“...And Shanghai is amazing. I'm a fan of science fiction so when you're there in the night with all the lights and all this modernity, it's like a set in a movie.” — Berenice Marlohe.
From a small fishing village in the 1800s to one of the largest cities in the Middle Empire, Shanghai, also known as the City on the Sea, ranks as the second largest city in China. Lying on the Yangzi River delta at the point where China's main waterway completes its 5,500-km (3,400-mi) journey to the Pacific, Shanghai attracts approximately 10 million visitors annually, both domestic and international. I recently had the opportunity to spend three days exploring the city and I would like to invite you to join me on this trip. Let's delve into the history and culture of this vibrant city together. Are you ready to experience the magic of Paris of the East?
“If China is a dragon, Shanghai is its head.” — Deng Xiaoping.
Before arriving in Shanghai, I didn't really know what to expect, nor did I know its history. I was quite surprised by the architecture, which was quite different from what I'd seen so far, whether in the Beijing or in the other cities I'd visited. Indeed, Shanghai's architecture is, if I may say so, mixed. You can see many European-style buildings alongside traditional
Chinese constructions and modern buildings. To understand the reason for this mix, we need to go back in history. In fact, until 1842 Shanghai's location made it merely a small fishing village. After the first Opium War, however, the British named Shanghai a treaty port, opening the city to foreign involvement. The village was soon turned into a city carved up into autonomous concessions administered concurrently by the British, French, and Americans, all independent of Chinese law. Each colonial presence brought with it its particular culture, architecture, and society.
Although Shanghai had its own walled Chinese city, many native residents still chose to live in the foreign settlements. Thus began a mixing of cultures that shaped Shanghai's openness to Western influence. Shanghai became an important industrial center and trading port that attracted not only foreign businesspeople (60,000 by the 1930s) but also Chinese migrants from other parts of the country. For a Chinese city, there is a lack of Chinese-style architecture in Shanghai.
However, a few examples of Ming dynasty Yangtze River Delta style architecture do still remain. These are distinguished by their whitewashed walls, distinctive rooflines, 'dragon walls', latticework and keyhole windows. Structures like these can be found in Yu Gardens as well as the Longhua Temple and the Jade Buddha Temple. Today, beauty and charm coexist with kitsch and commercialism. From the colonial architecture of the former French Concession to the forest of cranes and the neon-lighted high-rises jutting above the city, Shanghai is a somehow the city of paradox and change.
Why was Shanghai the birthplace of the Communist Party of China (CPC)?
As I passed by the subway station , I noticed this poster >>> So I made some research, and here is what I found: The Communist Party of China has been composed of advanced proletarians. Its birth was the combination of Marxism and the Chinese workers' movements. The development and growth of the working class was indispensably required for the establishment. The Party's revolutionary team was exactly in Shanghai at the teething period as Shanghai was the place with the largest number of working class people. A century ago, there were about 1 million industrial workers in Shanghai, which basically accounted for half of the domestic population. Shanghai's urban areas had developed in an incredible pace with lots of industrial workers soon gathered. It was the growth of the working class and the improvement of their minds that laid the class foundation for the Party’s formation. Added to it, the establishment of the Communist Party of China was related to the public opinion that had spread new thoughts because no other city in China, except for Shanghai, could accommodate various progressive publications and endlessly emerging new ideas.
Must eat : Xiao long bao & Stinky Tofu.
Being in Shanghai, we had to try the specialities of the place. Among them: the Xiao long bao. Xiao long bao or the dumpling soup buns was invented about 200 years ago in the village of Nanxiang, which is now part of Jiading district. Xiao long bao are usually (but not always) made with ground pork and a pork jelly made by cooking pork skin, which contains natural collagen that turns into gelatin. When the jelly is cold,
it is mixed into the ground pork, and that filling is wrapped in a wheat wrapper that is pleated at the top. When the dumpling is steamed, the jelly melts back into a broth, becoming the soup in the soup dumpling. The Xiao long bao can also be served with a crab soup, that you can also eat with both rice and noodles (for those who don't eat pork), and it is as good—I guess.
When visiting the Yu Garden, we stop at a small shop to try one of the most popular street food in Shanghai, the 'stinky tofu' in Chinese: 臭豆腐. The legend behind this malodorous food starts with a young Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) scholar who needed to make a living while studying away from his hometown in Beijing. Finding his initial batch of tofu quickly molding in the summer heat, he arrived at the solution of preserving it in a jar with saltwater. Later, after forgetting about one of his jars until autumn, he opened it and decided to fry the pungent concoction anyway – and his neighbors heaped praise on the dish. Although it’s occasionally found in restaurants, stinky tofu is primarily a street food – because of the stench, no one wants to cook it at home. In Shanghai, the delicacy is most commonly prepared in golden, deep-fried chunks and served with a spicy chili sauce or sweet sauce, or both. For me it didn't taste bad—For me, the taste wasn't bad, but it's something I can only eat on occasion.
Love in the air...
Initially, our plan was to spend 2 days in Shanghai and 1 in Suzhou since it is was not far, but the weather didn't allow us to go. For those who don't know, Suzhou is also called the Venice of the East because of his Italian look-like architecture. We had a glimpse tho by visiting Venice town of Shanghai (威尼斯小街), which is a romantic and creative place, designed to make tourists feel the unique charm of European culture. The town, located in the center of Shanghai, is a tourist area built to imitate the Italian city of Venice.
There are many small shops on both sides of the street, selling a variety of specialty goods such as handicrafts, souvenirs, clothing etc. There are also many gourmet restaurants in the town, such as Italian pizza, pasta, Italian coffee, etc. Surrounded by lakes and rivers, visitors can take a cruise here and enjoy the stunning scenery. There are also many small bridges and canals in the town, allowing visitors to stroll around and feel the romantic atmosphere.
3 days 2 nights | Street Walk :
— Day 1 : Nangjing Road；HARMAY；the Historical Building；Taikang Art Village & Gift Shop；The Bund.
— Day 2: Lihpao Land；Venice Town；Jing'An Temple; Korean Market；YuYuan Classical Street.
— Day 3: The MixC.
The least I can say is that this trip was full of twists and downs. Right from the start, because two days before our flight, I had to hand in my passport to immigration, and the laissez passer with which I was supposed to be able to travel was not in my possession. Fortunately, we were able to find a solution, and fortunately my friend is more punctual
than I am too, otherwise we would have missed our flight. In short, I couldn't finish mentioning all the anecdotes of those 72 hours, but in the end, even if the stay was too short, it was truly a wonderful experience, and I am grateful for the time we got to spend there. I hope I've made you travel through these lines and/or given you the desire to want to visit the City on the Sea. That said, if you get the chance, I'd suggest you plan a little longer than 3 days, as there really is so much to discover. Thank you for reading, God bless you. Take care.
see:
One more thing before you go... If you have appreciated this post, I would like to ask you to please take a few more seconds to like button, comment, or share, that's how I can know that my work is indeed useful. Be blessed.Sources:
Commentaires