We started off the day at the beautiful Yu Yuan Bazaar and Gardens in the Old City section of Shanghai. We got an early start so the crowds were smaller at first.
Yu Garden, commissioned by a Ming Dynasty official in the 16th century, was absolutely beautiful. One of the buildings contained this unique wooden furniture.
Waterways connected gardens, rock gardens, pavillions and courtyards.
Waterways connected gardens, rock gardens, pavillions and courtyards.
Back in the bazaar area the crowds had picked up considerably. Still, we wanted to walk the bridge with 9 zigzags for good luck. So did several thousand Chinese. We did not walk the bridge so much as we were swept through the bridge by the mass of humanity. The kids thought it was hilarious that everyone--even elderly ladies--were pushing and shoving. The zigzags bring luck: in ancient China, nine was the highest number and therefore brings the most luck. Plus, evil spirits cannot turn corners so if you go through nine zigs and zags you can pretty much get away from all the bad stuff.
Yu Yuan Bazaar's colors and crowds were exhilirating.
We stopped at this delicious restaurant for lunch where the locals enjoyed watching Asher and Barek eat with chopsticks!
The first vendor sells coconuts and the second roasted items including corn.
We went with an SAS group to see a Chinese Acrobats performance that was truly spectacular. The gymnastics, aerial work, plate spinning, pottery juggling, and all-around artistry were breathtaking. Lots of high risk moments, but the finale with 8 artists riding motorcyles inside a metal sphere was wild. Back in North America, Cirque du Soleil borrows heavily on Asian, Russian, and Eastern European circus traditions. This performance was very much like a Cirque du Soleil production in its reliance on a hip combination of traditional and contemporary music and costumes. Although Cirque initially borrowed from China, I couldn't help but wonder if China has re-borrowed from Cirque in order to contemporize their work. Whatever the influences of this particular production, it was a huge hit with everyone. Thousands of tiny Chinese fortunes floated from the domed ceiling at the very end. No photos allowed, so this is the outside of the building and a photo in the lobby of the boys with Malaysian tourists who wanted a picture with Barek and Asher. It turns out that the husband of the family went to SIU for undergrad as I did We were not there at the same time, but enjoyed sharing stories.
We stopped at this delicious restaurant for lunch where the locals enjoyed watching Asher and Barek eat with chopsticks!
The first vendor sells coconuts and the second roasted items including corn.
We went with an SAS group to see a Chinese Acrobats performance that was truly spectacular. The gymnastics, aerial work, plate spinning, pottery juggling, and all-around artistry were breathtaking. Lots of high risk moments, but the finale with 8 artists riding motorcyles inside a metal sphere was wild. Back in North America, Cirque du Soleil borrows heavily on Asian, Russian, and Eastern European circus traditions. This performance was very much like a Cirque du Soleil production in its reliance on a hip combination of traditional and contemporary music and costumes. Although Cirque initially borrowed from China, I couldn't help but wonder if China has re-borrowed from Cirque in order to contemporize their work. Whatever the influences of this particular production, it was a huge hit with everyone. Thousands of tiny Chinese fortunes floated from the domed ceiling at the very end. No photos allowed, so this is the outside of the building and a photo in the lobby of the boys with Malaysian tourists who wanted a picture with Barek and Asher. It turns out that the husband of the family went to SIU for undergrad as I did We were not there at the same time, but enjoyed sharing stories.
Next was the Jade Temple in Shanghai where people were praying, lighting incense and strolling through the temples. In the main temple, a monk's cell phone went off and he began chatting. I really wanted a photo or video of that moment, but was standing right by him and of course didn't shoot anything. That moment was Shanghai: a complete mix of contemporary and ancient life.
We ended our day, along with several thousand other people, on Nanjing Road, the main commercial district of Shanghai. The lights were glorious and the people were in a festive mood. Our kids were starving so, yes, we stopped at McDonald's for some reasonably priced sandwiches and fries.
We ended our day, along with several thousand other people, on Nanjing Road, the main commercial district of Shanghai. The lights were glorious and the people were in a festive mood. Our kids were starving so, yes, we stopped at McDonald's for some reasonably priced sandwiches and fries.
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