China Experience (Part II)
by Marilyn Shea
Continued from Xi'an...We saw three Shanghai's. We started in the center of the old city which has been restored to house shops and restaurants. On the Bund we were able to sample a taste of the Shanghai of the 1920's and 1930's with its strong European influence. Both contrasted strongly with the aggressively modern, planned development across the river from the Bund, the new Shanghai. Overall I was reminded of Chicago. Many of the old factories were built in the same style and looked like they used the same type of bricks. There were rows of two and three flats (apartments) which could have come from my uncle's neighborhood . The buildings on the Bund would have fit nicely into the Loop. And it was uniquely China as well.
Yu Yuan and the old section
During the Tang dynasty, Shanghai was only a small fishing village. It wasn't until the Ming dynasty that it achieved some importance as a center for silk and cotton weaving. A girl named Wang Daopo was married off into a family where she was treated badly and regularly beaten. She ran away to the south to escape her husband and was taken in by villagers who taught her the art of weaving. She not only became a master of the art, but invented several improvements to the loom. In middle-age she missed her home and wished to return. The villagers gave her a loom to take back with her and when she reached Shanghai she taught others and developed a large industry.
When I was told the story in Hong Kong, I asked about the husband and his family, hoping for some satisfying justice, but he just drops out of the story. One of the more important aspects of the story was the love the villagers had for Wang Daopo. Arts and skills were jealously guarded even in those days to minimize competition. By the time of the Qing dynasty, Shanghai expanded on the basis of its silk and cotton industry and had developed into a small port of about 50,000 people.
The oldest part of the city surrounds Yu Yuan -- Fish Garden. While Yu Yuan itself dates to 1557, some of the surrounding buildings are older. Although the buildings are traditional, the feel is of an indoor shopping mall where you can buy the latest goods in specialty stores or visit department stores. In the center there is a teahouse which is accessed by a complex of angled bridges. The old belief was that evil spirits could only cross water in a straight line.
We welcomed the sight of TGIF -- frozen yogurt hit the spot. Judy, Kay, and I finally found a place to buy the rain capes that the bikers wear. They come in the most vivid colors and the long front protects the legs while the shorter back hangs well above the back wheel. Fred and Denise doubled their holdings in chopsticks and cups and Beth found some great pajamas. Nancy Hu got herself a backpack, having watched the ease with which some of the group were able to carry everything but the kitchen sink.
Most of Shanghai was built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. There is little traditional Chinese architecture, but we did see one more temple. When we were told that we were going to see the Jade Temple, the group greeted the excursion with limp enthusiasm.
They thought they had seen the best. When we got there, we found that China always has something more. The architecture in this area of the country is distinctly different. There is much more detail and a greater use of three dimensional figure. Three golden Buddhas reign in the main temple. The climb to the second floor gave us the best view of the courtyard.
We were shown into a room where straw slippers were supplied and having changed into them we entered a second, smaller temple room where we saw the Jade Buddha. Seeing the Jade Buddha is full of all the mystery of the religion itself. There is something about the luminance of the jade that makes it seem as if the statue is appearing, that it isn't quite there. It has extraordinary beauty.
I was so glad we had not been prepared with details of dimensions and cost. I learned about those later. It was brought to Shanghai in the 1890's from Burma where it had been carved of a solid piece of jade. There is a second Jade Buddha in purest white jade in a third temple room. For me, nothing could compare to the expression and presence of the first.
Shanghai of the Foreigners
In the 1840's when the Europeans gained trading concessions in Shanghai by ransacking their way up to Beijing, the city was already a thriving port. The Europeans quickly carved the land among the concessions and established European ghettos. In Canton, during the early days of trade with China (1500-1600's) the Europeans had been forbidden to leave a small area and were not permitted to bring in their families. They had to sail to Macao to see them. They could only deal with a small group of Chinese who had the exclusive license to trade. They were not permitted to study the language. In Shanghai, the Europeans reversed the restrictions and built parks and country clubs which excluded the Chinese. In the early days, this exclusiveness was probably based in part on protection and security. The Taiping rebellion was in its last days and the Chinese may have been just a little disturbed by the barbaric actions which led to the treaty granting the concessions. Later, in the 1920's through the '40's the separation was based on wealth, power, and being European.
Shanghai might disappoint if you don't know what to expect. Most of the central city was built in the first third of this century. They built modern buildings to replace the factories (warehouses and offices) of the earlier concessions along the shoreline in the area called the Bund. The European colony remained aloof from the culture surrounding it. They built their own city with all the familiarity of home. There were country clubs, hotels, bars, major banking houses, and stores were modeled on the western architecture of the day. Today, the hotels, banks, and office buildings which line the Bund house Chinese banks and businesses and serve the financial and trade needs of one of the busiest ports in Asia.
Away from the shore, in the main shopping area, the streets are lined with major stores. We spent the most time in the foreign language bookstore picking up Chinese-English reference books, dictionaries, and acupuncture charts. After a browse through the shops on the main street and a visit to the Number One Department Store, we met for lunch at -- yes, McDonalds. It was the only place that we knew everyone would recognize easily. We were the only westerners in the restaurant -- perhaps food will help bridge the gap between cultures, but it would be nice if we had something better to offer in exchange for the superb Chinese cuisine.
The Bird Market
Just around the corner and down the street and through the park and then down an alley you find (at least we did) the Bird Market. It's yet another world. Birds are the most favored pet in China. In Hong Kong and Beijing, the parks are filled in the early morning with the songs of the birds as their retired owners take them for the air and to talk with other bird-lovers. In Beijing, there is a large gathering of bird owners at 5:00 a.m. each Sunday in Tiantan. Birds are valued for their ability to sing rather than for the color and beauty of their plumage. The sound of hundreds of birds chirping their greeting to dawn before the city wakes takes you straight into the country and mountainsides.
The market also offered tropical fish, bonsai trees, ceramic pots, and the cutest Pekinese puppies that ever tore your heart out. Kay found the perfect pot for bonsai and was grateful we would be leaving the next day so she wouldn't have to carry it long. The bird cages and accessories in the market are as varied and beautiful as the birds. You can have a cage made to order or choose one from the hundreds on display.
Shanghai of the Future
Shanghai was designated as one of the special economic zones and since the 1980's has resumed its rapid development. The local government has the same privileges and representation as a province in the central government.
We traveled to the future Shanghai on a brand new four lane expressway. In any other city it would have been eight lanes, but we could almost reach out and touch the buildings on either side as it was. Shanghai proper is built on top of itself to minimize distances. The streets are narrow and there are few open spaces. It is a city based on walking and the bicycle. The expressway cuts through it, using every available space. Problems like these led to the development of a new city on the other side of the river. To reach it, they built a new bridge which does make you catch your breath.
The new city will be based on public transportation and the automobile, roads will be wider, there are more parks planned, and rapid transit will allow the development of housing districts outside of the factory and commercial zones. Progress on the new city gallops and then stops, depending upon the amount of inflation and whether the government is tightening or promoting growth. The goal is to become a major port and financial center to rival Hong Kong. It will be interesting to see if the essential ingredient -- freedom to trade -- is built into the structure along with modern cellular phone systems.
