The Old and New Shanghai

Shanghai is, amazingly, a nice place to visit in mid-autumn. The weather is beautiful, not too hot and not too cold, and there are many celebrations running at this time too. The Shanghai Tourism Festival has brought in a lot of celebrities to the city, as well the beautiful Flower Parlour and Street Performances.

Second, the Mid Autumn Festival is one of the major celebrations by Chinese. There are lanterns everywhere, which made the whole city done up for this festival.

The last but not least - if you stay long enough ‘till October 1st, you can celebrate the Chinese National Day with millions of people in Shanghai, and, at the same time, experience watching fireworks at The Bund with millions of Chinese from all over the country!

Quick Tips:

Tip no. 1:
If you are thinking about traveling to the other parts of China in the same trip, you may consider starting your journey from Shanghai. The reason being that Shanghai is one pit stop that you can gather travel information, and the Shanghai Train Station serves as a major stop that connects to almost every part of China.

Tip no. 2:
Spitting is still frequently practised by the Chinese, although community messages have been put up in every single corner as a reminder to keep a cleaner city and prctise better hygiene. DO NOT wear open toe sandles, as you may get some phlegm on your feet in a busy city. Second, when you hear the familiar sounds of "Krakkk...", be ready to get away as far as you could! Third, check the ground clearly before putting down your backpacks/bags on the floor, even on the train!

Best Way To Get Around:

The best way to get around in town is by the light rail train, the Metro. There are currently two Metro lines that basically bring you to almost every corner of Shanghai. Alternatively, you can consider the taxis, as there are plenty of them, they are easy to get, and cheap too!

Walking is actually not a bad idea, as it gives you opportunities to experience the NEW and OLD sides of Shanghai. This is proven by walking from The Bund to Nanjing Lu, Old Town and the French Concession!

However, travelling around the nearby provinces, like Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui, should be done by train. The Chinese train system is modern, affordable, and convenient. {I will discuss a little bit more on this in my free-form entry.)

Located just 5 minutes away from The Bund and the busy Nanjing Dong Lu, Dongshi Hotel offers excellent service as a two-star hotel.

There are different types of suites and standard rooms, a restaurant, a lobby, a tourist ticketing office, and a lobby bar.

The room is clean and equipped with bathroom amenities, a water flask, slippers, daily housekeeping service, and 24-hour security.

Although it doesn't provide as great a view like the five-star hotels in Pudong, such as the Hyatt or Shangri-la, it definitely provides the basic needs to all guests.

Overall ratings:
1. Service – Good
2. Location – Excellent
3. Cleanliness – Good
4. Friendliness – Good
5. Price - Cheap (RMB360 per night, book through www.hostelworld.com)

Located opposite the Shi Liu Pu Wharf, the inn is about a 5-minute walk from The Bund and a 15-minute walk from Nanjing Dong Lu. This charming two-star inn is a perfect accomodation for those who want a clean, service-equipped hotel, which is easily accessed by public transportation.

The inn has only six levels, thus not accomodating too many guests at a time, which provides a peaceful experience.

Standard rooms start from RMB278, even during peak season, like the National Day. Some rooms provide a good view, where you can see the Oriental Pearl Tower.

Services include:
1. Housekeeping
2. 24-hour security
3. Cold and hot water dispenser in the room
4. Toilet amenities
5. Air conditioning

Note: A deposit of RMB100 for the room access card is required.

Da Niang Shui Jiao is a chain restaurant located in almost every city in China.

It serves very economical noodles; cold dishes; and various types of dumplings, from vegetarian to beef and pork.

Dumplings are sold in the units of liang. One liang has about five to six dumplings, depending on the type you chose, and it costs between RMB2.5 to RMB5 per liang.

Yummy cold dishes are available from RMB5 and above, with a lot of other noodles to chose from.

WAY TO GET YOUR FOOD:
Order the food and pay total amount at the counter. Get your drinks and the receipt. Then find a table to sit down; waiters and waitresses will then get you receipt and deliver your food.

Established in 1952, the Shanghai Museum covers 38,000 square metres and is 29.5m in height with five floors on the ground and two floors underground. It houses 120,000 pieces of works of arts in collection.

The building itself is a stunning $700-million masterpiece, which is specially designed to recall an ancient ding – a three-legged food/wine vessel used for cooking and serving. The entrance is guarded by a row of lions and mythological beasts.

The main galleries are located at the first to fourth floors, which can be accessed by an escalator.

The First Floor
1. Ancient Chinese Bronze Gallery
2. Ancient Chinese Sculpture Gallery

The Second Floor
1. Ancient Chinese Ceramics Gallery
2. Zande Lou Ceramics Gallery

The Third Floor
1. Chinese Painting Gallery
2. Chinese Calligraphy Gallery
3. Chinese Seal Gallery

The Fourth Floor
1. Chinese Minority Nationalities’ Art Gallery
2. Ancient Chinese Jade Gallery
3. Chinese Coin Gallery
4. Chinese Ming & Qing Furniture Gallery
5. Room of Ancient Central Asian Coins on the Silk Road

You may need a half-day to cover all of them, and the fourth floor will take more time than the others with many more displays. My personal suggestion is to start from the fourth floor to the first floor, so that you don’t have to waste time getting down to the ground floor once you have finished.

Photography is allowed in most of the galleries.

Entrance Fee:
RMB20 for adults or RMB5 for students

Opening Time:
9am to 5pm Monday to Friday (last entry at 4pm)

Sun Yat-Sen definitely has a few memorial museums, Mausoleum Parks, and former residences in China, as he has been such a great hero to the People of Republic China. The former residence of Sun Yet-Sen in Shanghai is an important memento of Sun Sun Yet-Sen. He stayed in there from 1918 to 1924.

The two-story house is very much protected to look exactly the same as there hasn't been too much change to its original settings and furniture. There is a statue of Sun Yet-Sen when you walk in to the main entrance, with a informative sign on the left, in English and Chinese, describing his life here in Shanghai.

The first room you enter will lead you to a little museum with lots of Sun Yet-Sen’s pictures, his historical moments in the country and some correspondences he has generated during the war. The room also has displays on Song Qingling; his wife’s pictured too.

When you are done with the little museum and have a better understanding of Sun Yet-Sen, proceed to the right where you will come to a British-Style garden and the entrance to the kitchen.

The guide will be collecting your ticket here. She will then make sure everyone entering the house is wearing a plastic bag (more like a shower cap to me) over your shoes. You might need to wait for a while to gather a group of people in order for her to start touring around. The guide speaks Chinese; however, she will play pre-recorded information in English once she has done her Chinese version.

The first room is a living room, with a great fire place and a huge picture of Sun Yet-Sen on top. The living room is decorated with a few ancient Chinese antiques. The room next door is his study room. The study room still has his desk and meeting table. There is a sword on top of the fireplace, which is presented to him by a Japanese General. The sword is said to be 600 years old!

Further up is a balcony where you can look of out the house and have a good view of the British-style garden. The third room displayed is Sun Yet-Sen and Song Qingling’s bedroom. There is a double bed, which is made up of two single beds, with the mattress said to be the original one that they slept on. There are a few paintings and some decorations in the room that look very stunning. There is always a wall drop displaying some of his old uniforms, personal tools, and glasses.

The tour only takes approximately 10 minutes. After that, take the windy, small staircase down the hall, which will lead you back to the kitchen where you start your tour. Also, you must return the SHOWER CAP to them!! I think they recycle them again and again.

Admission Fee: RMB8/adult
Opening Time: 9:00am to 4:30pm, Monday to Saturday

Many people warned me about the awful condition of China Railway and their level of services before I traveled to China. I couldn’t imagine the worst scenario and how bad it could be; thus, I made it a point to see China by train, with a friend of mine as a companion.

Our journey started from Shanghai, which I believe is the city with the best train access to the other provinces. Our first train ride was an 11-hour ride from Shanghai to Huangshan, Anhui. Subsequently, we took a train to Jiangsu and stopped at the major towns of Nanjing, Wuxi and Suzhou. Our last stop was Hangzhou, Zhejiang, before heading back to Shanghai. It may seem a bit out of direction, but it was the best way I could think of, considering the Huangshan train tickets are booked through a local travel agency, CTRIP. Plus, the Mid Autumn Festival (a big thing in China) and the peak season of the Chinese National Day have resulted in very busy train travel for Chinese family gatherings and the long National Day holiday!

Shanghai – Huangshan
Date: 22/09/04
Time: 22:02
Train: N518
Journey: 11 hours
Type of Seat: Hard Sleeper (upper berth)
Price: RMB$164

The first time onboard, we were shocked and lost when we found out that we would have to sleep with so many people on a cart overnight. All we did was sit on the bed and see more and more people walking up to this cart. The gap between the two beds was extremely small, so that we could easily touch the person sleeping opposite! The upper berth has so little overhead space that you couldn’t sit up at all. Thus, I decided to sit at the lower berth with my friend.

We sat there without moving for a while, still surprised, until the train reached Suzhou one hour later. The lights were off, and it was a little bit quieter by then. We realized that we were lucky to have two couples with us in the same bunk: a Taiwanese and a Chinese couple who were heading to Huangshan for a visit too. That comforted us a little. We finally accepted the fact that we were in China, and this is how their trains work. So we decided to sleep after two more hours and let the train take control.

Huangshan – Nanjing
Date: 24/09/04
Time: 22:38
Train: N520
Journey: 7 hours
Type of Seat: Hard Sleeper (middle berth)
Price: RMB$105

We were on the second row of bunks from the toilet, where they kept the first row clear for drivers and staff onboard. It was not a very good location, as there were many people walking past us to the toilet and to get hot water from there. Although we didn’t have to worry who slept beside us like we did on the last train, we still had to worry about who was sleeping above us. A man came in and climbed straight up to the upper berth. As the space is too small, he had to lie down and read his paper. I did not have a very good feeling about him, and it doubled my worries when my friend told me that he tried to check us out from above a few times. I knew then I would have to be extra careful that night. I slept with my jacket zipped up to my neck, and I put the quilt at the right side and tried to keep myself very close to the wall so that he wouldn’t be able to touch me or do anything to me in the middle of the night.

All went well--the ticket officer returned our ticket slightly before the train arrived at Nanjing. It was 5:30am, and we were cold and sleepy as we made our way to the ticketing office through a construction area. We bought our tickets to Wuxi with sleepy eyes.

Nanjing – Wuxi
Date: 27/09/04
Time: 13:30
Train: T713
Journey: 2 hours
Type of Seat: Hard Seater
Price: RMB$29

Wuxi is not as big as the other cities we visited. It has nothing much to see, and there were not many people getting on and off at the station. My friend slept through the journey, as she was not feeling too well. There were two men sitting right opposite us, and both of them were sleeping. I thought it would be a perfect time to catch some sleep too! However, the woman with the trolley was out and going, selling fruits and the Nanjing’s specialty, "salt water duck". Announcements were loud and clear, promoting the salt water duck as the perfect gift for family and relatives for this Mid Autumn Festival! I fell asleep after a while, until I reached Wuxi.

Wuxi – Suzhou
Date: 28/09/04
Time: 15:27
Train: T713
Journey: 27 minutes
Type of Seat: Hard Seater
Price: RMB$12

This was the shortest train ride we had taken, which was good indeed, as my friend was not feeling very well that day and traveling with a flu bug. However, the scenery outside was extremely calming--there were paddy fields, rivers, and lakes. Because of that, I knew we were on the right train, heading east to the City of Gardens, Suzhou.

Suzhou – Hangzhou
Date: 29/09/04
Time: 15:25
Train: N503
Journey: 3.5 hours
Type of Seat: Hard Seater
Price: RMB$44

I sat on the left side with two girls and an old man, while my friend sat on the right of the train with a Chinese family. The family was eating Gua Zi and chatting throughout the entire journey, and that was irritating, especially when we were trying to catch some sleep to energize ourselves. I started to read when I realized that there was no way of getting sleep on that train. However, the old man sitting opposite me was making too much movement to get his noodles cooked and his apple and bowl cleaned. I couldn’t concentrate on my reading after all. So I looked at the family sitting with my friend and started to listen to their stories about daily life, which I found quite interesting.

The train stopped at Shanghai for about 10 minutes for passengers to get off and on. The train then started again; however, it went backward, which made me panic for a second. My friend asked if we were supposed to change trains at Shanghai, but I was quite sure that I saw the girl’s ticket next to me, and she was heading to Hangzhou too. I was trying to make some sense out of it when I heard that kid asking his dad why the train was going backward. He explained that the railway from west to east ends at Shanghai, and traveling down south to Hangzhou requires travelling on a different railway, so the train has to go backward and change lanes instead. I felt better after hearing that!

Hangzhou – Shanghai
Date: 01/10/04
Time: 18:47
Train: T178
Journey: 2 hours
Type of Seat: Hard Seater
Price: RMB$33

The Hangzhou train station was the best of all that I saw on this journey. The building is of modern architecture, with a few levels. When the taxi let us off at the departure hall upstairs, there were many people sitting outside the checking point. They were either too early for their trains, or they had no tickets to travel on that day. Security that night was extremely tight, as there were just too many people trying to board the train without a ticket. I guess most of them were trying their luck at getting a free ride to the big city to see fireworks for the National Day.

The train left Hangzhou slightly after 18:47. Although it was a two-hour ride, we could hardly sleep and rest. There were a few men playing Chinese chess at the opposite side who made noise occasionally, there was a girl sitting next to me who was on the phone for almost 10 minutes, and there was a man trying to put on a show on the train to sell socks! He was making extra efforts to prove that the socks were durable and a good value for the money. The show went on for about 20 minutes. When it was finally over, the woman with the trolley was making her rounds on the train, selling cup noodles, junk foods, and some local specialties. Her voice was loud enough to make the whole cart hear! I closed my eyes after an hour of disturbances, and I was awakened by some noise outside the train. I saw fireworks when I opened my eyes, and it was really handsome. I wonder where the fireworks came from. My friend was soundly asleep. I sat awhile thinking about the days that I had been backpacking in China, and I was so proud of myself.