Thursday, May 16, 2013

the people's square


We began our last full day in Shanghai with a thoroughly local breakfast. At what could best be described as a Chinese Dunkin' Donuts, my father ordered a rice-patty breakfast sandwich, and I got some variety of fried dough in a savory sauce, wrapped in a doughy omelet. Both meals came with a glass of soy/coconut milk, and when we had finished, neither my father nor I was especially keen on returning.

Today, we were heading to the People's Square. The site of a horse-racing circuit that so captivated the Westerners (and later the Chinese) that it rose to be the third-largest business in China, the races were shut down by Chanhi-Chek in favor of a sports area. The area was then itself toppled in favor of a Glorious Square to the People. We had to dodge a rather forward shoe-shine women, but pretty soon my father and I were walking through the cool shade of the Renmin Park. Encountering an even greater variety of exercisers in the Park than we had on the Bund, we lingered in shady spots, taking pictures and acquainting ourselves with our surroundings.

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Eventually, we set off for the Museum of Shanghai - a walk that was somewhat complicated by precarious placement of a highway. Walking past imposing Communist architecture, we eventually made it to the museum. Admission was free, but we rented an pair of audio guides to better acquaint ourselves with the area. We then proceeded to spend the next few hours emerged in Chinese art and history.

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Leaving the museum behind, we moved away from the grand public space and into a more commercially developed area. Hoping to find some lunch - and more importantly some water - we made our way to a connivence store, purchased two bottles of ice-tea each, and proceeded to guzzle them down. While we drank, I watch a street vendor hurriedly preparing noodles for a long and eager line of patrons. She must have made the best noodles, because we would later see similar corner-side vendors languishing without customers.

Grabbing lunch at a sandwich shop, we then made our way back to the metro in search of one of the more impressive temples. Following the advice of my guidebook, we skipped the better known temple in Shanghai in favor of the Temple of the Jade Buddhas. Its entrance congested with beggars, we quickly got inside and looked around. The space was impressive, if thoroughly commercialized. It was certainly still an active place of worship, as partitioners burned fake money in outside piers and knelt before the towering images of the Buddha. The air was thick with incense as we peaked into the various temple buildings. 

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Eventually coming to the great Jade Buddha - 2 meters tall and carved from a single block of white jade - we began to meander out of the temple. However, our path was blocked by a long procession of monks, drumming and chanting as the went, followed by an even longer procession of women dressed in black, following behind. Making a somewhat circuitous exit, we found out way out past a pond chocked with koi, dozens of which would throng at the slightest arm movement that might indicate food.

When we returned to the hotel, both my father and I dozed off for a while. Waking up later than we intended, the immediate options for dinner were somewhat compromised. Even the nearby department store's food court was closing down, and so we eventually found ourselves assembling a somewhat creative - if not wholly nutritious - dinner from a local mini-mart.

The fruits of our foray secured, we returned to our hotel and watched an English-language Japanese new station while scoffing down salads "BLTs" and pastries of unknown fillings. We also broke in to provisions purchased for consumption on tomorrow's train ride. Ostensibly checking to make sure that these provisions were of the flavor and consistency appropriate to rely upon during our long journey, my father and I were relieved to find that Marshmallow Pies and crackers, did, in fact, taste like Marshmallow Pies and crackers.

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Now it's time to settle in for our last night's sleep in Shanghai: fresher air, and more adventures to come on the other side of tomorrow's train ride!

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