dotted both shores, and four pavilions named for the four seasons were strategically placed in the garden. Each pavilion was designed to be enjoyed for a particular season, and would take into account the elements and the landscaping. The pavilions were beautifully designed with carved wood and eaves, and included a stone table and seats. I can imagine sitting in this garden, in one of the pavilions, a soft breeze blowing, enjoying tea or rice wine, armed with a good book, perhaps calligraphy brushed and soft paper scrolls. Or an iPod, wireless TV and DVDs.

Gorgeous rock sculptures were prevalent throughout the garden, framing the views, as well as creating natural divisions between areas of the garden. Like the other garden, every step, every turn of the head, brought a different, stunning picture, and this garden could be enjoyed at any and all points. Open air, roofed corridors ran along all four edges of the garden, connecting the various buildings, and allowing people to enjoy the garden from an elevated perspective.

We briefly stopped by a Buddhist temple next, called Winter Mountain Temple. The guide warned us that there would be no independent exploration. We followed her like ducklings, and she gave an interesting spiel on some of the major points of interest in the temple. The towering pagoda was the main event here, as well as the bell ringing. We entered through the back door and exited through the front door, which was a little odd, but it sounded like that was customary.

After that whirlwind visit, we were herded to a nearby pottery factory for yet another hardsell. They sold special “purple sand” teapots that were exquisitely crafted, that floated in water, and didn’t drip a single drop down the spout when you poured. I was tempted, especially when I saw the one shaped like dragon, head and tail and all, but ultimately did not succumb.

Our last stop of the day was Tiger Hill (Huqiu), where the King who founded the city way back when (I think in the early ADs or late BCs?) is buried. There is a huge, leaning pagoda, a stunning sight, at the top of the hill. It mocked us as we huffed and puffed our way up the hill via narrow, and potentially slippery, stone steps. It was quite a hike, but worth it when we got up there. A little below the crest, where the pagoda sits, is a dark, cavernous pool called the Sword Pool, and has been featured in legendary mystical stories. Supposedly the King, or some heroic figure who served him (I wasn’t entirely sure – my Mandarin still bu tai hao; not so good.) had buried a magical sword in the pool. The rock walls surrounding the pool had several carved inscriptions on them, and the guide mentioned that several ancient poets, moved by the beauty and mysticism of the pool, risked their lives to inscribe the walls with verse.

We had an hour of independent exploration there, and I spent the time poking around the Sword Pool and around the tower, before finally making my way down the mountain, where I admired another creek and canal (how beautiful is calm water, willow trees wisping over the shore, a stone bridge, and dusk?). Our bus was late (the local bus had taken its leave, and we were waiting for the bus from Shanghai) so we were left in the parking lot, waving off the food (roasted chestnut and yam), and tchotsky (gourd shaped flutes and lace cloth) vendors and solitary beggar. The only plus to having to wait in the parking lot as darkness fell, was the leaning pagoda, which is lit up dramatically at night. What is it about light, twinkling, bright light, at night? The flashing neon signs in Shanghai do the same thing to me….I am like a moth to a flame, or a mosquito to a bug zapper lantern. It’s so purty.

An hour or so later, we were back in Shanghai, grumpy, hungry, and needing to pee. Oh this is the life of a tour bus tourist….

Week Si (Four)

Shanghai, Week Si (Four) November 5 to November 9, 2007

This week has been pretty mellow. On the school front, I channeled my Colbert Report withdrawal into an essay and presentation entitled “My Favorite TV Personality”. Using the visual aid of my First Edition Colbert, along with sound bites from the ebook, I was able to persuasively present the awesome-ness of one Mr. Stephen T. Colbert. My classmates were especially interested in the US presidential electoral system, especially after I shared the grand news that Mr. Colbert was running for president in his home state of South Carolina. It took a little pantomiming, white boarding (Mr. Mark, master of the white board, you would have been so proud…I had an impressive array of stick figures and blobs and arrows and whatnot) and English supplementing, but I think I got the gist of the primary and two-party system across.

On the non-school front, let’s see. Another visit to Dragonfly for the long awaited foot massage along with a Shiatsu massage. I got the Shiatsu massage first. It was quite lovely, similar to the Chinese-style, but with subtle differences. After the Shiatsu, and my therapist lead me to the foot massage treatment room. I was quite mellow and docile after that massage, she could have been leading me in front of a truck, and I would have happily went. Then on to the main event…The foot massage….heaven. The treatment room is a dimly-lit, serene oasis with a wall of gently running water, a striking centerpiece stone sculpture lit with soft candlelight, and eight, super-comfy reclining chairs and ottomans, upholstered in crisp linen. The room was occupied with only one other patron when I entered. It was so dark and quiet, and she must have been so blissed out, that I don’t think she realized another person had walked into the room. The therapist brought a steaming tub of scented water for me to soak my footsies in, retrieved some heated, buckwheat cushions to drape over my shoulders, along with a soft, warm blankie, and began rubbing my much-abused toes with a fragrant scrub. After my feet were rinsed and dried, what commenced was the most mind-blowingly awesome foot massage ever known to man. That went on for a good half hour, before my therapist let my feet enjoy their state of complete happiness….and then she went to work at my neck, shoulders, and arms. I was ready to profess my love to the therapist right then and there.

This week, I also visited a couple of other sights. One was the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center located in People’s Park, near the Shanghai Museum and Grand Theater. It, like the other buildings, is an architectural delight. It reminds me a bit of a pi sign, with a sweeping, arched room over a straight metal body, intersected with shimmering glass panes. Now don’t be turned off by that the Planning Center name. This is actually a very cool museum that documents the past, present, and future growth of Shanghai. It uses scale models (I heart scale models) to illustrate the changing and current Shanghai landscape, as well as state of the art technology to bring an educational, interactive, multimedia experience. One floor was dominated with a scale model of the entire city. Now I know intellectually, that Shanghai is huge. But to see it scaled in a way that gave me a bird’s-eye view, the true scope of this city really hit me hard...kind of like a bird against a windshield of a car going 60 MPH on the freeway. The transportation plan, the housing plan, the greening plan, the information technology plan…my OC heart swelled to Shanghai-ian proportions at the thought and care that the city went into making, and implementing these plans. This center is the best “invest in Shanghai” promotional vehicle ever made. And we have to pay to see it. Genius. Seriously, though, I think my former peers in the good ol’ CoB Planning Department would have loved this center. The emphasis on sustainable, smart, planned growth is admirable, as is the conscious decision to include well-being issues like green space and conservation. Sidebar: The center mapped the growth of per capita green space since 1900, and it went from the size of a pair of shoes to the size of a 10x10 room. That is pretty amazing, especially when you take into account the population growth in the time period. I can see now why the parks and landscaping is so cherished…citizens actually use the space, enjoy it, and know that the green spaces offer them a respite from the wacky hectic pace of the city.

Aside from the scale models of the city, the harbor, and various transportation hubs such as railway and metro stations and the airports, the center also had multiple LCD kiosks at every display, some encased in nifty casings that were shaped like huge books. You would page through the information just like a book, by tapping at the corners as if turning a page. There were a couple of huge dioramas with LCD features, as well as various video exhibits. The best one, for me, was the huge Virtual Reality theatre, which is a round theatre with 360 degrees of high def video screen. The movie that shows is a short, nausea-inducing ride through Shanghai’s main development areas. It’s very slickly shot, and I got more of a “amusement park ride” feel from this movie than I did from the Bund Tourist Tunnel. Very cool. The center also had this random “interactive educational game area” where a bunch of computers were set up with pre-loaded games that were pretty lame, but had an odd, “edutainment” charm to them. Think Oregon Trail with prettier colors. All in all, the center is worth a visit. Directly beneath the center is a small underground corridor that leads to a cavernous shopping complex. The corridor is called the 1930-Flavor Street, and is done up to look just like a Shanghai street from that era, with dark crowded shopfronts, cobblestoned paths, and authentic-looking facades. Oddly enough, this “street” reminded me most of Las Vegas more than anything else, including the neon-and people-packed Nanjing Road. You wanna know why? The fake sky. Just like the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, the sky in this street is artificially frozen at dusk, and the street’s fully operational shops, despite their retro facades, hawk, like the Forum Shops, modern services and merchandise. The Internet Café and modern hair salon detracts a little from the painstaking artifice of a 1930s street at dusk. I got a little lost in that cavernous shopping mall. All those tiny shops, all squeezed together in a maze. Like a lab rat, I followed my nose to the food court, and found an escape route to fresh air.

Another touristy site that I absolutely had to see was the Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, which is right off People’s Square, in the 12^th Floor of a huge shopping mall/hotel. I went to the Madame Tussaud’s in Las Vegas (I like Vegas, sue me) and must confess, I was hooked. I am true to my Chinese blood and thus, am a sucker for celebrity in any guise, even a wax one. The admission price, the student price, mind you, was outrageous (100 yuan -- $13.50 US, which could buy me food for at least 2 days). I paid it a tad reluctantly. However, I must admit, my celebri-hound heart was absolutely smitten with the likenesses found here. There was Yao Ming, of course, along with a couple of Chinese Olympians. Then there were the Chinese pop and movie stars. Tony Leung, Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau, Rosamund Kwan, Anita Mui, Coco Lee, Twins, Teresa Teng, Joey Yung, Nic Tseng, Louis Koo, Leslie Cheung, Kelly Chen, Bruce Lee…I know I’m missing quite a few. There were also lots of non-Chinese celebs (Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Audrey Hepburn, Pierce Brosnan as James Bond), a couple of politicians (Putin and Clinton), British royalty (Princess Diana, and a cute display of Prince William next to a tufted pedestal complete with glass slipper); Sports figures such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and David Beckham; a couples/quartet exhibit with Becks and Posh, Brangelina, and the Beatles. A cute display had Bill Gates and Li Ka-Shing (very rich Chinese businessman) together in a rich guys club setting. I love how the wax figures are posed in different environments…movie stars are posed on movie sets, sports figures in sports arenas, etc. I also like how the museum encourages interaction with the figures, many times the displays had seats that let you pose with the celebs, size them up close, so to speak.

I enjoyed myself thoroughly, and loved the cheesy, shiny celebration of international celebrity, and celebrity-hounds. Great fun.

My student ticket also granted me entry into a Haunted Maze exhibit. What a waste of space. The build up was huge, with dire warnings for young children and people with heart conditions, etc to not enter the site. We were given stern warnings to not take pictures, as there are “live actors” in the exhibit, and flash photography might jeopardize their safety, and were handed 3-D glasses. A long rope was pulled out, and we each took hold of it. The group consisted of about 10 peeps or so, with lots of nervous giggles. I just wanted to get my money’s worth…I wasn’t too keen on going through this exhibit, since, to be honest, it sounded really lame. And it was…Dark, exaggerated soundtrack full of screams and chains rattling, we following a path that twisted between more dark blobs (ok, my night vision sucks, maybe that’s why I couldn’t get into it.) A couple of “actors” jumped out at us, scaring the crap of one gal, while the rest of us, just looked at him, and her, blankly. The actor skulked away, probably sulkily muttering he went to a prestigious acting academy or some such and was too talented for this. This went on for another 5 minutes, and with another actor trying to one up his predecessor. No luck. We groped our way out of there, grumbling about how lame, and what a rip off, that was. In different languages. No need for a translator here. “That sucked” is pretty universally understandable, even in different languages.

Up, Up, and Away...

Shanghai, November 4, 2007 (Sunday)

Another laidback sightseeing day. I went back to Yu Yuan, hoping that all the tourists had miraculously gone home. No luck. I did get some yummy fried bits on a stick though.

I made my way to the Bund, and then up to the Bund Tourist Tunnel, which connects the two sides of the Huang Pu River: Puxi, which is where a lot of the action has been historically, and Pudong, which is where a lot of the action is starting to go.

The guidebooks recommend a one-way trip on the Bund Tourist Tunnel. However, the pricing for the round trip made more economic sense for me, since it is only a fraction more for the return trip back. So I went with the round trip.

Dudes. How to describe the Bund Tourist Tunnel? At its very core, it’s an underground tunnel that you cross in a tram car. Simple enough. Now let’s add to the picture. Imagine all the neon lights in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Nanjing Road were eaten by, say, a fire-breathing dragon, who subsequently barfed up all of those lights into the Bund Tourist Tunnel, resulting in a haphazard, neon and Christmas-light extravaganza; A whacked out, psychedelic experience. The tram ride takes about 5 minutes and begins with this sense of grand expectation…kind of like a ride at an amusement park. Then…lights. And more lights. Lights that twinkle. Lights in different colors. Large video screens showing, you guessed it, colorful lights. The lights were arranged in different patterns and twinkled in sync with the atmospheric music blaring in the tram car. Someone had also thoughtfully put up wind sock figures (a scarecrow, a ghost), which were relics of Halloween, I suspect. The figures shimmered eerily as we glided past them. And then the ride was over. So that’s why the books recommended a single visit! Oh goodie, I get to do that one more time…

Bemused by the experience, I weave my way to the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the iconic, space-age, slightly phallic tower that is 350 meters high, making it, I think, the third highest in the world. Being so close to it really gives you an idea of its size. The pricing for the tower admission is based on where you want to visit. You can opt to go to one, two, or all of the spheres (the 90, 160, and 350 meters), or just the revolving restaurant (at 160 meters). I opted for the whole enchilada, all the spheres, plus admission to the Shanghai History Museum on the ground floor.

We were herded like cattle into an elevator that took us to the middle sphere (160) first. The ride up was slow and allowed us to savor the pressure building up in our ears. Then, onto the observation deck. The view was amazing. The number of tourists was amazing. The incessant picture-snapping and V for Victory posing was amazing. Kidding aside, to see the Bund from this vantage point was a true treat. The day was clear, so we were able to see pretty far out. You really do get a sense of the scale and scope of Shanghai when you have a bird’s eye view. I boarded another elevator to the next sphere, at 350 meters. This sphere is smaller, and is also known as “the Space Cabin”. It was slightly less crowded than the 160 meter sphere, but still had a good amount of traffic. The higher height provided a wider perspective, and also more picture taking opportunity. I climbed a small spiral staircase up to the very top, which is a very small space, with all-pink windows, that provided no real difference in vantage point. You just climb it so you can say you made it to the top of the tower. The top sphere had a couple of exhibits, an autograph wall dotted with flags and handwritten messages from world leaders, as well as a Sister City display case showcasing gifts given to Shanghai from its Sister Cities. San Francisco gave Shanghai a bell and a vase, if memory serves.

After that, I made my way down to the 90 meter sphere, which was an outdoor observation deck. It was nice to breathe fresh air, as well as gain a closer vantage point. The 90 meter level also sported a space-themed theme, with some random attractions (astronomy and astrology exhibit, ET statues, a “dizziness” chamber, a roller coaster.) Then one final elevator ride in a clear glass elevator different from the one that we used to ascend. One note about the elevators. They were all manned by operators who recited some fun facts to us, in two languages, Mandarin and English, during the rides. Regulating the traffic and flow of the elevators require much planning and staff, I expect, as visitors essentially had to line up for everything, including boarding elevators.

The final stop in the tower is the fantastic Shanghai History Museum. I am an absolute sucker for models and recreations, and this museum delivers. One the first floor, “getting around” was the theme, as there was a charming display of land transportation options throughout Shanghai’s history, from rickshaws to horse-drawn carriages, to the first hugely ornate motor cars, then the pimp wheels of the 60s and 70s, then locally-manufactured cars, including the ubiquitous Volkswagen Santana, which is the standard issue taxicab in Shanghai at present. A couple of antique trolley cars were also on display, with original retro ads on them. I would also like to note that the curators make an effort to bring these displays to life, by painting backgrounds of Shanghai streets, as well as placing mannequins dressed in period clothing in, on, or near the vehicles.

The next floor was huge and housed several exhibit halls, basically mapping Shanghai’s history from the 1800s to present. The exhibits included painstaking reproductions of an average person’s life in the past, their home, the shops they would visit, etc. Then there were models of Shanghai’s changing landscape, particularly the Bund, as well as scale models of various iconic places during various periods in time. If you saw my LegoLand pictures, you know I am absolutely smitten with scale model reproductions. To see wonderfully-detailed models of places in Shanghai throughout time was amazing. The Bund, Nanjing Road, the French Concession…all in perfect, precious detail, all beautifully lit. Aside from the miniature models, there were recreations of various streets. To be able to walk through these exhibits, you could almost imagine being in Shanghai during the 1930s. (Cue music, where’s my cashmere overcoat and white scarf?) There were some cool interactive bits as well, including a green screen display that allowed you to see yourself in a 1930s Shanghai street. The recreation of the early stock market was a hoot. Inside this beautiful scale model of the tri-level stock exchange, with real wood furniture and details like tiny exchange slips in tact, the designer decided that rather than use actual dolls (which would need to be 8 to 10 inches high) they would use glossy cardboard cutouts of people to show how crowded the stock exchange was. They must have had fun with it…the individual cutouts were from screen captures from old Chinese period movies! Imagine different people with different expressions, some wacky and screwball, all placed together to give off a cheeky aura of pandemonium. I think I’d love to work here…any job that allows you to screencap and cut out wacky characters from wacky movies and use them as cutouts for exhibits is aok in my book. Or, as in LegoLand, I’d love to shrink down in size and just live here. If the museum exhibits really do come alive when the museum closes, ala the Ben Stiller movie, then sign me up.

It was dinnertime when I finally emerged from the tower. After three weeks of gorging on excellent Chinese cuisine, it was inevitable that I want something else. I was, in fact, craving a big, fat, juicy hamburger, with crispy, salty fries. No grey fast food burger and soggy potato sticks, though. A proper burger. With proper fries. The huge, sparkling Super Brand Mall was near the Pearl Tower, so I ducked in, as I recall reading that a nice sports bar type joint with very good burgers was housed there. I noticed that there was a Hooters --yes that Hooters-- in the mall…and while utterly tempted (how surreal would it be to say I went to Hooters in Shanghai?), I decided Blue Frog it was. It’s a cute little mellow sports bar that serves sports bar fare. I ordered the classic Blue Frog Burger, with cheese. When it arrived, with a heaping mound of crispy golden steak cut fries, I thought I was going to weep with joy. Pink tender beef, fried bits, and ketchup. USA! USA! I think I must be a little homesick.

Yes, dammit, despite all the wonderful, exciting, new things I am experiencing here, I do miss home. I miss my dearest beloved Tivo, er, friends and family, I miss being with people who get me and love me, I miss being able to communicate eloquently, (ok adequately!), I miss the crisp cold clear SF air. And I miss the TV! I had made a conscious decision to not spoil myself by reading any eppie recaps, and not download any eppies while here. (OK, granted, the conscious decision was forced upon me when I discovered the websites that I would usually go to for said downloads and recaps are in fact blocked here…details, schmetails.) But I digress. It’s not to say TV here is bad. It’s actually got some cool shows. There are dubbed versions of old TVB soap operas, as well as a dubbed Mexico’s Ugly Betty. Editor’s Note: Very surreal. I watch it for language purposes (and I must admit, I am picking up a lot from just watching TV in Mandarin). The storyline and production values are pretty awful, especially in comparison to the US version. It just seems very soap opera-y, insanely cheesy and over the top, with none of the tongue in cheek comedy and fabulousness of the US version.

There are also lots of reality shows. One is kinda like the Amazing Race, only set in America…teams from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, and the US travel across America doing various challenges. It’s not a race per se, as they all travel together at the same pace. They do challenges based on different localities, and are judged by local experts (ie cooking, dance, knot-making, barrel-making, rapping, etc) It’s kind of interesting to see how America is depicted (very foreign). Another reality show called European Challenge is more like the Amazing Race in that teams are in Europe racing against each other while doing challenges. I must say, I was hooked on that one for a while, even sobbing when my favorite team got eliminated. (PMS, you know. Sidebar: That was the first time since Lasik that so many real tears fell from eyes. ‘Bout damn time. You need a good cry, sometimes.) I also religiously watch an Entertainment Tonight-esque show that details the fluffy gossipy happenings of major Asian stars. There are also quite a few travel and food shows, which I’m also a sucker for.

I also discovered a dubbed version of Project Runway! Absolutely surreal. It’s last season, not the current one (which I need to watch, so no spoilers, dammit) so I know who won the different challenges, and have a basic idea of what’s being said. Hearing it all in Chinese is really surreal. And hearing Heidi’s “Auf Viederson” (sp?) being replaced with “Zai Jian” is just wrong! I must admit, I was quite tickled pink by it, though.

I also get HBO Asia, which is way different from HBO in the US. They don’t show the original HBO series (though evidently they do show Big Love occasionally.) Rather, it’s essentially all movies, all the time, all pristinely captioned with Chinese characters. Some movies are fairly recent (within the past couple years). Others aren’t. The programming director must be on crack, or picked up lots of crappy movie licenses for cheap, because a lot of the movies are gawdawful and/or completely random. Free Willy 2? Gremlins 3? Weird Canadian made-for-TV horror movies? And yes, I still watched them. But that’s besides the point.

Hangin' in Hangzhou

Shanghai, November 3, 2007 (Saturday)

Today I am officially playing a tourist. On a tour bus. With a tour guide. With a portable speaker system. Yes, it was inevitable. I did the math, and economically speaking, it was cheaper and less of a hassle for me to go with a tour group, since lunch, transportation, and all admission tickets were included in the price of the tour.

So where did I go? To grossly misquote Marco Polo, I was going to Hangzhou, “heaven on earth”, a small town about 2 hours outside of Shanghai. It is home to the famously beautiful West Lake, where many an ancient poet has gotten drunk on, and written amazingly beautiful verse about.

I bought a ticket for a Chinese tour, that is, not your sterile, safe, Grayline tour where the guide is English-speaking, and everything is carefully chosen for the western palette. I was going hard-core domestic Chinese tourist here. (By the way, the tourism industry here is driven primarily by domestic Chinese tourists, not non-Chinese foreign tourists, as is the common misconception. The Chinese are earning more, and thus, have more resources to enjoy leisure activities, such as traveling on tour buses to see famous sites and snapping many, many pictures. And wearing matching hats or buttons silkscreened with tour companies’ names. But we’ll get to that later.) Bottom line, the Chinese tour cost a third of the Gayline tour, so obviously, I was gonna go local. The catch is, of course, that I had to go to the bus, because unlike Grayline tours, the Chinese tour bus was not coming to pick me up at my hotel. No problem. The tour bus station was right near a metro stop so I got up bright and early and made it to the bus station by 8:30am.

The whole bus was full of Chinese tourists, some on the two-day tour, and only a handful, me included, on the one-day tour. The bus had AC, and was relatively comfortable. My one beef, as always, is the fact that I am, without fail, always stuck behind some dude who insists on reclining his seat fully back immediately upon being seated. And unlike an airplane, there is no flight attendant telling him that seat trays and seatbacks need to be in a full upright position.

The tour guide, a defeated-looking middle-aged dude, who reminds me a bit of my cousin, asked the one-day tourists to identify themselves, provide hometown info, and a mobile phone number. When he got to me, I found it easier to say I’m from Hong Kong, so I fibbed. I figure it’s more prudent to say you’re from Hong Kong than the US, as A) many Chinese tend to think Americans are wealthy and I didn’t need that stigma; and B) saying I’m from Hong Kong gives me just the right balance of belonging, and not belonging, if that makes any sense. Also, it’s common for Hong Kongers to travel Mainland China, and also common that they not be able to speak fluent Mandarin, or to bumble through it with a Cantonese accent, as I do.

The dude who ended up sitting next to me reminded me of an old uncle, and it turns out he’s from Guangzhou, and speaks fluent Cantonese. We exchanged niceties, and then he went promptly to sleep, and I turned up the iPod volume.

The drive to Hangzhou is about 2 hours, give or take 30 minutes. It went by pretty quickly, with the last 30 minutes being occupied with the tour guide mechanically giving us an overview of Hangzhou and the day’s itinerary. I think I understood about 60% of what he was saying. I did get that he was an anti-chewing gum crusader, though. He showed the most signs of life when describing the evils of chewing gum, especially its improper disposal. He was quite passionate about the topic, actually, spending a good five minutes or so ranting. I wonder if he had messed up a designer suit, or pair of shoes, or some such trauma, because of a wayward wad of chewing gum…?

We got to Hangzhou at about 11:15am, and as we rode through the city, I kept thinking how this WAS NOT the small town all the guidebooks made it sound like. The city center was well developed, and had its quota of high-rises, five-star hotels, shopping malls and western fast food joints. The first stop we hit was the tourist restaurant. It is a squat building with ample parking for tour buses, a convenience mart, an area hawking “Treasures of Hangzhou”, restrooms, and two huge dining rooms. Its very existence relies on the business of tourists. Thankfully (for them at least) there is no shortage of tourists. Our guide warned us that it would be crowded, as it was the weekend, and also one of the more pleasant times to visit, weather-wise. He was not kidding. Guys, imagine all the people you know in the world, times 1000, packed into the same building, vying for the same restrooms. And imagine them wearing nylon trucker caps emblazoned with some tour company’s logo. My goodness, it was bedlam. Especially in the restrooms. A riot almost broke out when one dragon lady in a red cap thought another (I think she was in a blue cap) had cut in front of her. It was like some alternate universe gang fight. Ladies, can’t we all just get along? We’re all Chinese, we’re all women, we’re all wearing crappy trucker caps, and we all need to pee.

After that lovely interlude of precious relief, we were herded to our tables. His was a no-frills place. The server brought over huge dishes of a set menu, lots of veg, tofu, fish, and meat. We got bowls, chopsticks, and were told to go for it. No napkins, no beverages. We all dug in, very matter of factly. We didn’t know each other, but we shared a table, and a meal, quite amicably, silent except for the sounds of eating. It was surprisingly pleasant, actually.

We were herded out after 15 minutes, as another bus had arrived and needed our table. This place had amazing turnaround. The volume of people served must be mind-boggling, if the sea of parked tour buses is any indication.

Our first stop was the amazingly beautiful West Lake. I wish I could throw some cool facts at you, but the guide spoke in Mandarin, through a portable (and tinny) PA system, which meant I didn’t pick up very much. Speaking of PA systems…there were many guides with cool portable mikes like our guide..and then I spied one lady with a kid’s megaphone. I kid you not. It was bright yellow with sparkly animal stickers all over it, and looked exactly like something you’d find in a toy store. Amazing. How much did that tour cost?!!!

We boarded a cool boat with a dragon head on it, and zipped across West Lake, admiring the views. It was sunny, clear day, and we were able to see the Hangzhou shoreline on one end, and the misty mountains dotted with tea on the other. As we cut smoothly across the clear water, I could absolutely see how this lake inspired many a poet and artist. We disembarked at one of the several islands on the lake, and walked along the shore for some obligatory photo ops. Then we strolled through a maze of bridges to a pavilion over water housing bright orange carp the size of dogs. No joke, man…those fish were huge.

A few more photo ops, and then onto the boat again, where we were taken to the other end of West Lake, where our tour bus was waiting for us. A short drive through the increasingly rural area, and I was able to see what all the hype about Hangzhou was about. The countryside is gorgeous. Misty mountains, rows and rows of verdant tea bushes, residents shooting the breeze on a lazy afternoon with their clear glasses of green tea seeping…this would almost be enough to convince me to forgo cable and set up shop here. Almost.

We arrived at a silk factory next. Hangzhou is famous for its fine silks. This was another popular tourist trap, and we knew we’d be in for a hard sell. And we were. But we did get to see the whole process of silk production, as the factory set up a hands on exhibit showing how the silk is produced. I was able to refrain from buying anything, as the Shanghai residents on the tour felt that you could get the same (if not better) products in Shanghai for less.

Our next stop was a tea plantation. Another popular tourist trap. More hard sell. We did get to sample some lovely green tea. They brewed it in a very interesting manner, without a teapot. They placed dried green tea leaves into clear highball glasses, then pour in water just off the boil. Steep gently, then drink. The tea lady was saying that the leaves are edible, so a popular term “eating tea” has come into the tea lexicon. We sipped, and nibbled, and I thought it was just lovely. Think of it as a calorie-less, non-sweet, tapioca tea. This time, I couldn’t resist and purchased a tin of tea, packed right before my very eyes from the latest harvest.

Our final stop of the day was the Ling Yin Temple (or Temple of the Lost Souls). As with all of our stops today, the place was just teeming with tourists. Our tour guide had warned us about proper behavior in the temple, how we should be respectful, quiet, not take pictures inside the actual worship halls, and how, if we obtained (er, purchased) any charms or blessings, we should donate the change to the temple. (The temple priced things at amounts where there will be 1 or 2 yuan in change…the numbers are symbolic of certain teachings in Buddhist scripture) I think the guide is a devout Buddhist…He showed us a charm that he carries with him all the time that he had obtained from the temple.

I should also clarify that the temple is on a park with various historical relics and statuary. For example, there is a whole cavernous mountain that has various images of Buddha carved into it. The temple proper requires another admission fee that is separate from the fee that allows entry into the park. We were given an hour of independent exploration in the park, and I opted to explore the caves first while the rest of the group went into the main temple. The carvings in the mountain were amazingly intricate; the path up the mountain was amazingly treacherous. I toned my legs more in the 15 minutes it took to climb that path than my entire life,. You see, it’s about isometric training. Every step was carefully made, as each rock was shiny and worn, and ergo, slippery. So I made my way very very carefully up, and down, the mountain. The carvings were worth it though. Simply awe-inspiring.

Couple of things to rant, er, comment on: Ladies in three inch heels climbing the mountain. Specifically, a lady in studded three inch boots blithely making her way up and around the mountain, with a toddler, no less. Another beef: Incessant picture-taking. I get that we’re all tourists, and that we want to remember our visit, and that digital cameras are fabulous. But must everyone take pictures of everyone in front of everything? All the digi-cam snapping got tired really quick…and why the same pose, with the victory sign, even in a picture with a Buddha statue? Sigh.

After that sore, but inspiring interlude, I made my way over to the main temple, paid my admission, and walked in. The relics are amazing. Golden statues twenty feet high, friezes intricately carved with Buddhist chants…everything was big and bold and grand. There were many people with joss sticks and incense praying seriously, but for some reason, the sight was not as moving as the one from Jing An Temple in Shanghai. Perhaps because in addition to the presence of the faithfully devout in this temple, there were also many, many, many tourists snapping pictures at every chance, some ignoring the signs asking that pictures not be taken inside the areas of worship. Grrr. Also, oddly enough, the grandness of the relics, with their precious materials, and large size, gave off an air of ostentatiousness. The carved statues in the mountain and caves emitted a simpler, quieter, more natural and organic aura.

We left the temple and park, amid many hawkers of incense, toys, and snacks, and made our way back onto the bus, for our return trip to Shanghai. We made a pit stop at the tourist restaurant where we had lunch, in order to load up on snacks for the ride back. OK, have I waxed poetic about snacks here yet? If not, here I go. The snacks here are awesome. I must admit I am not super adventurous on the snacking front, as my tastes are simple: fried, crunchy, laden with salt and MSG. The chip flavors here are the bomb. Lay’s makes a fried chicken flavor (very rich and chicken-y), a pepper steak flavor (sweet and peppery), and a red wine roasted chicken flavor (very sweet). Enough said. That more than makes up for the ketchup flavor and the cucumber flavor. (Ed. Note: Cucumber? WTF?) I have yet to try the seafood flavor yet, but that’s on the list. One of the Asian brands makes a Thai Beef Curry flavor, which is quite good as well. For the more adventurous, there are also individually wrapped vacuum-packed braised chicken feet, duck gizzards, and chicken wings. I tried the chicken feet, hoping they would taste like the flavorful chicken feet from dim sum houses, but alas, it was lacking in flavor, and overcompensating in gelatinous goo. I do like the shredded beef and pork, sweet-tinged beef and pork jerky and fried cuttlefish. As for sweets, I have a soft spot for Pocky. You know Pocky, the sweet cracker sticks, that are dipped into various toppings? Pocky toppings include dark chocolate, coffee, milk tea, white chocolate, caramel, and strawberry. And they also make pretzel versions. Bliss.

One more thing about snacks: people love bringing and eating snacks EVERYWHERE. At the concerts, on the bus, on the metro. You can always hear the crunch and crackle of plastic wrappers being ripped open. Like music to my ears. I found it refreshing that there are no “No food or drinks allowed” rules, though I do wish people would make better use of the trash bins a bit more. It’s not too bad, though. And the tree hugger in me is glad to see that many trash receptacles have a separate recyclable receptacle attached, and there is a widespread energy conservation public awareness campaign afoot.

We made it back to Shanghai in about two hours, and even caught a fireworks show half way in, since we were driving along the water at one point. Then…grumpy and hungry, we all went our separate ways. The bus depot is at the Shanghai Stadium parking lot, and A-Mei Zhang was having a concert that night. It was just starting when we hopped off the bus. I was tempted to buy a ticket from one of the straggling scalpers, but then remembered that a lot of fake tickets were on the market, so had to pass. Quickie dinner at a noodle joint, and then hotel-bound, to rest my weary feet, and dream of crowds and crowds and crowds of tourists in colorful trucker hats scrambling to get into bathroom stalls and tour buses.

Week San (Three)

Shanghai, Week San (Three): October 29 to November 2, 2007.

This was a baaaaad week for me. The weather changed drastically this week for a couple of days…it got super chilly…SF chilly. So I went from a sub-tropical humidity to SF chilly in the course of 24 hours, and that wreaked havoc for me…. I got all sniffly and grumpy. Good Cop teacher suggested I try some Chinese medicinal tea, so I got myself a box at the market, and boiled me up some. It wasn’t too nasty-tasting. I’d like to think it helped, though it’s hard to say. I was medicating myself with Western meds, too. This cold kept me incapacitated for most of the week, though I did find time to arrange tickets for a side trip to Hangzhou, as well as get a massage.

I had a few choices for the massage: at high-end pamper you til you drop, western-style spa, usually in a five-star hotel. Treatments here cost about the same as in the US’ high- end spas. On the other end of the spectrum are the no-frills, Chinese massage parlors. One type, is the blind masseuse parlor, typically one large room with various massage tables, and you hop on, in your street clothes, and the blind masseuse, who is very in tune with the sense of touch, gives you one hell of a massage. You could get an hour’s worth of pummeling for about $5 US. The other type of Chinese massage parlor focuses on the “Oriental foot massage”, and is usually also no-frills, with mostly young girls, who wash your feet in scented hot water, then pummel them to exhausted bliss. These also usually cost $5 – 10 for an hour. Then there’s the midrange massage, which is dominated in Shanghai by the urban retreat center chain called “Dragonfly”. These centers are modeled after your typical western “zen” spa, with lots of dim lighting, candles, soothing music, natural materials like bamboo and cotton, rice paper sliding doors, etc. The best frame of reference I would compare it to would be the Refresh Spa or Kabuki Springs Spa in San Francisco, which are pleasant, mid-range spas. Dragonfly’s treatment menu is pretty simple: one hour increments of Chinese-style or Shiatsu massage, in cotton pajamas that they provide for you to change into; oil massage, which is akin to the aromatherapy, bare-skin massage we’re more familiar with in the west; and the ubiquitous “Oriental foot massage”, which is all about TLC for your tootsies. For an hour of pampering, it will set you back about $20. Needless to say, I went with the mid-range Dragonfly spa, especially since I found one only 10 minutes by foot from my hotel. The Hongmei branch is relatively new, and is inside a restored villa that houses several relatively more upscale, non-Chinese restaurants. There’s an Indian restaurant, a Mexican cantina, a Thai restaurant, and a pub. The entry into the old villa is very low-key, I walked past it once without realizing it housed all the goodies inside. You enter through a stone and metal gate shrewn with ivy, and enter a large, open air courtyard. Roughly eight houses open into the courtyard, each a restaurant or spa. The houses maintain their original façade, and there is ample greenery surrounding each house. On a sunny day, it reminds me a bit of what a Tuscan villa would look like. At night, the neon lights and blaring music cuts into the daytime tranquility. But back to the massage. I thought I’d start with an hour of Chinese-style…and it was wonderful. Just what I needed after two weeks of sleeping on the hotel’s super firm (ie. Hard as rock) mattress. The therapist was a male, which was a little unexpected, actually, since I thought the role reversal (usually men are massaged by women here) would have been really weird for a dude. But he was absolutely professional, and put me at ease immediately. I guess the spa primarily caters to females used to the “western” spa experience, and the therapists are trained accordingly. The individual treatment areas were tiny, basically just enough room for a table and the therapist to maneuver around. We were separated from the treatment area next door by a thin rice paper sliding door, but the space is extraordinarily quiet, with soothing music, and underscored by the very faint sound of pummeling flesh, resounding throughout. The Chinese-style massage was very similar to many massages I’d had in the West, which indicates that much massage therapy has roots in Traditional Chinese Medicine, what with acupressure points and whatnot. The one thing that I didn’t expect was the focus on the ears…he gave my ears much TLC (to the point where I was thinking, “ear fetish, much?”), which I later discovered is because there are many Traditional Chinese Medicine pressure points in our ears.

The massage was over much too quickly, and I was tempted to add another hour, right there on the spot, but I resisted. I didn’t resist, however, buying 9 more hours of massage by the bright receptionist, though, who showed me how much more economical it would be to do so (my $20 massage became $14…30% savings!). Yes, I was very mellow after the massage, and have to admit, I didn’t put up much of a fight. I figured if I didn’t use up the certificates (though I intend to, believe you me) the certificates have no expiry date, so I could use them for my next trip (and I intend to come back, believe you me) or I could give them as Thank You gifts to my school hosts here. So in essence, for the price of one massage in SF, I got 10 massages in Shanghai. I heart Shanghai.

One more note about the “no-frills” massage parlors: the few that I have poked my head into, including the foot massage parlor at my hotel, looked a lot like the foot massage parlor I went to a three years ago in Wei Zhou in southern China: old Chinese rosewood furniture, dusty linoleum flooring, very young, all-female staff…it reminded me of a family association meeting room, reeking of cigarette smoke. The only thing missing was the mah jong tables! Another thing that gave me pause was the fact that the patrons were all male…middle-aged males…you kind of got the idea that this was something businessmen did together, while guzzling brandy and smoking stogies. I did not relish the idea of kicking back with a bunch of old dudes amid cigar smoke, while young girls pummeled my feet. Three years ago, I went to the foot massage parlor with my Mom and a bunch of her middle-aged lady pals, so it was a little less awkward, on the gender front, at least. On the age front, it was kinda uncomfortable for me…though the massage was kick arse. Them gals be strong. All of the therapists were young, and in the course of the communal massage, shared their very sad and similarly tragic stories of leaving school in order to earn money for their families. They made very little money, if the cost of the massage was any indication, and they all lived cooped up in a communal living area onsite. I’m sure I was more self-conscious than they were, but I couldn’t help but think, we are so very similar yet so very different…is it odd for them to be servicing a patron so very close in age and appearance to them, yet worlds away in opportunities for advancement from them? I found myself very depressed after that massage, and truth be told, can’t bear to go to a similar establishment again. Intellectually, I know it’s just a business transaction, and if I didn’t patronize them, they would have that much less income…and a part of me suspects they may have been pouring on the sob story a bit strongly…but we saw their living conditions (we went looking for them to give them gratuities in person, so that the boss wouldn’t get a cut of that extra money), and they were quite appalling. Plus, I suspect that we were probably much more pleasant patrons than their usual customer…who knows how they’re treated by some super-traditional, middle-aged men. I think the guilt of having so much in comparison, and not doing very much with the opportunities that I have been given thus far has me avoiding those old school massage parlors like the plague. My issues, really.

The dichotomy in living standards here has been bothering me lately. Seeing beggars in front of designer boutiques and tony restaurants, and old, cramped apartment buildings with hand-washed laundry hanging in the balconies next to shiny, dizzyingly high skyscrapers and hotels, has put a spotlight on Shanghai’s growing income gap for me. Even the block my charming little locally-owned hotel is on shows signs of the income disparity. There is the hotel, the pricey banquet restaurants, the fountains, the sweeping swank Roman-style villas, and the serene private spa…but nestled among these are a couple of old, rundown apartment buildings, with laundry hanging from bamboo poles in the windows, giving an air of a not-so-well-off life..comparatively speaking, of course. The people living there are not beggars…they are hard-working people who have more economic opportunity now than ten years ago, and probably are better off now than they were ten years ago. I’m not sure where I’m going with this train of thought…more guilt about having so much, relatively speaking? I know I felt uncomfortable when I saw a young woman, probably about my age, washing her hair on the street in front of her dilapidated home. Especially since I had just emerged from a hot shower, with freshly shampooed hair, from my immaculate hotel room less than an hour before. Again, I dunno where I’m going with this. I know I am applying my idea of “well-being” to another person, and I am feeling darned guilty about having more. Don’t worry guys. I’m not gonna go all “Into the Wild” just quite yet.

I think that is as serious as I can get in this blog. Let’s move on to more lighter topics. Halloween here isn’t super crazy…it was a little odd...locals didn't really get into it, though many mainstream stores, like the supermarkets and department stores, had Halloween displays and merchandise. Really, though, only those peeps or orgs with any connections to the West really made any effort. My school, for example, put up some orange balloons, had an electric jack-o-lantern, and a candy dish. And that was a huge effort! Of course, all the expat joints went crazy that night, as they'll take any excuse to party. I stopped by a nearby Cuban-themed bar for a Halloween drink with a Cuban flair, but didn't have too wild a time, as I was still simultaneously nursing a nasty cold, and going through "bloody hell". The cramps, man. The cramps…

Lights, Camera, Acrobats!

Shanghai, October 28, 2007 (Sunday)

Spent the morning at the Yu Yuan (Yu Garden) area. Didn’t actually make it inside because it was so bloody crowded. I vow to return on a weekday, when only the tourists are there, as opposed to tourists and locals. I found another direct bus to the area (Bus 945) which also stopped five minutes from my hotel. The ride lasted about 40 minutes, and took me through a series of streets I hadn’t visited yet. Yu Yuan was the final stop, and the bus emptied directly into the Yu Yuan Tourist Town, a large two block or so square of tourist trap shops and eateries that all feature the same décor as the garden itself, with lots of ornate pagoda facades, old school signage, and statues. The center of the square had some seating and a performance stage, and the various corridors leading to the square were lined with shops selling pretty much the same souvenirs, as well as street food. The street food was presented in a more orderly manner, where you purchase food tickets then hand the tickets to the various vendors. I was drawn by the mesmerizing smell of stinky fried tofu, and bought my first serving of street food, as A) I was not technically on the street; and B) there was a line of at least five locals ahead of me. The hot fried tofu emits a decidedly unappetizing smell (it is fermented in its own juices for a good period of time before it is dropped into sizzling hot oil), but my goodness, the beautiful contrast in textures and aromas when you bit into the fried, smelly goodness. I tried some with spicy chili sauce as well as a sweet sauce, and both went well with the tofu. I took the opportunity to also snag a papaya milk tea, and a warm, fresh, flaky Portuguese-style egg tart, completing my on-the-go lunch.

The food gave me the sustenance to fight my way past the crowds into a narrow street behind the Tourist Town. This street was also lined with shops, many blaring the same recording of “everything in here is 10 yuan”. There were a lot more locals browsing these stores, and I poked my head in a few of the places. For 10 yuan (less than a buck fifty US) you could have some surprisingly presentable handbags, backpacks, totes, or messengers, some even sporting international brand names like Puma, Nike, or Paul Frank. I was tempted a couple of times, but upon closer inspection, the bags showed their cheap construction, especially ones with shoddy plastic zippers. I had to “Just Say No” (or “bu yao le”) and move on.

Yu Yuan is a short walk from the Bund, and I hit it in about 15 minutes or so. I walked my way up the Bund from the south, admiring the beautiful buildings and the waterfront. I found the famous dive named “I Love Shanghai” which is a cool, unpretentious little lounge right on the Bund next to the ferry landing. It was closed, unfortunately, but I made a mental note to return soon for a drink.

It was a crisp day, though slightly muggy, and the visibility across the water was marred by smog-fog. I stopped by the tiny little Bund museum, which is on the first floor of the old signal tower, further up north the Bund from the ferry landing. It’s a dim, intimate space with pictures showing the history and changing landscape of the Bund. If you follow the narrow spiral staircase up to the second floor of the signal tower, you will discover a bar and café, called Atanu, that takes up the rest of the tower’s space. The second floor houses a charming red velvet lounge, and if you continue up the tiny spiral staircase, you will reach the roof patio, which holds about 8 tables. If you continue up the staircase, you will reach the highest point of the signal tower, which houses only a couple of tables. I chose a table on the roof patio, and ordered an obscenely overpriced iced coffee. ($6!!!) But I figured I was paying for the space, as well as the view. I stayed there sipping my coffee for a good hour or so, until it got too chilly. The wind was really whipping strongly, making the wood-planked tables sway.

I continued to make my way up the Bund, intending to finally enter the famous Peace Hotel…but it was packed with tourists. I sighed, vowing to make another special visit another day. It was starting to get dark, and true to all the guidebooks, the Bund’s lights began to transform the already stunning area into a truly wondrous place. Now it really felt like the Bund that a young Chow Yun Fat would stroll along in, clad in his trench and tux. As if he were reading my mind, a vendor hawking souvenir photos on the Bund began singing the theme to the show: “lang bun, lang low….” Hearing that iconic line, albeit in a slight Mandarin accent, at that moment, in that space…it was truly magical, in a super surreal way.

I grabbed a quick dinner of prawns and rice at another café further north up the waterfront before heading back onto Nanjing Road, which is mind-boggling at night. Vegas ain’t got nothing on this street. The neon signs and lights are captivating. Every angle I turned was a new delight, and I wanted to snap a picture of everything, much to the annoyance of the people behind me, I’m sure. I finished my 15-minute picture-snapping trek from the Bund to the People’s Square metro in time to hop a train to Shanghai Circus World Station, which is around the corner from the Shanghai Circus World, a spherical performance space that presents a new show called “Era: A Journey Through Time”, which is very Cirque de Soleil-esque. The theatre is intimate, with a capacity of about 1000 or so. My seat, purchased for $11, was pretty decent. The performance area is state of the art, with amazing lighting and elevated surfaces. I’m told that seeing an acrobat show in Shanghai is a very touristy thing to do. This show, which features acrobats, is definitely not your clichéd acrobat show. While the feats performed are probably quite similar to the “usual” acrobatic feats, this show presented the feats in the context of a story, and complemented the superhuman performances with stunning lighting and graphics on the multiple, oversized screens, beautiful costumes, as well as a live band providing ethereal, Cirque-esque music. Aside from the expected graceful contortionists, gymnasts, tumblers, and aerial artists, one act that really blew me away involved motorcycles in a spherical metal cage. One biker did the gravity-defying revolution along the vertical diameter, and that was amazing…and then they started adding more bikers. The additional bikes raced each other in the cage, along the horizontals and the gravity defying vertical diameters. With the addition of each bike, I found myself shaking my head in disbelief. All in all, seven bikes shared that tiny cage, and they all did the vertical loop, without one falter or pause. Amazing. When the cyclists came out for their bow, the grrl power chick in me was delighted to see that two of the bikers were female. I think all of the acts were very enjoyable, and presented in a charming context or tableau. For example, the tumblers and gymnasts appeared in a sequence modeled after “West Side Story”; two gangs trying to one up each other in their superhuman tumbling and leaping. The aerial artists, a graceful girl, and an athletic man, were presented in the context of a love story, with the two artists falling in love while hanging twenty feet above ground grasping only sheer panels of chiffon. One bizarre sequence involved space cadets powering a huge hamster wheel…three would be inside the wheel, running and making it revolve, while another couple would be outside of the wheel, running on top of it. The balance needed to stay upright must have been superhuman…and of course, what do you do when you see grown men dressed as space cadets struggling to stay upright atop a huge hamster wheel? You throw in some fire batons and a jump rope, and make one cadet juggle fire, and another one jump rope, while atop the hamster wheel. Wacky stuff! I really enjoyed this show, and highly recommend it. My one beef is with some of my fellow audience members. We were asked repeatedly to not take flash photography, as that could put the performers lives in (more) danger. Yet I saw at least a half dozen flashes go off throughout the show. Grrr. One of the flashes went off in the row behind me, from the same old guy who TOOK OFF HIS SHOES and perched his stockinged feet atop the seat back of the guy next to me. Not cool, man…

Concert Day, Part Deux: Andy Lau Strikes Back

Shanghai, October 27, 2007 (Saturday)

It’s Canto-Pop Concert Day, Part Deux! I spent the morning in the People’s Park area again. I discovered a direct bus (925) that stops just five minutes from my hotel, so I hopped on. The ride to People’s Park took about 40 minutes, which is really comparable to my former bus-metro combination, and the bus fare cost half as much, so I was delighted that I not only did NOT have to make the long trek, but that I was also paying less. Score! Plus I got to whiz past many Shanghai streets I wouldn’t have passed, as well as got to see Huai Hai Road, the other main shopping road in Shanghai…just blocks and blocks of shiny shopping high-rises, with tall billboards hawking every brand imaginable.

The bus stopped virtually in front of the Shanghai Museum, so I thought it an opportune time to visit that venerable institution. I was delighted to see that they offered a special student ticket, so I whipped out my USF student ID, strapped on my backpack more firmly, and asked the kind ticket seller for a student ticket in my sweetest, ‘school rocks, yes I’m still a student, dammit’ voice. If my life were a manga, this scene would be drawn with my speech bubble completely peppered in little hearts. And I would have huge…eyes. Yes, eyes. But I digress. I got the student ticket, which was a quarter of what the full ticket would have cost. Score! I’m on a roll!

The museum is really wonderful, thoughtfully laid out, and well presented. I’m not super keen on bronzes or sculpture, so I breezed through those two exhibition rooms. I do enjoy pottery and porcelain, so I spent a little more time in that hall. I was continuously amazed by the utterly beautiful details and stunning craftsmanship of these ancient pieces. I was also delighted to see pieces that went beyond expected daily utility (i.e. plate, bowls, food and drink storage). Some unexpected objects were a dainty little porcelain bird feeder, a whimsical porcelain dog figurine, and pillows made of pottery (!). Could this be a clue as to why my bed is so firm? Could there be traditional Chinese medicinal benefits to a firm mattress and pillow?

I was also impressed by some of the clean, modern-looking pieces; these ancient pieces that were hundreds of years old had such spare, elegant lines, and simple colors, that I could easily imagine them on the shelves at Ikea or Crate and Barrel.

There was a special exhibit of Swedish silver, and I salivated over these gorgeous pieces, especially a couple of coffeepots from the 1970s that looked like works of art.

Another special exhibit featured paintings on loan from the Prado Museum in Spain. Aside from a brief intro about the Prado Museum, there was a sizable selection of rich oil Baroque and Renaissance paintings. There were a couple of racier ones, i.e. nudes of Venus, a courtesan, and wood nymphs. There were a few twitters from adolescents around these paintings, but really, given the fact that there’s a sex history art museum in one of the nearby water towns, I don’t think these oils were that shocking.

Another exhibit that I enjoyed was the minority crafts hall, which showcased the handicrafts, particularly the clothing, of various Chinese minority groups. The cloth and clothes were lovely, and functional, and I was pleasantly surprised to see ancient artifacts of unexpected objects such as a toothbrush, a dinner knife case, etc.

I also really admired the seal collection. The seals, also known as chops, are intricate carved blocks of various materials (stones, jades) with different designs for the top portion, which you hold, as well as different engravings for the bottom seal portion. The top portion (the handle) often were delicate figures of animals; my faves were the dragons, the turtles (oooh, cooters!), and dogs. These seals varied in sizes, from small and dainty, to something you would have to pick up with two hands. The materials were also beautiful in themselves, with the stones showing variations in color and pattern. On some of the chops, the sides were engraved with poetry…tiny perfect characters of beautiful verse. The actual seal portions were also lovely, usually two to four ancient script characters of names or titles. I was very much enamored by these chops, and I plan on picking up a few while in Shanghai.

I took a break in the Museum’s tea room over a cup of green tea, then made my way to the Museum Store. I saw a few things I might get, but I figured I’d shop around before making a commitment.

I wandered past People’s Square into a series of small back streets, including a “food street” that had many small restaurants, as well as street vendors. These vendors didn’t fit my criteria of “not technically on the street” or “had a line of 5 locals or more”, so I had to pass them by. It’s interesting how simple these vendors’ operations are. I am pretty sure these guys were unlicensed, as I can’t imagine any official signing off on a metal barrel with charcoal over which you roasted sweet potatoes. Or a dude with a bike who rigged up a pot with charcoal over which a small metal griddle was heated and oiled so he could grill hot dogs on sticks and chicken and squid skewers. Then there was the lady with fresh melon pieces on a stick, as well as a couple of guys roasting chestnuts on woks. The smells and sounds and bustle were amazing, and I was mighty tempted to forego my street food criteria just this once. I compromised when I saw a snack foods storefront selling milk tea and skewers, so I got myself a cuppa and a couple of chicken and squid skewers.

I wandered around these residential streets for another hour or so, walking under freshly washed clothes hung out to dry. I hoped my good luck would hold despite walking under many many pairs of people’s newly laundered skivvies. (It’s a Chinese superstitious thing). I made my way towards Feng Yang Market, a relatively well-known complex of small vendors who sold touristy things and designer knock-offs. Wow. Four floors of vendors with basically the same stuff. I wasn’t sure where to begin. Should I start at the bottom, get warmed up, then go for the kill on the fourth floor, where there were less shoppers, and thus, the vendors would be more desperate to make a sale? Or should I hit the rear of the complex, which due to the difficulty in getting to those booths, would also be eager for shopper and be more open to bargaining? I decided to compromise…doing a spin of the first couple of floors, casually inquiring prices before moving on. I wanted to see the different opening prices, as well the merchandise among the different stores first. The funny thing is, I didn’t see any “must have” things. There were things that I wouldn’t mind getting, but nothing really stood out. Plus, I didn’t want to lug purchases to the concert…so I wandered the complex for a little while longer before taking my leave, making a mental note to return on a day dedicated to shopping.

As the late afternoon darkened into early evening, I made my way to a metro station, which took me straight to the Shanghai Stadium, where Andy Lau’s concert was being held. The stadium is so huge, there are two metro stops. Actually, I realized there were two stadiums as well, both named Shanghai Stadium. Well, that makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it…I spied a couple of glowstick vendors on the metro, with their handcarts piled with cartons of glowsticks and signed posters of Andy Lau, and figured I’d just get off at the station they were getting off at. The area was teeming with scalpers and street vendors selling glowsticks, binoculars, and posters. I saw a mall right across from the stadium and took refuge there, only to discover the place was packed to the brim with shoppers. The food court in the basement was packed; people were lining up to get seated at Mickey D’s and Papa John’s for crissakes. I thought I’d spurge on one of the nicer restaurants at the top of the complex. Bad idea. A wedding was taking place at one, and the line for the other was also very long. I guess I wasn’t the only one with the bright idea to grab a bite before the concert near the stadium. I exited the mall, waving off at least 10 scalpers, and wended my way around the block, peeking into a couple of the restaurants I passed. Also packed with people waiting to be seated. A couple of blocks away, I finally find a small divey place, called a “small eats restaurant”, that had a couple of small tables free. There were a mix of locals and expats, so I figured it would be serviceable. The prices were off the wall cheap. I had a hearty plate of beef curry with rice, an order of little dragon dumplings, and a tall lemon iced tea for $4. Awesome.

After that huge dinner, I waddled back to the stadium, which had opened up its admission gates. It took me 15 minutes to get to the side of the stadium where my seat was located. It’s effin huge, 80,000-seat capacity. My seat was mid-nosebleed range…I saw the stage, but was at such a weird angle that the huge screens at either side of the stage weren’t 100% visible. Oh darn, no karaoke for me tonight.

The concert only started 15 minutes late. It started pretty well, with songs I recognized. Andy Lau looked pretty good for a dude pushing 40+. His opening act outfit was all white; white pants and a white vest that he wore unbuttoned over his surprisingly chiseled and cut chest. He has a great sense of humor, and is a good performer, presenting well-rehearsed and choreographed sequences with panache. However…he sang the entire concert in Mandarin, even the hits for which the Cantonese version is more well-known. That didn’t sit too well with me, since I often preferred the Cantonese version. I couldn’t get into the songs.

He knows how to put on a show: lots of flashy, Dancing with the Stars-esque choreography. And even an Armani fashion show (Armani sponsored some of his concert wardrobe) that occurred during one of his wardrobe changes. He ended up being the finale of the mini fashion show, strutting his stuff in an immaculately cut black suit. He also did a slow R&B song with the models, very corny, exaggerated stuff, but it worked, even despite the fact that a few of the models towered over him.

A corny sequence that didn’t work was a young, summery bit in which he was dressed in a white t-shirt, jeans, and inexplicably, a sarong tied over his jeans. His female backup dancers pranced about grasping oversized fake lollipops, and other dancers, dressed in costumes made to look like cartons of popcorn boxes, awkwardly hopped around. WTF? It was at this point that the concert began lagging for me.

Another sequence that really didn’t work was one in which he did a series of faster choreographed songs, dressed in white blazer, white tank, and jeans. Sounds ok, yes? Then he topped the ensemble with a white cap. Not an Ashton Kutcher, I am a cool, hipster trucker cap. Think “Hello, My Name is Andy, would you like to super-size that?” white cap. Dude. Armani did not sign off on that, believe you me. He got more and more corny and yes, arrogant as the night drew on…asking for more applause and screams, pulling his tank up to show off his six pack while singing a slow love song…that sort of thing. It got tired real quick.

Yet another sequence that was horribly cheesy, and that frankly, sucked, was a prolonged bit of musical theatre where he was dressed in an odd, pseudo-ancient Chinese minority costume (think something from the 1980s ancient China TVB series, only in brighter colors). This bit involved some really bad overacting: “Princess, don’t leave me! Noooooo!” (Editor’s Note: What the hell happened to the understated actor who kicked arse in so many Hong Kong movies, like Infernal Affairs???). The sequence also featured prolonged love songs, some lame wire work, where he ascends skyward as his princess writhes on stage, and some flouncy panels of sheer chiffon. I spent the whole time alternately gagging and rolling my eyes. This was actually the finale, and I was so disgusted that I muscled my way out of the stadium then and there…even though, as is the custom, he would have at least one more encore planned. In fact, his first encore started just as I exited my seating area. ANOTHER mandarin song. Sheesh. I know it’s unreasonable for him to sing Cantonese versions of songs in which a mandarin version exists…but it was a real downer for me, especially since I grew up listening to his Cantonese versions. All in all, thumbs up on the first half of the show, and thumbs down on the second half. No comment on the encores…though I really doubt he could have redeemed himself during the encores after that horrible musical theatre bit. I beat the crowds, made it to the metro station, hopped a cab, and got back to the hotel in record time.