Impressions of Shanghai

5 days in Shanghai wasn't enough for our family - we would definitely extended had time allowed.  While there wasn't necessarily a huge amount of must-see tourist sites in Shanghai proper, we loved the vibe of the city - and were fascinated by how different it felt than Beijing.

The first thing we noticed was how much more metropolitan the city seemed - and how much friendlier the drivers were. While we still had to look left to make sure that the cars turning right weren't about to plow into us, we were able to cross the streets a little less afraid than in crazy Beijing.  Part of Shanghai's different vibe is due to it's history since the 1850s, which saw many parts of the city taken over by other countries during/after the Opium Wars, with a lot of those influences remaining.  The "former" French Concession is a great example of a piece of Shanghai that feels like a mix of China and Europe - easy to see why Shanghai is considered the Paris of Asia.

Before I go further, I must say that most of our week in Shanghai revolved around one crucial element: soup dumplings. Shanghai is famous for them, and we took full advantage.  While we had one fabulous night out with friends at the deservedly well-loved Din Tae Fung, we ate at least once a day at Yang's Dumplings.  For all we know, this is like the McDonalds of Shanghai, but the lines out the door of native Shanghainese led us to believe we weren't alone in our dumpling obsession.   We even found ourselves sprinting (this is not an exaggeration) from our metro stop home to get there before it closed one night.  For those who have never had soup dumplings, they deserve an explanation - they are plump, thick dumplings stuffed with pork and other yummy stuff. When you eat one, you have to first puncture it with your chopstick, then slurp out the hot soup inside before devouring the rest of it.  As if they weren't fabulous enough just based on taste, the price was the kicker - we gorged ourselves (really, it was kind of gross how many we could put away) for about $9 total - for the whole family - including bottled water for everyone.  We already miss them....

Our first morning, we walked to Shanghai's ultimate tourist destination, The Bund. We didn't know much about Shanghai before arriving, so we were thrilled to see the skyline from across the river. Luke was certain that it was the setting for The Capital in the Hunger Games, but we think maybe it was just the inspiration.   Regardless, Shanghai's skyline is definitely one we will remember.

We were also lucky enough to have friends in Shanghai, the Chus, who were fantastic hosts! Leo is a friend of mine from high school, and has been living in Shanghai with his wonderful wife, SueAnn, and his boys Keller and Ellis for almost a decade. They treated us to Din Tae Fung our first night - and we ate like kings!  Even better was the chance to hear a little about life in Shanghai as somewhat ex-pats (all speak Mandarin, but Keller goes to the American School).  We also met up with the Chus on our last day in Shanghai, eating a quick (and again, delicious) lunch with them before taking a 20-hour trip to Guilin.  SueAnn provided us with a goody bag of breakfast treats for the next morning when we would still be on our train - and since we made it to the train station with just minutes to spare and thus didn't have time to get food as planned - she was a lifesaver. The kids are still talking about those croissants....

Our other fun adventure while there was to a water town about an hour outside the city called Tongli. While it felt a bit Disney-esque at times (maybe due to its authenticity - we aren't sure), it was a fun example of a small town built on canals where villagers still live and work. The grounds were beautiful, even if the journey there was a bit arduous.  To read about our trip on the "local" train to get there, read Jacob's blog post here.  On our way back to the bus station later that night, we hired a rickshaw to cycle us back - since it was only about a mile, Luke ran alongside us instead. Fun to see him running through the streets of China.

 

Our last morning, Maggie and Luke ran in a 5K hosted by the local running club, in a park far outside of town.  There was a kids' race that they were allowed to enter for kids who go to International Schools, so they were excited to give it a try.  Surprisingly, Luke ended up winning the under-18 race with a pretty good performance considering they are pretty out of shape (no 2-3 time/week soccer practice for 2 months isn't exactly good for the endurance).   Our excitement for him was tempered with the fact that he won a big trophy that he insisted on keeping.  Maggie finished 4th for the girls, but since we think she was the only non-high school girl there, she was pretty happy.

We were sad to leave Shanghai, but I think we'll be back someday.