bund-bound

Yesterday we started out by heading to the Bund. "The Bund" refers to a stretch of buildings running along the western bank of the Huangpu River (the river that bifurcates Shanghai). At the turn of the last Century, banks and trading houses from the UK, France, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan, the US began cropping up in the area, throughly Westernizing the area with everything from Anglican Churches to rowing clubs. 

Posh hotels with all the trappings of the Imperial Colonial age sprang up, and a Shanghai emerged that all but forbid the local Chinese from entering. All that changed in the 1950s with the Communist Revolution. Most of the financial institutions moved out, the rowing clubs and cafes were shut down, and the area was opened up to the people. With the modern reintroduction of capitalism, many of the grand edifices that line the Huangpu River have reverted to their former uses as banks and financial institutions. The government of Shanghai has aspirations to see the Bund become something of an Eastern Champs-Élyséese, and the area already sports an collection of designer stores and couture houses unrivaled in China.

Walking around the Bund early on Sunday morning, there weren't too many people out. A few old men flying kites and some folks engaged in a variety of different exercises under-occupied the grand space.  We were hoping to find some breakfast and walked most of the length in our pursuit. The view of Pudong, on the other side of the river, was shrouded in a haze of early-morning smog, enveloping the eccentric menagerie of skyscrapers in the Special Development Zone.

After a circuitous route to nowhere, we happened upon a cafe that was about to open for business. As my father waited, I explored a little farther down the road, found a connivence store, and picked up a bottle of mocha ice coffee (very good, very cheap). Pairing the ice coffee with some rather elegant chocolate pastry twists, we enjoyed a quick breakfast, while planning our next move.

Walking back on the raised thoroughfare by the river, we  dodged exercisers and chatted with some locals for a while. Leaving the Bund behind, we finished our morning with a tea ceremony, consisting of six different kinds of tea - each for a different quasi-medicinal purpose. Leaving the tea hall, we headed into the heart of the Old City.

If the city planners have their way (and they always have their way), the Old City will soon be buried beneath a forest of high-rise apartments and modern shopping malls. The process has already begun. Like dandelions towering over the grass, 40 and 50 story apartment buildings have shot up helter-skelter amidst the sea of two and three story houses. But as long as one does not look skyward, the vibrancy of the Old City is still palpable. 

We began in the "Antique / Fake Market," a collection of stalls and shops selling everything from "ivory" chopsticks to Little Red Books. It was like being back at the Souqs of Egypt, or the Bazaars of Istanbul. As we walked by, shopkeepers would invite our attentions with the two or three English words they had memorized. Modern knock-offs mixed with curious antique oldies: a rusted gramophone, a frayed officers cap, and a old baritone horn. We picked up a few knick-knacks, sharpening our bartering skills as we went, then left the Fake Market for a stroll through the Old City. 

There we were confronted with the modern markets of Shanghai, selling everything from bags of tea leaves, to live turtles. The din of a thousand Lucky Crickets, chirping inside their boxes, filled the air, and we wound our way through the markets. Caged birds screeched out, old men idly played cards, and locals engaged in animated displays of haggling.

Eventually, foot-sore and fatigued, we emerged into a more recently developed part of town, hoped onto the Metro, and returned to our hotel. Taking a few hours to recompose, we then planned a visit to the Captains Bar. 

Sitting atop a five-story backpackers hotel, the Captains Bar offers one of the best free views of the Bund and Pudong in the city. My father and I ordered a couple beers as we watched the sky darken, and the lights of the city come to life. This was the first time that we were reasonable well-surrounded by Westerners, and it was a pleasant way to spend a few hours. 

Walking back down to the Bund, we explored the area after dark. All of the classic colonial buildings were lit up, and a throng of tourists and site seers (overwhelmingly Chinese) had congregated on the raised thoroughfare. We stayed long enough to get some pictures and some "fresh"-ish air, then retired back to our hotel for an early night's rest.