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Shanghai nights
Pagodas and skyscrapers coexist merrily in the largest city in China, which stands majestically by River Huangpu The proverbial bamboo curtain can heighten anybody's curiosity to explore what lies behind closed Chinese doors. As the aircraft touches down at Pudong airport, most visitors are eager to explore this dynamic city. The metropolis is considered one of three commercial trading hubs of the 19th century, after New York and London. The sheer scale of the airport city is overwhelming with its labyrinthine flyovers winding their tentacles around the metropolis. Getting around the largest city in China is a breeze, if you set yourself up with a map. Most hotels provide visitors with a vital document — a Chinese translation of the landmarks. The probability of finding an English speaking taxi driver is zilch.
Like most old towns, Shanghai, too, was built by the riverside, standing majestically by River Huangpu, amid the skyscrapers that define the modern city; emanating warmth in contrast to the aloof glass and steel fingers that greedily leap skyward. Central to this district is the Yuyuan Garden built during the reign of Ming Emperor Jiajing in 1559. The layout is typical of classic Chinese garden architecture; lending a feeling of space although it is built in a much smaller area than one imagines. The approach is through a crowded bazaar of multi-storeyed pagodas and across a narrow nine-angled zigzag bridge. More rockery than garden, its winding waterways and traditional sit-outs spread over two hectares enthral with their simplicity. Its many attractions include naturally hollowed jade, ancient cinnamon trees, an antiquated opera stage, and a lotus pond. One of the pagodas has an interesting collection of gnarled wooden furniture, polished to a bright sheen. Another houses silk paintings of exquisite flowers and birds. There is a great deal of art on the exterior, too, frozen in stone. A large dragon dramatically poses atop a boundary wall while a soldier on a horse yells a war cry. The sculpted court scenes, in rock and in jade, are particularly remarkable. Traditional tea houses The ubiquitous Starbucks appears a tad incongruous amid the traditional tea houses in the Old Town area. A leisurely sipping of Chinese tea accompanied by the customary quail eggs, set bean curd and sour tamarind toffee is a must-experience. The variety of combination teas lure with exotic names: Budding Romance, Glory Girl and Taste of Love. The Huxinting tea house is the oldest surviving in Shanghai. Overlooking Yuyuan Garden, originally part of it, the garden was restored by textile merchants in 1784 for business meetings. Emperor Xian Feng later converted it to a tea house. The two-storey structure, with its ornate wooden interiors with a splash of gold, rosewood tables, painted screens, and a stringed guzheng wailing in one corner, transport you to the bygone eras of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The fabric market and pearl district is a five-minute walk from the tea house.
The Bund
Across from the Bund, the riverside Monument to the People's Heroes stands in silent testimony to lost lives. Beside it stands the statue of Chen Yi, revolutionary, founder of the People's Liberation Army and first Mayor of Shanghai. An impressive walkway leads up to Waibaidu Bridge that straddles the Suzhou Creek. One of the landmarks of the city, this steel structure was first built in wood in 1855, and toll charged for its usage. The toll was later withdrawn and the bridge christened Waibaidu, which literally translated means 'passing through without paying'.
Financial centre
A gaze across the river to the central business district has the Oriental Pearl Tower, Jinmao Tower and the Shanghai International Convention Centre staring back invitingly. Take the scenic route across the Waibaidu Bridge or a ferry ride to get to this uber-modern canton. Its structural design was inspired by Chinese poet Tang, who visualised 'big and small jade balls falling into a jade plate'. Hence the 458-metre-high Pearl Tower has 11 balls of different sizes falling in clusters down to a green lawn. Another giant ball at the Shanghai Convention Centre next door lends continuity. A panoramic view either from the 263-metre-high observation ball or the 350-metre-high space ball reveals the wharf below in the shape of a seagull ready to fly. This is truly symbolic of the city.
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A 30-minute walk along the river and one finds the architecture altering radically. Downtown Shanghai, called the Bund, comprises of building styles reminiscent of European skylines. There are more than historical buildings in varying styles, Gothic and Baroque, Romanesque and Renaissance, Neo-classical and Art Deco, all in a pale shade of yellow stone. 