The bus we took to Shanghai was small and so crowded that we were lucky to have seats.  Some of the passengers had to stand for three hours before we arrived, but we were lucky and had a snooze while sitting down. 

 

          As one of the biggest cities in China, Shanghai is an economic center.  A coastal city, it is located on delta of the Yangtse River that provides a means of transportation for goods needed throughout the hinterlands.  It was one of the five treaty ports that was opened after the Opium War and has thrived ever since.

Our first impression after getting off the bus was that we were in another Beijing, as the streets were crowded with people.  That made us a little regretful that we’d decided to visit the city, but we bought a map and searched for a hotel in which we could stay for the second and last night of our trip.

The hotel we found was cheap but comfortable.  We passed the night peacefully, and after having a simple breakfast, left the hotel to explore the rambunctious city.

The subway was our best choice to go downtown, and we found that it was much better than the one in Beijing.  The trains seemed to be new, the interiors of the stations were very beautiful, and the safety equipment looked to be in good working order.

The downtown area was full of people.  There were so many walking around that they flowed past us like a river.  I felt hemmed in by them, and we decided to escape by going to the place I like best in Shanghai – the Bund.

                     

We knew that we’d arrived when we saw the Oriental Pearl Tower.  A symbol of Shanghai, it’s located by the Huangpu River and is 468 meters high - the tallest tower in Asia.

 

          

           Architecture in the Bund is very attractive with many styles – Gothic, Romanesque, Baroque, and Classic.  We enjoyed walking along the river with the wind blowing in our faces.  If time permitted, we thought we’d go to the Pudong District so we could go to the top of the tower.  

          Shortly thereafter, we changed our minds and left the Bund to visit Nanjing Street, a place famous for shopping.  Unfortunately, it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, as it was very similar to Wang Fujing in Beijing; the only difference being that it was a little longer.  There were shops on both sides of the street and people going in and out of all of them.  It really wasn’t a good place for us to visit, so after having cokes at McDonalds, we hailed a taxi to take us to Yu Yuan.

          The buildings in that district were different than the high rises that seem to be everywhere in Shanghai.  They had been constructed in the classical Chinese style with wooden roofs that had wing-like corners.  We went to a tearoom and I found that I couldn’t distinguish the difference between the various kinds that were offered.  It was a peaceful place to sit in the afternoon with the sun outside looking like a giant orange ball.  Its rays weren’t that strong but they created a beautiful scene as they cast light on the buildings and the water nearby.

We’d had a wonderful two-day visit to Eastern China, but it was time to leave Shanghai and head home.  A new train called the Chinese Harmonious Railway took us there.