Affiliates
Contact Us
Century International Hotels
TravelSmart.NET

PHILIPPINES
HONG KONG
CANADA
EUROPE
USA
INDONESIA
SINGAPORE
THAILAND


THE WEBSITE
Philippines

The great Mexican getaway
Source: Inquirer
Author: Bibsy M. Carballo
Date: 2001-12-08
 
Sleepless in Shanghai



TWO THINGS render the first-time visitor sleepless in Shanghai—the scintillating sights and the spectacular shopping. Leaving sunny Manila on a warm December Thursday morning, one arrives at the massive and state of the art Pudong International Airport amid a cool but comfortable 12-degree Shanghai weather after a three-hour Philippine Airlines flight. Together with a group of travel agents and staff from the PAL sales office in Manila, Panda Travel Services, headed by its general manager, Mr. Oscar Chong, played host to 30 of us over the next three days, showing the best that Shanghai has to offer.



With the exception of publicist Jingjing Romero who had visited the city some 30 years ago, no one in the group had been to Shanghai before. However, Jingjing's memories were of a Shanghai during the height of Mao's power, of a city that had its own charm, but like the rest of China—weary and dreary, garbed in gray and black with none of the creature comforts that the rest of the world knew.



:: advertisement ::







The Shanghai of today bustles with great activity and growth. Although it retains its old world charm in various sections throughout the city that were once upon a time either American, French or British concessions, today it is a microcosm of the world's greatest cities. As one goes through China's "gateway to the world" one can find slices of Paris, London, New York and Hong Kong in its various enclaves.



Shanghai, once one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world is already on the verge of returning to its previous, glorious past. Its gaiety and style had earned it the moniker "Paris of the Orient." In the past, Europeans kept Chinese people out of their own parks, clubs and homes. In a park close to the Bund, which is the most beautiful avenue in Shanghai, there once stood a sign "Dogs and Chines not allowed." Today it is a promenade that families and tourists visit in the day; in the evening, it is transformed into a lover's lane. It is also where a bronze statue of Chairman Mao holds center stage.



Shanghai is bounded on the East by the Huangpu River, a tributary of which, the Suzhou creek, crosses it from east to west. The Bund, or in Chinese is called Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, curves along the western bank of the Huangpu. One side gives the visitor an impressive view of the high buildings, most prominent of which is the Orient Pearl T.V. Tower that is the tallest in Asia. Turning to the other side will give the visitor a view of the fabulous architecture, some of the world's best that line the avenue. In the evening, the sight itself is so awesome that if you must see only one place in Shanghai then it has to be the Bund at nightfall when all the buildings are magnificently illuminated, simply takes your breath away.



The French concession area also possess a charm all its own. Its sycamore tree-lined streets are terribly quaint as the villas that remind one of a Hollywood back lot. Interestingly, our tour guide, Elaine, told us that these beautiful homes were once inhabited by Shanghai's top movie stars. But when Communism overtook Shanghai in 1949, the government sequestered them all. Thus, one could easily find two or three families sharing one house, one bath during that period.



Shanghai's charm however does not only lie in its old-world architecture but in its culture as well. The Old Town (Nanshi) is the oldest inhabited part of Shanghai and the only one untouched by foreign invasion. The Old Town has a mysterious air that brings reminders of perhaps past adventures that took place here. Yu Garden (Yu Yuan) is a fully restored classical Chinese garden which, according to the book "Shanghai", is a microcosm of a skillful gardener's talents. Combining the qualities of painter, poet, architect and sculptor, the garden contains over 30 pavilions on a two-hectare property where there is a labyrinth of stairs, corridors and pathways. A gingko tree that is reputed to be 400 years old stands in front of the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion.
 

Indonesia Thailand USA Europe Canada Hong Kong Philippines