The Merry, Merry Month of May July 8, 2011
Posted by freda in Birmingham, Michigan.2 comments
I flew to Vancouver on Saturday, May 7th, so as to be in Vancouver for Mother’s Day (8th) with my boys and my mother. Perfect. 🙂
Then, because I miss being there so much, (and because we had enough airline points), on Monday, June 9th, I flew to Shanghai, arriving Tuesday evening, June 10th. “My driver,” Mr. Shi (who, of course, now drives for someone else), and his daughter Sherry, met me at the airport with a huge bouquet of roses! So sweet, and so wonderful to see them again 🙂 I really miss Mr. Shi. They drove me to my first 3-night stay, with friends Kim and Richard Choi and their three young children. The kids were in bed when I finally got there around 10 p.m., and after a brief visit with Richard and Kim, I was in bed too. Slept for 12 hours!
It’s important to get to the fabric markets right away when you’re visiting Shanghai and want to have clothes made, so that’s what my first day was all about. First stop was actually for Don, at his Hong Kong tailor’s to pick material for a new suit. Janine met Kim and me there to help in the selection. It was hard picking something I thought Don would like, even though we’d looked at fabric before I left, and discussed colours, etc, but we finally made our choice. As he’d had suits made at Sam’s Tailor when we lived there, his measurements were in the system; I just had to pay a deposit, and then we were off to eat lunch and get to the fabric market for me! I had several items I wanted made – a raincoat, a few tshirts, a few blouses, etc, and it all takes time to pick fabric and get measured. We had a time constraint as we had to be back for after school time for Kim’s children, and that was okay. After a few hours of negotiating, I was done in! (I’d forgotten how long everything takes and how tiring it all can be.) Back to Kim’s home to hug the kids, and hang out with them. Once Richard was home from work we all had dinner – made by the ayi – and after the kids were in bed, and Richard on conference calls, Kim and I watched a really great movie, “Made in Dagenham,” part of which I’d seen on the plane over, but hadn’t been able to finish. I give it a 4/5 rating – definitely worth watching.
Unfortunately that second night I didn’t sleep so well, even with the help of Advil PM. Darn jet-lag. I got up for herbal tea and a snack, read in bed for awhile, tried to get back to sleep, read some more, tried to sleep again, dozed a bit…. Sigh. But, Kim and I had planned an outing, so I dragged myself out of bed at 9 a.m. and showered, determined to stay awake all day. Off we went to wander Dongtai Lu, the antiques market street – endless little shack-shops of great junk masquerading as antiques, and lots of fun!
many stalls on Dongtai Lu
a jumble of 'stuff' - brightly coloured clothes, and a dissarray of knick-knacks
is this duck a pet, or to eat, or for sale... sometimes Shanghai presents more questions than answers
the full view doesn't offer the answer, but it's a great composition
I love the doors
and the side alleys...
and the pet crickets...
After wandering the street, and negotiating on a small abicus for Nico, we made our way over to Xintiandi for lunch…
New Shanghai in the background, and the foreground full of laundry, including red undergarments!
After lunch, and some browsing in the shops of Xintiandi, Kim and I headed to the mall closest to her home, where I wanted to pick up a few items. It’s a mall of shops and restaurants for ex-pats, including a Starbucks. After a little shopping, as we made our way through the mall to the exit, we saw a group of police officers and a plain-clothed man with a video camera, gathered around a young Philipino nanny (we think) and a child, and Kim said, “hmmm, wonder what’s going on here?’ and just as she said that one of the officers stepped in front of us and asked (in perfect English we noted) if we had our passports. (!) No we didn’t; they were at home. Well, he said, you are required to always carry them, and the fine for not doing so is 500 RMB (about $75). Kim replied she didn’t want to carry her passport because what if it was stolen, and he replied, verbatim, “Well, that would be your problem, not mine.” (Which seemed to me like a very un-policeman-like thing to say.) Did we have any other ID on us? Well, yes, we both had American driver’s licences, which we pulled out to show him. He moved off to the side, to the group of officers, and used his phone to “check” the ID, and suspiciously, the fellow with the camera seemed to be filming… though, what I wasn’t sure … all while Kim and I spoke quietly, about the unorthodox proceedings. A few minutes later our licences were returned to us, with the warning that we should carry our passports with us, and the final question, did we know what number to call in case of an emergency. Kim responded with the correct number, and he let us go. As we walked back to Kim’s house we pondered this event. It all seemed very strange. Were they really police officers? Interesting location for doing a passport check since almost everyone in this mall would be an ex-pat. Seemed like a good money-making scheme to us. Kim phoned her relocation contact, and a few other people, as well. Over the course of the next few days it came out that they were not police, but running a scam. (Though, not a very good one if they weren’t getting much money!) Fascinating “story” for our day!
Spent the rest of the afternoon helping the kids with their homework, using Kim’s computer to send emails home, and then when Richard got home, we all went out to the Flying Fox pub for dinner. I was falling asleep in my dinner, and once back home, I went to bed at the same time as the kids! Slept from 8:30 until 8:00 the next morning when my alarm went off; I was much restored.
On Friday Kim and I first went to see the artist Coin Qian’s new studio. (Kim is a friend and rather instrumental in the creation of Coin’s new products.) Check out her website to see some of her paintings: http://www.coinqian.com She is working on producing purses and shopping bags with the images of her Shanghai girls on them and I can hardly wait until they’re ready to buy as the prototypes are gorgeous! I’m hoping to find a boutique in Vancouver that is interested in carrying them. Will keep you informed.
After a quick lunch at Element Fresh (one of my favourite restaurants) we were off to the Shanghai Community Centre bazaar, an event I attended last year when I lived there, and where I found a few treasured items. Then, back to Kim’s to pack up my suitcase. Diane picked me up on her way home from work (at GM) for my next 3-day stay with her and Julio.
That night Richard and Kim, Diane and Julio, Sharon and Fred and I enjoyed a night on the town. We started with martinis at the Peace Hotel, which I was really excited to see as the whole time I’d lived in Shanghai it had been closed for renovations. Check out their website, as we were not permitted to take pictures inside: http://www.fairmont.com/peacehotel It’s a gorgeous hotel with a lot of history. We moved on to Lost Heaven for a fantastic dinner (and more drinking). (http://www.lostheaven.com.cn) And then we finished the night at the Glamour Bar for our dessert of their most delicious chocolate martinis. We were none of us too bright the next morning, but it sure was fun at the time!
Sharon, Kim and Richard
Julio and Sharon
Diane and Julio
On Saturday Diane, Sharon and I started the day at noon, with lunch at Sasha’s. Check out: http://www.sashas-shanghai.com. The building has quite a fascinating history, associated with the famous Soong sisters (“one who married for money, one who married for China and one who married for power,” explained in the ‘background’ section of the restaurant’s website).
Sasha's
Sharon and I in front of Sasha's
After a reviving lunch, we were off to Taikung Lu, the maze of alleyways full of artist’s studios and gift shops and bars and restaurants: one of my favourite Shanghai places. We stumbled upon this artist in his small warehouse-like shop, and marvelled at his paintings:
the artist in front of some of his work
close up of one painting
We wandered, bought a few things, enjoyed the atmosphere. Then, headed to the Dragonfly spa for a foot massage. We were early for our appointments so we stopped for a cold drink at a small shop on a busy street corner..
Sharon and me and cold drinks
and we saw the most loaded-down cart I’ve ever seen in Shanghai!!
at least his load would be fairly light-weight
it's all piled on just one cart, one set of wheels! Quite the organizing feat!
After a wonderful foot massage (how I miss those!) we returned home to get ready for a small party at a friend’s home. We didn’t stay out quite so long Saturday night after our over-indulgent Friday!
On Sunday, Diane, Sharon and I joined a small group of women to do a walking tour through an area of the French Concession. One of Sharon’s friends, Darcie, who works for FedEx, had decided she wanted to follow all of Tess Johnston’s Shanghai walking tours (which are published in a couple of books) before she is transferred away, so she leads a group of whoever wants to join her. Tess Johnston is a fascinating woman. When I still lived in Shanghai I once attended a luncheon where she was the guest speaker. She was talking about her life and promoting her book, Permanently Temporary: From Berlin to Shanghai in Half a Century. She was with the US Foreign Service, and served in the US Consulate General in Shanghai beginning in 1981. She retired in 1996 and stayed in Shanghai, writing books on Western architecture in Shanghai and the expat experience. I bought her book, and also bought one of her books of “Shanghai Walks.” Darcie lead us on the walk Tess called “Changing Fortunes in the French Concession: Destitute White Russians and Wealthy Western Taipans.” I’ll quote a little from the introduction in the book about this area and then show you a few pictures…
After the Bolsheviks won the 1917 revolution in Russia, the White Russians had to flee for their lives. …Many washed up penniless on the shores of Shanghai. As the language of the Russian court had been French and as there were more service jobs to be found in the French Concession, many wound up living there. …In 1930, there were 3,880 Russians as opposed to 1,208 French people living in the area. The French would have lived one family to a house or flat, but the Russians would have lived in cramped conditions. The Concession, run out of distant Paris, was utterly corrupt. In addition, Shanghai’s most famous gangster, Du Yuesheng, lived here. From his home in the Concession, Du ran many of his dubious activities, including his opium cartel. The story goes that when a French count and several other Frenchmen, tried to muscle in on th trade, Du invited them to a sumptuous banquet…three weeks later three of them were dead (perhaps from a slow-acting poison?). But, Frenchtown was not just for Chinese gangsters and impoverished White Russians; Sephardi Jews and wealthy Chinese also built magnificent mansions there. The French architectural firm Leonard, Veysseyre and Kruze built half a dozen tall, stunning art deco apartment houses, over one hundred villas and many other buildings for the upper middle classes of all nationalities. Indeed, the French Concession had something for everyone, from those at the top of the economic heap to those at the bottom.
We started our walk, (as directed in the book), at the “Russian Orthodox Mission Church, built in 1934 to serve the White Russian refugee community, of which its architect, A. Yaron, was a member. Stripped many years ago of its original icons and interior (to become a nightclub!), the surviving onion domes reveal its original orientation. Now empty, it awaits a new (hopefully more sensitive) tenant.”
Russian Orthodox Mission Church
“Across the street from the church is a house built in 1932, which may have been owned by “friends” of notorious gangster Du Yuesheng. Supposedly in 1949 it became the residence of the Shanghai Transport Minister. It is now the Mansion Hotel…”
Mansion Hotel
We walked along until we came to the Donghu Hotel: “a gift from a grateful friend to Green Gang Boss Du Yuesheng (coyly described as ‘Mr. Y.S. Doo’ on the Heritage plaque). He was the powerful Mafioso-type figure who actually ruled Shanghai through his control of dock and municipal workers, etc. (right down to even the city’s ubiquitous beggars). Although he never lived in the villa, he used it for entertaining (and to store his opium). We walked through the gorgeous gates to investigate…
gate to the Donghu Hotel grounds
gate detail
Heritage plaque
in the hotel garden
through another gate
to see the art deco building next to the hotel
Back out again, and onward to rows of lane houses that were home to masses of White Russians, but now of course are full of Chinese…
entering the alley of row houses
Darcie tries out the common area exercise equipment
Off to another lane that Tess calls “The Lane of Changing Fortunes: three-story duplex apartments, once the homes of foreigners; Russand, and later Jewish, refugees on their way down in the world and Chinese on their way up, the latter having moved from the overcrowded ‘shikumen‘ lanes (with no indoor plumbing) into these more generous quarters.
"Lane of Changing Fortune"
I now have to confess to being confused with how my pictures (and those taken by Diane that I’m including… they would be ones with me in them!) relate to what Tess writes in the book. I probably should have written down what I was taking pictures of… but, I didn’t, so I’m just going to post several more pictures from the walk… First, some more art deco details…
apartment from the 1930's, designed by Leonard, Veysseyre and Kruze, now a hotel
detail
former French Police Officers' Quarters, now for married Chinese police
and street scenes I love…
Diane captured these workers at rest
and the shoe repair man
I continue to love the windows
and have a hard time identifying all vegetables
We stopped for lunch at a fabulous restaurant called Whisk (they specialize in chocolate desserts, though we forced ourselves to have something else first)..
waiting for lunch
After lunch, more walking…
street scene
Savoy Apartments, completed in 1928
and detail of the plaster at the Savoy
more beautiful gates
behind the gate detail
and Chinglish humour - this is an ATM
and bikes parked everywhere
We finished the day at the Arts and Crafts Museum, housed in “one of the few old villas that you can actually enter. Lack of funds means that it has escaped the heedless renovation that has destroyed so many of the city’s architectural treasures. (Tess is nothing if not opinionated!) The villa was once owned by a high-ranked official in the French municipal government. After 1949 it became the home of Chen Yi, the peasant general who helped conquer Shanghai and became its first Communist mayor. Chen loved France, having been there in his youth, so he chose this old French villa for his official residence and lived there for more than ten years. Both the villa’s exterior and classic interior remain pretty much intact….”
some of the gang outside the villa
coffered ceiling inside
a needlepoint portrait of Sun Yat Sen
original stained glass window
and window detail
Our walk was finished and we’d had an excellent time. We all felt we saw things we wouldn’t have otherwise noticed – in fact, we’ve all walked down several of the streets previously, and not realized what we were seeing. The detail by Tess Johnston and her co-authors was interesting, and good to see now, because as she mentions (often), renovations and rebuilding are resulting in much (most?) of old Shanghai disappearing.
Sunday evening Julio made a wonderful Spanish tapas meal for Sharon, Fred, Diane and me – a perfect end to a perfect weekend. On Monday morning I moved again, to Janine and Dave Pritchard’s apartment. They live in the same building we used to live in, and had became friends soon after we moved to Shanghai. Monday was another day at the fabric markets, lunch with a group of friends, and a few errands.
Road Trip!
On Tuesday morning Janine, Robin and I left on a road trip to Suzhou. We had planned this a few months previous, because the three of us had such a great time on our trip to Jingdezhen almost exactly a year ago. (Check out the blog from that trip if you haven’t already done so.) We had to fly to Jingdezhen last May, but Suzhou is just a two-hour drive from Shanghai, so this was an easier trip. Robin’s driver drove, and we stopped first at a Pearl City – very large mall, with all shops and stalls selling pearls and other jewelry. We all bought something… or a few somethings. And just before leaving one shop, the owners indicated they wanted to take pictures of me looking at their merchandise (!) The best we could figure is they wanted to use the pictures in advertising, and apparently a tall blonde woman is good for that (!?)…
I am being photographed as I "admire" the selection
After several hours of pearl shopping, we got back in the car and headed to our hotel in Suzhou. We checked in, grabbed a quick late lunch, and then were off to tour a few sites. Our first stop was the Suzhou Silk Museum, of which my tour book says: “the Suzhou Silk Museum is a pleasure to visit, mainly because its exhibits are well-documented with English captions. It traces the history of silk production and its use from its beginnings in about 4000 BC to the present day. Exhibits include old looms, samples of ancient silk patterns, and the most interesting exhibit – a room full of live silk worms, eating mulberry leaves and spinning cocoons.”
Having not read this description before entering the museum, I can tell you we were all quite startled to see the live silkworms!!
a wax figure watches over the live silk worms a closer look at the worms
- worms and cocoons – fascinating and repellent at the same time
a garden of mulberry trees
The best part of Suzhou, a “small” city of 6 million, was the canal-side “walking street” lined with old houses. I use the term “walking street” loosely because, though cars are not allowed, motorbikes and pedal bikes were constantly zooming past us, causing us to keep to the edge and on the look-out, but it was worth it because it was so picturesque.
our walk along the canal
along the 'walking street'
sticking to the edge of the "walking" street
past interesting shops..
and cafes...
and restaurants..
the old traditional housing
people relaxing
very picturesque
old roofs and street light detail
small boats for hire
ducks roasting over a fire
enjoying a quiet moment
more quiet moments ..
we liked this advertisement
And we saw several examples of how the Chinese love to have their portraits taken….
they love to pose
attention to detail
adjusting the bridal dress
but this bride-to-be was the most stunning
After a wonderful stroll down this beautiful street, we drove back to our hotel for the evening, sending Robin’s driver back home to Shanghai.
The next morning Janine’s driver was waiting at the hotel to pick us up and take us to meet our hired tour guide at Wangshi Yuan, or, Master of the Nets Garden. Suzhou is famous for its many elegant gardens, and the “Master of the Nets Garden was named after one of its owners – a retired official who wished to become an accomplished fisherman. Dating to 1140, it was completely remodeled in 1770 and for many people is the finest of all Suzhou’s gardens. Although exceptionally small, it succeeds, with great subtlety, in introducing every element considered crucial to the classical garden. It includes a central lake, discreet connecting corridors, pavilions with miniature courtyards, screens, delicate latticework, and above all, points which “frame a view”, as if looking at a perfectly balanced photograph.”
a plan of the garden
beautiful detail on the roof of a pavilion
close up of the detail
a miniature courtyard
mosaics found in the courtyard grounds
latticework; windows that "frame a view"
students were sketching at the lake
beautiful lily pads
another 'framed view'
another framed view - created intentionally
Robin, me, tour guide
rock sculpture
altogether a beautiful spot
From this small garden we made our way to the Humble Administrator’s Garden, Suzhou’s largest garden, and also considered the city’s finest. “It was established in the 16th century by a retired magistrate, Wan Xianchen, and developed over the years as subsequent owners made changes according to the fashion of the day.” It’s a large garden, separated into three sections, and lovely.
through the streets to the next garden..
past the fruit sellers...
we are not tempted to buy..
into the Humble Administrator's Garden, famous view with pagoda in background
pagoda view
pond close-up
Janine framed the pagoda through a gate..
pavilion in a peaceful corner
each window in the wall is slightly different
the blue glass makes the summer view look like it is winter
bonsai garden within the garden
I loved all the small children playing in the garden..
is the grass greener on the other side?
so cute
watch the step!
and I still don't know what Inducalamus means...
From the Humble Administrator’s Garden we headed to Tiger Hill, “the burial place of He Lu, the King of Us and founder of Suzhou. His spirit is said to be guarded by a white tiger, which appeared three days after his death and refused to leave. The main attraction is the Song-dynasty leaning pagoda (Yunyan Ta or Cloud Rock Pagoda), built in brick, which leans more than 7 ft (2 m) from the perpendicular at its highest point.”
park entrance and pagoda in background
idyllic surroundings
top of the leaning pagoda
another view
the lean is obvious
this little one needs a lift for the steep stairs
We encountered many ‘interesting’ signs in this park…
we each do our part
careful...
interesting instructions
Our last site to tour was the Museum of Opera and Theatre, “housed in a beautiful Ming-dynasty theatre of latticed wood, the museum is a fascinating and highly visual museum. Its display halls are filled with examples of old musical instruments, delicate hand-copied books of scores and lyrics, masks and costumes. Traditional Suzhou Opera, known as kun ju, is renowned as the oldest form of Chinese opera, with a history of about 5000 years.”
statues outside Museum entrance
carved figure inside museum entrance (I forget the significance
traditional stage for opera performances
detail of the stage roof
gorgeous screen detail
After wandering through the museum, we dropped off our tour guide with many thanks, and we were on the road back to Shanghai. It had been a wonderful trip.
My last days in Shanghai were spent seeing friends, eating out at great places, last trips to the fabric markets, etc. One morning I was up early to catch the sunrise out of the bedroom window…
sunrise from behind the World Finance Centre - also known as the "Bottle-opener"
view of the river from Janine's balcony
Went walking in the neighbourhood with friends…
me with the Pearl tower behind me
construction on what will be the word's tallest tower continues
down by the river, view of the Bund with Peace Hotel (green triangle roof)
and you have to love the ‘ankle stockings’ that the Chinese women love to wear…
woman resting by the river
My visit came to an end. Mr. Shi dropped by with packages of food goodies for me to take home, and to say good bye. Sharon and Fred’s driver took me to the airport. It was time to return to ‘reality.’
Don met me in Vancouver for a week. Lucas’s university commencement ceremony took place on May 25th and we were in town to celebrate. Unfortunately I’ve left pictures from the wonderful day at home in Michigan, so I shall post those next month once I’m back. Currently Don and I are back in Vancouver for his summer vacation, enjoying the city and visiting friends and family.
Hope you’re all having a wonderful summer time, too. Cheers!
freda's world adventures 