A month of visitors – part four – the boys’ last few days in Shanghai June 19, 2010
Posted by freda in China.trackback
On Monday May 8th, the four of us went to Expo. It was a perfect day – a little cool in the morning, very warm in the afternoon, blue sky and sunshine (such a rarity in Shanghai!). We took the local ferry, one block from our apartment, to the Expo grounds.
on the ferry, approaching the Expo grounds
Nanpu Bridge
a view of the Expo Cultural Centre, with the China pavilion to the side
Don had arranged timed tickets for the GM Pavilion, which is where we started our day. It was well done – a look at what the future might look like for the automotive industry. The woman at the GM pavilion who had organized our “easy-access” entrance, also managed for us to go to the Canadian, U.S. and UK pavilions by the “easy-access” route, so off we went to Canada.
Cirque de Soleil performers outside the pavilion
Canada's cedar pavilion
We are "Cha-na-da" in Chinese
inside Canada's pavilion
The easy-access entrance included a VIP tour of the pavilion. We had a lovely young woman, originally from South America, but growing up in Canada, give us the tour. She not only spoke Spanish and flawless English, but was fluent in French and Mandarin as well.
The UK pavilion may be the most intriguing.
from a distance you can see the Union Jack
up close you just see hundreds and hundreds of prongs
another view of the outside
inside, the walls were covered in seed pods embedded in plexiglass
close-up of the pods - every one a different seed
the light changed the look every time we turned around
We couldn’t stop taking pictures in the UK pavilion – it was fascinating. Our tour guide told us that each of those plexiglass rods, with one seed at the end of each, and no two seeds the same, will be distributed to classrooms in China and the UK, a symbol of working together for a sustainable planet.
Wandering the Expo grounds was just as interesting as going inside the pavilions.
the grounds are vast
and filled with intriguing looking pavilions
Of coure, being half-Dutch, I had to check out The Netherlands’ pavilion, called “Happy Street.”
the 'houses' reminded us of a development in Rotterdam
up the wandering street we walked - turns out it's in a figure 8 shape
more of the Netherlands "Happy Street"
looking in each window of the little houses we saw typical Dutch scenes, or artistic interpretations
a 'character' from a Dick Bruna children's story
and of course tulips in a greenhouse
We stopped for lunch and we stopped for the toilet. Always happy when we find the “chinglish” signs!!
Tum left
okay!
Our GM contact miraculously managed to get us into the China pavilion – definitely the biggest and best!
the China pavilion
inside, looking up at the structure
I think this captures the sentiment
Our last pavilion of the day was Italy – very intriguing and artistic….
inside Italy
orchestra on the wall
fashion on the wall
pasta on the wall
and of course wine on the wall
After a long and excellent day, it was time to go home for our own glass of wine!
exiting the grounds
On Tuesday, the boys and I went to Jiashan, to be guests of the English Major students that Rob and Dave teach at Guangbiao University, (named after a rich Hong Kong fellow who thought it would be fun to own a university). Originally, when Rob and Dave asked if the boys would be willing to visit their classes, and maybe talk with the students, answer questions about what university in Canada is like, etc, we thought we might be having to talk in front a large group of students. It turned out, the students wanted to have a celebration (they don’t get many foreigners!) and they entertained us. (The Chinese love to put on a show!) Even though these kids are 20 or 21 years old, they are endearingly innocent, and more like North American 14 year olds. They were very sweet.
waiting for the show to begin
Tai Kwan Do demonstration
solo act (with Rob on guitar)
group act
hip-hop dance routine
Tai chi
Lucas sang too!
and they called for an encore
The last “event” was a kind of challenging game. Everyone sat in a circle, leaned back and joined hands, and then the chairs were pulled out and it was a human bridge, of sorts….
first everyone sits in a circle
getting ready is half the fun
joining hands
all chairs out, a human chain
After this last game, everyone took many, many pictures – us with them in a variety of combinations – and we were presented with a small gift of a homemade chinese food, and then we said goodbye and were off for the 1 1/2 hour drive home. As Lucas said when we were back in the van, “that was strangely fun!”
On Wednesday morning, the boys and I went on a tour of the old lanes and alleyways with Shanghai photographer Gangfeng Wang. (Check out one of my earlier blogs to see one of the photos of his I bought.) Because Gangfeng Wang grew up in the area, he was very comfortable talking with the locals and we were able to enter some of their homes – a real experience.
Gangfeng Wang
old alley
this is where she cooks her meals
from the rooftop 'balcony' of one home, viewing the the other balconies, and new Shanghai in the background
'balconies'
I love the mop used as clothesline
no modesty for laundry in Shanghai!
alley restaurant - the menu
the dishes...
and the cooking area
we were graciously invited into this woman's home
a communal kitchen
pet birds
Gangfeng talks with a local resident
slippers drying in the sun
the plane trees are in full leaf now
The tour was informative and fascinating. Three hours later we were off to play mahjong for the last time. Then home for packing and a final family dinner. The boys left early Thursday morning to return to Vancouver, suitcases loaded down with new clothes, souvenirs and snack foods.
I’m so glad they had the opportunity to visit us in Shanghai and see a little of China, because the next day we got life-changing news: Don’s boss told him he was being moved out of his job to make room for a female executive that needed a position, but where we would go was not yet determined. We were devastated! (I still am, for that matter.) After almost four weeks of high stress, with Don talking with his boss, and me crying off and on, it was finally announced that Don would be the VP of U.S. Sales Operations (an excellent opportunity and challenge for Don) and we would be moving to Detroit. My “Shanghai Adventure” is quickly coming to an end. However, stay tuned for more blogs about the places I’ve visited and the shopping I’ve done in the mad rush to do as much as possible before I have to leave!
freda's world adventures 
OMG! I am sorry that you have to leave such a grand adventure so quickly; but what an adventure it was.