Shanghai Day 3

Day 3 in Shanghai was jam-packed with lots of planned activities. First, we went to Parkway Group Healthcare, an almost spa-like clinic that caters to foreigners who need basic care while in Shanghai. Apparently some Chinese people also use the facilities, but as it's very expensive and because credit cards are not yet something that everyone carries here, Chinese patients often show up with bundles of cash to pay for their care. They had operating facilities, primary care facilities, and even a room just for "Zhong Yi," or Chinese Traditional Medicine. The tour of Parkway was very quick and efficient. Afterwards, we learned a little bit about China's health insurance status quo and how the typical Chinese person receives care in Shanghai. It was very interesting and gave me a good idea for what I wanted to write my paper about (we all had to write a paper throughout this social study week).

Next we went to the Shanghai 2010 World Expo Center. Also known as the "World Fair," the global Expo event's roots extend back to the mid-1800s in France. One and a half centuries later, the main aim of inviting the world's nations to gather in one place and exhibit their countries' special manufactured products is still in place. Shanghai has been chosen for 2010 and has been preparing for a long time to host the event. At the Expo Center, there was a museum part that had lots of wonderful old pictures of Shanghai and models of the city in its different eras. To me, these photographs were particularly meaningful because of my grandparents. To those of you reading who aren't my family, my father's parents both grew up in Shanghai. As I peered at all the faded photographs, I could not help but try and imagine both of them walking down the pictures' streets, looking at the shops, eating in the restaurants...Here are the pictures:







Next, our host showed us a sprawling model of Shanghai's center. The model was unbelievably elaborate, from all the skyscrapers, down to the apartment buildings and trees. As we looked on, the scene changed from a daytime one to a nighttime one. Lights came on and the Huangpu River lit up. It was incredible, and yet it wasn't even big enough to have our host university on it. I cannot even imagine how long it took to make, not to mention how much effort it will take to actually erect the planned buildings for the Expo. Here are the pictures:




After they showed us the model, they led us into a circular movie theater. I don't really know how to explain this if you haven't been in one before. Basically, you stand in the middle of a circular room and the screen goes all the way around the walls. Whatever movie you watch, it is designed to make you feel like you are IN it. When I was last in China, 8 years ago, we went to one in Xi'An, the site of the terracotta warriors. The film was a virtual reality from the time in which the warriors were crafted. Soldiers on horseback thundered through us and all around us. It was something else and a little bit nauseating. This time, the film was a virtual reality tour through Shanghai. We were flying, running and driving at top speed through the entire city, seeing every sight to see to accompanying narration of two cute little children. It was definitely one of the highlights of the day.

Our next stop was Qi Bao (lit: Seven Treasures), a small ancient town in Shanghai and the only ancient town to still make up a part of Shanghai. The town was built in Song Dynasty, so somewhere in the 960 - 1126 range. During the Ming and Qing Dyansties, it became a bustling commerical center. There are two theories for why it is called "Seven Treasures." The first is that the name is derived from the Qi Bao Temple, whose good reputation earned it its name. The other theory stems from folktales about seven treasures (some of which have been found and some of which are still out there) in and around Qi Bao. The treasures includev an iron Buddha made in Ming Dynasty, a bronze bell also dating from the Ming Dynasty and said to have mysteriously appeared from nowhere, a Gold Script Lotus Sutra written by an imperial concubine of the 10th century, a one-thousand-year-old Chinese catalpa tree, a jade axe, a gold cockerel and a pair of jade chopsticks. Apparently, the existence of only the first four can be confirmed while only the Scripture and the bell have survived to this day. Found this info on http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shanghai/qibao-ancient-town.htm, since our teachers were too tired to explain. Besides, we don't know how to say Chinese catalpa tree in Chinese anyway.

As soon as we entered the village, we sat down at a restaurant for lunch. Our teachers were at the same place and apparently we could sit inside or outside. Perk of sitting inside: air conditioning. Perk of sitting outside: free cold beer. Some of the people we were with saw how excited the teachers were to have free cold beer that they opted to sit outside. I was not too excited to be sitting outside in the 95+ degree weather -- especially since I was not going to drink the air conditioning substitute. We ordered food, which was all a little too expensive for its mediocre quality. It was fine. We were all too hot to eat anyways. When my arm started getting sore from fanning everyone, we decided to call it quits and just start walking.

There was a lot to see, smell, and eat. Qian Bao's treasures extend to its small snacks. There was a lot of that chou doufu, unfortunately, so we had to breathe out of our mouths. But, it was still fun to see all the other strange snacks. For example, meat on a stick: who knew that such a simple idea could be expanded upon so creatively. We saw seahorses, pigeons, little lobsters, and ducklings all on a stick ready to jump to the top of your list of favorite foods. There were also lots of fried scallion cakes and steamed dumplings for sale. We didn't buy anything, but had a great time looking.

It was getting a little too hot, so we stopped off for some popsicles. The vendors were also selling bowls of ice with fruit on top. Considering my stomach was shaky to begin with, I decided to opt out of the icy fruit concoctions. We looked at some more shops for about a half hour and then went back to the bus and returned to the dorm. Here are pictures from Qi Bao:










That night, we met up with some people who were shopping again and went back to Manifesto for deserts and to hang out before going back for midnight check in.