Museums & the Communists

Today was a rainy day in Shanghai, we woke up earlier than normal, about 5 am.  We are still trying to fight off jet lag. Breakfast was milk, rice again, with pork dumplings, fried eggs, pickles and noodles.  They don’t really seam to have a set menu for breakfast, its really whatever is left over from dinner.  We then boarded the bus, in nice cool weather and traveled down town, to the opposite side of the river than we were yesterday.  We were in the area of the people’s square, and saw the Shanghai museum first. It had a square base (earth) with a circular top (heavens)

  It was 4 floors of all sorts of ancient Chinese relics, from paintings and jade collections to calligraphy and furniture. We went all through the collections.  I learned that Jade comes in many different shades, including a rusty color, along with milk white and the traditional green.  They made all sorts of things out of it from cups to swords.  We had tea in the museum tea room, and had an impromptu class talking about the origins of language. We then went across the People’s Square, (there was a guy flying a kite that was getting some serious altitude.  It had to have been at least 20 stories up.  His string collector was a massive metal canister that looked like an old school movie can, so neat!)   to a shopping center where we had lunch.  It was considered a Brazilian restaurant, where they brought tons of different types of meats off of huge dagger looking rotisserie rods.  There were beefs, pork, duck, shrimps, sausages, and even tongue! 

I wasn’t a big fan of the tongue, it had a funny texture that I just couldn’t muster more than one bite.  We had, as usual, Watermelon.  I don't know what it is about watermelon, but people start to fight over it... very odd.   The view, however was absolutely beautiful.  We had a 3^rd floor view of the People’s Road & Square, and an amazing skyline.  After lunch we went to the Urban Planning Museum with a HUGE model of the whole first ring of Shanghai.  The model was massive, and you could walk all the way around it. 

 We then learned about the history, and how the area was divided up and how it grew into the city it is today.  We also got to see proposed plans for a centralized transportation center, (airport +train station + taxi depot + subway + bus + etc.) Centralized electricity/sewage/water/etc. lines and also a huge display about the Expo 2010.  The whole city is pretty worked up about it.  

We then went to the place where the first meeting of the communist party was held.  That was a real eye opener.  Seeing the entire communist relics, and how bluntly communists’ ideas were displayed was very very odd.  Especially when people shy away from such symbols as the hammer and sickle so much in America, it almost made me uneasy standing next to it in the museum.  I also found it interesting that there were Russians in attendance in the first meeting. The displays were very well done, and comprehensive, I loved the design and layout.  We then got to meander through the area, most of the houses were re-built or refurbished to their original state.  It had a quality of the French Quarter, with the upper balconies, however still very Chinese.  

The type is called Shinkumen, and it has a lovely red and gray/black brick work throughout.  Today it’s a very fashionable high-class shopping district, and most of the houses are now restaurants and bars with a very European feel, but the materials and scale are still there.  After milling about for a while, we were dropped off on Huaihai Road, (The Michigan Ave. of Shanghai) for dinner and whathaveyou.  We were expected to find our way back.  Micah and Justin and I went into a small café, got a lesson in how to order and take care of bills in China  (Much more difficult than expected, but it was a learning experience.) Then milled about in different stores ( H&M!!) before hiking to the subway, figuring out our stop, then figuring out the bus system to the University Grounds.  The public transportation was very easy to use, figure out, and very cheap.  The subway is only 4 RGB, and the bus 2 RGB.  Us girls are winding down early, getting some homework (reading) done, and going to bed.  Tomorrow is the Venice of the East.  We also figured out the Chinese remotes, and got our AC to work, so now we are nice and cool! 

P.S.  leave comments, I'd love to know what you guys think!!