Adriana D'Andrea
Top: Shanghai by Day
Bottom: The Busy Bund

Days 1-2

Flight and Arrival: The Pole and The Pollution

We boarded our Cathay Pacific Boeing 777 to Hong Kong at approximately 1:10 a.m. March 7 in Newark.  Cathay is Hong Kong’s flag carrier, and the Newark to Hong Kong route is new – its inaugural run occurred only one week prior to ours.  To Shanghai, we flew Dragonair, a Cathay subsidiary. 

To reduce mileage and save travel time, the flight took a “transpolar” or “great circle” route, meaning that it went Northward and then over the Arctic Ocean. Typically, these routes pass within a hundred or so miles on either side of the North Pole, but – and I am not sure if this is even possible – our in-flight screens showed that we passed directly over the pole!  En route, I saw cracks in the polar ice, and daylight and darkness shifted back-and-forth at least four times during the nearly 16 hours aloft.

Unfortunately, I did not have to wait for the pollution part of the China and Hong Kong experience, as the scenic mountain-backed Hong Kong and South China Sea landing to which I was looking forward was anticlimactically obscured due to smog. This experience would sadly repeat during our connecting flight’s landing in Shanghai, and in all ensuing arrivals during this trip.

At Shanghai Pudong International Airport, we met our lively and wonderful tour guide, David.  His pride for his home city was apparent, and his knowledge and friendliness are unforgettable!

Adriana D'Andrea at the Shanghai Jade Buddha Temple

Days 2 - 4

Shanghai Old and New

As we rode the highway from the airport through the Shanghai haze, I observed numerous new residential neighborhoods of luxury single-family homes, and townhouse and high-rise apartment complexes. Apartment buildings, which, by their architectural style, appeared to have been constructed very recently, still had grimy edifices.  Presumably, this is an effect of constant pollution.  I also noted a large conspicuously patched crack on the side of one such building.  Laundry hung on most terraces and in front of windows, as most Chinese, our tour guide said, cannot afford washing machines.  The buildings might be modern, but the look was already old-world.

We arrived at our American hotel (Marriott Courtyard).   As if to drive the point that China is rapidly growing, I opened the curtains in my room and saw that it overlooked a construction site.  This scenario, like the pollution, repeated itself exactly in Beijing – put down luggage, open curtains, view construction site below. 

At our first meal in China, we participated in the first of many “Lazy-Susan-style” (as our tour guide described it) meals.  This mode affords one the opportunity to enjoy several different dishes, even if in small portions.

The Jade Buddha Temple was our first visited site. I witnessed people praying, kneeling and using incense, as they do in other faiths.  The materials – gold, jade and marble – were stunning. The lovely Yuyuan Gardens teamed with Chinese enjoying a Saturday afternoon.  We visited a part of town ironically known as “Chinatown.” Shanghai, like Hong Kong, had an international settlement, so its old city became known as “Chinatown.” A large market resides here, and I enjoyed the power of haggling.  At home, I can negotiate prices for certain goods and services, such as home contracting or automobiles, but I cannot do the same for the vast majority of goods.  I liked not waiting for discounts and being able to assert a price and settle on the spot.

Shanghai’s latitude is more Southerly than New Jersey’s, so the climate was early Spring-like with trees budding and annuals already planted. This, perhaps, or the pollution, or a combination of both, induced my allergies badly, and I was vindicated in packing nasal decongestant in addition to facemasks.  I thought I would see more Chinese wearing these masks themselves to cope with the pollution, but perhaps they are tired of wearing them at this point.

 The Yu Garden, Chinatown, Shanghai