Shanghai was a whirlwind, so I’m going to update you guys with some “this is what I’m doing/have been doing” and thoughts I have.
After landing in Shanghai, I felt like I was not only in a different city, but a different country. Ironically, I don’t know how to describe Shanghai but the same way I have described Beijing: a city of complete contrast. (But in a different way.)
Some friends and I climbed the longest arch bridge in the world. On top of the bridge, we could see all of Shanghai, including the body of water that separates the city. We also saw all the construction that is going on as a result of the World Exposition in 2010. Afterwards, we went and got steamed dumplings for 5 yuan per 6 dumplings (UNDER A DOLLAR!). Later on that night, we were able to get into M1NT an up-and-coming club in Shanghai (Google it!). We were lucky enough to know a “friend of a friend of a friend” who was a member and let us in (sounds cheesy, I know). The club had sharks swimming in tanks which is the main reason we went to the club. That day was a nice introduction to the city.
The next day was probably one of the best I’ve had in Asia thus far. A friend of a friend, Suda, took me all around Shanghai. Here’s the cliff notes version of what we did: lunch at Kommune (an Australian grille) which is located in an amazing art alley, French Concession where we went to the Shanghai library and hunted for old mansions, went to the Bund and looked at old banks, and had afternoon tea on top of a building. I learned so much from Suda’s knowledge as an ex-pat and was able to gain great insight on the city, cultural history and economic perspectives.
As I mentioned earlier, we had afternoon tea at this place called M on the Bund. Suda said this was the first Western restaurant establishment on the B area. From the top of the building, the view was amazing. Directly in front of me (and past the scones that I couldn’t stop eating) was Pudong (new Shanghai). There your mind is lost in a sea of skyscrapers and you forget that you are in China. It looks incredibly modern. You then turn you head left and see the Chinese flag and just behind it, shadows of very old buildings. Having tea in that location was a great privilege and has left me thinking about China’s past history and the implications for its future.
The next few days was followed with class and then we were lucky enough to have dinner with a variety of ex-pat businessmen. We had dinner at Szechuan Citizen, which was delicious and at times (very spicy) Szechuan food. I cannot say enough how lucky I feel to have the opportunity to meet such established people AND do it in Asia. We also had 2 company visits, which was a treat. (At one of the visits I met the most amazing woman ever. She was a teenager during the Cultural Revolution and has experienced things I cannot even imagine.)
Last night we flew to Hong Kong. We missed the vigil for Tiananmen Square at Victoria Park because one of our students was not allowed through customs because of passport issues (since resolved). We drove by Victoria Park only to see a mass of people. After reading the paper today, we realized that 150,000 people were there and 50,000 were turned away that night. Clearly, the Chinese have not forgotten what happened June 4th. It was so interesting to leave mainland China on June 4th (where there is no mention of the events at Tiananmen) and then fly to Hong Kong were speech is unrestricted. In fact, when we were in Shanghai, whenever the TV made any mention of Tiananmen, our screen would just black out. No joke.
We had our first class at HKUST, and the course was called Social Issues in China. It was good to be able to discuss what we’ve seen so far in China - the growing gap between the rich and poor and the mistreatment of migrant workers.
My heart was broken to see the number of children and elderly I saw on the streets of Shanghai and Beijing. Even now in Hong Kong, though it’s not as visible, I have a hard time reconciling these feelings. Since arriving, I've visited Big Buddha and climbed a 934 km peak. It was gorgeous and exhilerating. At times, I didn’t think I was going to make it. I also made friends with some locals with my Cantonese skills which I hope are improving.
~Phi Trinh
After landing in Shanghai, I felt like I was not only in a different city, but a different country. Ironically, I don’t know how to describe Shanghai but the same way I have described Beijing: a city of complete contrast. (But in a different way.)
Some friends and I climbed the longest arch bridge in the world. On top of the bridge, we could see all of Shanghai, including the body of water that separates the city. We also saw all the construction that is going on as a result of the World Exposition in 2010. Afterwards, we went and got steamed dumplings for 5 yuan per 6 dumplings (UNDER A DOLLAR!). Later on that night, we were able to get into M1NT an up-and-coming club in Shanghai (Google it!). We were lucky enough to know a “friend of a friend of a friend” who was a member and let us in (sounds cheesy, I know). The club had sharks swimming in tanks which is the main reason we went to the club. That day was a nice introduction to the city.The next day was probably one of the best I’ve had in Asia thus far. A friend of a friend, Suda, took me all around Shanghai. Here’s the cliff notes version of what we did: lunch at Kommune (an Australian grille) which is located in an amazing art alley, French Concession where we went to the Shanghai library and hunted for old mansions, went to the Bund and looked at old banks, and had afternoon tea on top of a building. I learned so much from Suda’s knowledge as an ex-pat and was able to gain great insight on the city, cultural history and economic perspectives.
As I mentioned earlier, we had afternoon tea at this place called M on the Bund. Suda said this was the first Western restaurant establishment on the B area. From the top of the building, the view was amazing. Directly in front of me (and past the scones that I couldn’t stop eating) was Pudong (new Shanghai). There your mind is lost in a sea of skyscrapers and you forget that you are in China. It looks incredibly modern. You then turn you head left and see the Chinese flag and just behind it, shadows of very old buildings. Having tea in that location was a great privilege and has left me thinking about China’s past history and the implications for its future.
The next few days was followed with class and then we were lucky enough to have dinner with a variety of ex-pat businessmen. We had dinner at Szechuan Citizen, which was delicious and at times (very spicy) Szechuan food. I cannot say enough how lucky I feel to have the opportunity to meet such established people AND do it in Asia. We also had 2 company visits, which was a treat. (At one of the visits I met the most amazing woman ever. She was a teenager during the Cultural Revolution and has experienced things I cannot even imagine.)
Last night we flew to Hong Kong. We missed the vigil for Tiananmen Square at Victoria Park because one of our students was not allowed through customs because of passport issues (since resolved). We drove by Victoria Park only to see a mass of people. After reading the paper today, we realized that 150,000 people were there and 50,000 were turned away that night. Clearly, the Chinese have not forgotten what happened June 4th. It was so interesting to leave mainland China on June 4th (where there is no mention of the events at Tiananmen) and then fly to Hong Kong were speech is unrestricted. In fact, when we were in Shanghai, whenever the TV made any mention of Tiananmen, our screen would just black out. No joke.
We had our first class at HKUST, and the course was called Social Issues in China. It was good to be able to discuss what we’ve seen so far in China - the growing gap between the rich and poor and the mistreatment of migrant workers.
My heart was broken to see the number of children and elderly I saw on the streets of Shanghai and Beijing. Even now in Hong Kong, though it’s not as visible, I have a hard time reconciling these feelings. Since arriving, I've visited Big Buddha and climbed a 934 km peak. It was gorgeous and exhilerating. At times, I didn’t think I was going to make it. I also made friends with some locals with my Cantonese skills which I hope are improving.
~Phi Trinh
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