We left Xi'An for Shanghai. Shanghai is a very developed city. One of our business partners put it best: "Beijing is like Washington D.C. - Shanghai is like New York." That really is the best way to describe it. Shanghai doesn't have the history, government offices, or tourist attractions. It does have a lot of businesses, restaurants, and shopping. It is very western. Most people spoke English very well. Communication was not a problem.
Shanghai also has the most breathtaking skylines I have seen. Our hotel was on the Bund River. On either side of the river were tall, unique, Skyscrapers, decorated with beautiful lighting. The architecture is very grand, and unique. Shanghai has a Sky Needle (they call it The Pearl). Shanghai also has a building that looks like a giant bottle opener. Moving forward they are in the process of building the world's tallest building. It is really a sight to behold. Something I will never forget.
View of the West (Pu Xi) side of The Bund River. The other side had a more traditional feel.
Though the city is very "western," it has not lost it's authentic side. This can be seen in the cuisine. During this trip we were able to see the good and the bad. Our first experience was the former. We ventured to the downtown shopping district to find an Apple store. Afterwards, we headed to a mall and picked a random restaurant. This place was authentic. We ordered a few dishes, including a braised duck, and duck stew. We figured out quickly the how to make their duck stew. Take an entire, duck, and put it in the stew. Legs, feet, head and everything. The braised didn't take much more time to prepare either. Each piece had the skin, fatty tissue, and muscle.
Can you see the duck?
Look closer.....
I don't want to make it sound like the food is all bad. The following night we were taken to a great local place to eat. Szechuan (a region in China) food. Family style dining. For about two hours the food just kept coming. We were able to to try many things. We sampled Chicken, Duck, beef, frog, noodles, soup, rice, veggies, fruits, spices, and so on. Most of it was excellent. There was so much food on the table! There wasn't room on the table for all the food. Instead of taking it away, they would just condense it to smaller plates. During all of this we saw a show (Opera, play, and Chinese Face Changing mask show).
While not the best tourist attraction, I learned a lot from Shanghai. Mostly about how business is done in China. It is quite fascinating, and frankly too long to explain on a blog. I also learned that China is still a developing nation. The people are poor, parts are dirty, and the culture is not as advanced as you may think. Shanghai has the look but needs more development before it can really be compared to New York.
Long story short, I wouldn't recommend an extended stay for a vacation; but if you are looking for business, it all seems to flow through Shanghai.
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