Instead of a fancy schmancy breakfast at the hotel, my son opted for some authentic Chinese food. We stepped into this tiny dim sum place where the locals had queued up. With the help of hand gestures, iTranslate, and the kindness of a young woman who left her lunch in order to help us out, we were able to order some chicken, steaming noodles and dumplings, and scallion pancakes fried to a golden crisp, their delicate layers as delicious as those of a paratha. This sustenance was much needed as we explored the city with Mr Liu all day: Yuyuan Bazaar in the center of Shanghai’s old town, the Bund and its stunning views of the financial district, the Jingan and Jade Buddha Temples and finally, Tianzifang in the French Concession.
Throughout I felt this ease, this comfort. The weather reminded me of Lahore in December – cold but livened up with bright, warm sunshine. The loud, motley chorus of bird calls early in the morning overlaid with the sound of sweeping brooms, the smog, the smells, the burning of incense in temple courtyards, and the mixture of old and new are all very familiar. What’s surprising is that for a mega city of 24 million (compared to Lahore’s 8-10 million) the traffic is stunningly quiet and relaxed – lots of bikes and electric scooters, and people can cross streets without any frenzied running or honking, sometimes in the absence of traffic signals. Also, the city is amazingly clean – cleaner than Lahore, cleaner than Paris, cleaner than New York. It’s all part of Chinese efficiency, which I must acknowledge – started with our flight on China Eastern Airlines and continues with all the help at the hotel, the service at every restaurant, the process followed at every bus and trolley stop, and every tourist destination. It’s seamless.
I loved Tianzifang and its maze of quaint alleyways, artsy shops, cafes and tea houses. Loved the French Concession generally. Not its history of colonialism (the area was built by the French in the aftermath of China’s loss in the Opium Wars in 1842, when Shanghai was forcefully transformed into an international “port of call”) but its plane trees – lush trees that line every single boulevard, their white bark and dramatic branches creating a canopy of shimmering leaves over some of the narrower streets. Their splendid lines fashion the entire neighborhood.
At night we returned to the Bund to catch a glimpse of Shanghai’s famous skyline, all lit up and reflected brightly in the Huangpu River. The perfect end to a very busy day 🙂
