We started the day in the ZhuJiaJiao Water Village. It was
about 45 minutes outside of Shanghai and a very interesting spot. Known as the
Venice of China this picturesque little village sits amid very fertile farm
land. Imagine one-thousand-year old stone foot bridges that span these peaceful
canals. The canals are lined with stalls on either side with stores and food
vendors. The Chinese are so entrepreneurial that they can turn the smallest
crevice in to a retail opportunity. Vendors sold clothing, souvenirs, beverages
and loads of fresh foods. We saw a lot of fresh/live foods for sale, fish, eel,
crabs, frogs and turtle. The canals were navigated by these wooden gondolas manned
by a single rower with an old hand carved wooden paddle. We took our noon meal
in a canal side establishment where we were treated to groat tea, a beautiful
and simply prepared chicken with cashew nuts and the pork belly along with many
other dishes to share. Shanghai food is sweeter and has little hot and spicy
flavors. This village did have a stinky tofu vendor. None of us tried this
because just the smell alone was repellent enough to send the girls scattering.
On the way out older women manned small inventories of fresh fruits and
vegetables for sale along the canal walls. Such amazing faces, lined and darker
completed from years of working in the sunshine. It is sunny today with blue
skies. The air is clear by Shanghai standards but hazy in the eye of the Midwesterner.
A high speed rail is being built from Shanghai to this village so I have a
feeling that its quaintness is short lived. Shanghai citizens are already
purchasing townhouses in this village to rent while they are working with plans
to retire here.
It was a long ride back to the Pearl Tower. There is
definitely less traffic in Shanghai than Beijing. I think that public
transportation is used more frequently and people do not own as many cars.
There are rental bikes everywhere that people use in between subway stops and
their destinations. We used one of the tunnels to go under the Bund into Pudong
which is an architectural wonderland. Just until recently it was the home to
the world’s tallest building which now happens to be in Dubai. The buildings
here are quite cutting edge and more decorative than most skyscrapers in the
US. At night they are lit up with projected images and the whole city appears
to be filled with flashing fireworks. Our guide shared today that they are no
longer lighting fireworks at the Chinese New Year due to the pollution. I am
sure this does help but it seems a small step in a monumental problem caused by
fairly unregulated industry.
The Pearl Tower is a very tall, very ornamental building
that has glass terraces that you walk out on for sweeping views of the Bund. I
decided to sit this one out in the lobby café… enjoying some quiet time and
engaging in one of my favorite hobbies of people watching. Many of you know
that I am Claustrophobic and I have had one too many confined spaces in the
past three weeks with plane rides, subways, trains, buses, cabs and crowds in
general. But back to people watching, it seems that everyone in China sits
staring at their iphones just like the people in the U.S. In general I have
observed that the Chinese are marrying and parenting later in life. And even
though the one child policy has changed and people can now have two children
you do not see this commonly. Our guides when speaking candidly have explained
this notion of two children as too expensive and too much trouble. A very
practical and modern way of thinking I guess.
My Mom took a selfie atop the Pearl Tower.
Dinner was served in a smokey off road joint. It had VIP
rooms filled with men chain smoking and drinking liquor. There was a dish like
rice crispies with mushrooms and other assorted fungi that was interesting but
that was all that could be said.
Next the night cruise on the Bund. Pudong (which is the
modern skyline of Shanghai) was built post 1994… most of it yet to be completed
by 2005 when we adopted Coco. It is the neatest most modern skyline imaginable.
At night it is lit to Las Vegas type style but somehow it is not offensive. It
is beautiful and contemporary as it sets off the colonial architecture
(well-lit too) on the Bund side. A modern, thoughtful mix of old verses young
and very much Shanghai. Our guide Alex said his clients were encouraging him to
visit Chicago. Chicago could be Shanghai’s second cousin twice removed. As a
Shanghai native I cannot imagine what he would think about Chicago… a tiny town
no doubt. This is a modern city, a smart city, a wealthy and creative city,
future leaning and loveable. We are definitely going to return here someday.
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