Shanghai - Pearl of the Orient
The trip from Zhenjiang to Shanghai on the MagLev was uneventful. The train left the station precisely at 7:57am and 92 minutes later we arrive in Shanghai. For those of you not familair with the MagLev think of a Buck Rogers type transportation model. MagLev stands for Magnetic Levitation and that is how this train operates and moves. All the cars and the tracks contain magnets that keep the cars inches off the metal tracks. A series of alternating magnets propel the train at speeds over 180 mph. Because there are no wheels to spin round and round and no track sections to go clickly-clack the ride is smooth and quiet.
This is our Space-Age train.
Cruising at just 165 mph.
Emily and Hairl look lost at Shanghai Railway Station S. Don't worry, everyone got to their destination.
Driving to the hotel we see Shanghai's Oriental Pearl Tower. We must be in the big city.
Shanghai - Day 1
What was once a sleepy fishing village on the Huangpu River and the Yangtze is now the largest city in China. This busy city has the hustle and bustle of anymodern city in the world. Today it's famous for the Oriental Pearl Tower which rises over 1200 feet in the city's new financial district. Instead of long winded descrptions I will let your form your own impressions of the city.
Pudong District
All lighted up at night. The lights go out at 11:00pm to conserve energy.
More of the financial district at night.
A typical Shanghai shopping mall. People from all over China come to Shanghai to shop, now we know why.
Seven floors of brand names!
Monuments celebrating the People's Republic are everywhere.
The financial district has all the new stuff, including busy round abouts.
Wedding shots. There is something about Shanghai that brings all the wedding photographers to use the tower as a backdrop. More on this later.
A few thousand of my closests friends take advantage of the cool evening air to walk alogn The Bund. The Bund could be considered a museum of architecture of buildings constructed from the 1890s to the 1930s. Once the premier financial center of Asia and home to many banks and shipping companies, it resembles Chicago's Michigan Avenue at night. Be advised, it's always crowded.
The former Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation building built in 1923 and the Jiang Hai Custom House built in 1927.
The Russo-Chinese Bank Building built in 1901.
The Union Insurance Company, 1922, The Nishin Navigation Company, 1925, and theChina Merchants Building, built in 1897.
Looking north towards the older part of Shanghai.
The weather has been hot and humid, in the high 80s with 40% to 70% humidity. But, I am thankful that I was not caught in the torrential rainsthat hit Beijing on Friday, the 4.9 earthquake in Wangying or the typhoon that is currently making landfall to the south in Hong Kong.More later.
Back to the Shanghai home page.