Closing This Chapter of China

    It has been an incredible and long journey. The last month of my adventure went by quickly and ended abruptly. There is so much I wanted to share, but honestly I was burnt out. Maybe one day this fall I will be able to come back on here and post about some of the experiences that I feel further defined my experience, such as my international food experiences (German, Italian, and Palestinian), exploring Yu Garden, shopping at the fake market, street food basics, my business English tutoring job with Endress and Hauser (yeah the Swiss company!), visiting Pudong and Xiantiandi, and more cool international stuff. I hope you can forgive me for delaying in my closing blog post. Between finishing up classes and preparing for the next step, June barely seemed like more than a few days.

So June went by faster than I could have imagined. I was unable to take the trip to Nanjing as I had hoped. Unfortunately my course load caught up to me and I had 6 presentations and 5 finals I had to begin preparing for throughout the month. Reminder, I had signed up for 7 courses. It is my sincerest suggestion that regardless of where you study or how many hours you are required to take in your semester abroad, avoid taking more than 5 courses. You may recall from one of my earlier posts, I needed to take 15 hours of business credits this spring. I ended up with six 2-hour courses and one 3-hour course, totally 15 hours. Throughout the semester, this was manageable. However, finals and final presentations struck and I’m fortunate to have made it out with any hair left on my head.

The tricky thing about my in-class experience came from the fact that I was in courses with 80-90% full-time Chinese students and most of the grades were set to bell curves. Let me explain the dynamics in a typical Chinese classroom. Rule #1: the professor is right and holds the utmost authority. To challenge a professor is absolutely unheard of in these settings. If you have a question, you ask the TA and professor-student relationships are rare and culturally discouraged. Rule #2: Additional outside work is absolutely necessary for success. Let me tell you, the stereotypes surrounding the outstanding Chinese work ethic are well-deserved. These students did far beyond anything we exchange students deemed necessary; studying from almost the beginning of the course, downloading test banks to help prepare, and other forms of preparation that to me and many other exchange students seemed like complete overkill. As it turns out, this approach is not only necessary to succeed, but expected by professors. Rule #3: Because of Rule #1, the professor has every right to throw a curve ball final and/or assign you any grade he/she chooses. I won’t go on a rant about this, but it is important to note that racism is much more culturally prevalent and unlike in the US, professors have a very small sense of accountability to student satisfaction. So be respectful: go to class, do your homework, and prepare. Tackling the Chinese education system can be terrifying, and last minute studying is really not suggested.

Needless to say, these observations came from much trial and error. There are many things I would do differently if given the opportunity again, but unfortunately retrospective thinking will not change anything. I hope it will help as a guide for any of you wanting to study in China.

As I said earlier, June flew by for me. I had courses until the week of the 16^th. My final presentations, all in the form of group projects, occurred during the first two weeks of the month. Most of these projects were not even begun until the end of May or early June thanks to both lack of information and procrastination. As one of the only native English speaker in my classes, I felt pretty desired; all of the projects/papers/presentations had to be completed in English. My first two finals came Thursday and Friday during the 3^rd week of June. The next was Monday, followed by Thursday, with my hardest exam on the last Friday of the semester and 24 hours before I was to depart the country. Also, the US played Germany that Thursday night and since most of my closest friends were German, I couldn’t miss out on a little World Cup action. Shout out to Deutschland by the way, you’ve had my support since the beginning! (If you’ve ever discussed football with a German, you’ll appreciate how contagious it is.)

Having to leave campus less than 24 hours after my last final exam was disheartening. I tried going out to celebrate, but honestly I was in bed before midnight. I had been saying goodbye to friends for the weeks leading up to my departure, but I really didn’t have much time to be sad until I was on the plane home. Even then, I don’t think it hit me until I had been home for a week or two and realized I will probably never see most of them again. I am determined though and have already begun scheming to get to Europe. If you’re reading this, you know who you are- Germany, Switzerland, Norway, France, and Austria…

June was abrupt and stressful to say the least. But the icing to the cake came with my 40+ hour travel home. Yes, you read that correctly. I traveled for a little over 42 hours to get from my dorm in Shanghai to my bed in Alabama. I took a cab to the airport to catch a 13 hour flight from Shanghai to Vancouver, stayed busy through a 12 hour layover, caught a 5 hour flight to Toronto, twiddled my thumbs for 4.5 hours, flew to Atlanta in 3 hours, and finally made it home to North Alabama 4 hours later. Guys, I know it’s cheaper with long layovers- but do your selves a favor. 12 hours in an airport is excruciating, even if it is somewhere as gorgeous as Vancouver.

Inevitably, my semester abroad has changed me and caused me to reevaluate my long-term goals. After a semester of late night conversations about politics, economics, and cultural norms with individuals spanning all six of the inhabitable continents, it would be an understatement to say my vision of the future has changed. I discussed healthcare economics with a Norwegian, the struggles facing China’s PMI this year with the Shanghai branch manager of Endress and Hauser, post-WWII politics with a German and a Frenchman, and so much more. What has resounded most is an urgency to learn more and avoid the darkness of ignorance. I will admit I have begun toying with the idea of post-graduate education. Language comprehension and cultural immersion have become a major focus for my future. Following graduation, I plan to study several languages before ultimately pursuing a degree in international law. I plan to achieve my Chinese fluency goal, spend a year furthering my Spanish in either Guatemala or Colombia, and finally in Austria, Germany, or Switzerland reach a comfortable conversational level in German.

I am excited to begin this adventure, and I am so thankful for all of you who have supported me by reading this blog. I am actually writing this on a plane headed to Houston. My next adventure begins today as I head to Guatemala for a month! I hope you will all check out my new blog as I experience first-hand what economic struggles facing entrepreneurs in third-world countries.

Happy Belated Birthday to Me!

First and foremost, I apologize for my blog absence! It has been a crazy month, and I’ve found it difficult to just sit down and write everything that has been happening. Classes are starting to come to a close, finals are just a few (terrifyingly few) weeks away, and the weather has become absolutely gorgeous. Well okay, sometimes its just humid and muggy and hot and fairly miserable, but at least it’s not rainy and cold anymore! Now to the post 🙂

On February 11, 2014, I turned the ripe age of 21 years old. In the US, turning 21 is generally a big deal. Over two decades of life successfully completed, and (finally) old enough to be treated as an adult. But let’s just agree that 21 is a big deal. Unfortunately, February 2014 in Columbia, South Carolina was very unkind. I spent my birthday at a dinner with a group of my friends and then went with two to the only bar that was open in town and we were home by midnight. Don’t misunderstand, I truly appreciated my friends taking me out. It wasn’t, however, the big celebration that so many come to expect.

One night at the end of February, I was at dinner with some of my Shanghai friends (see “Branching Out” post). We were there celebrating a friend’s birthday, and the subject of my 21st came up. I told them about traditions in the US, about how big 21 generally is and the types of crazy things people do when they finally reach the big 2-1. This was the end of February.

Last Sunday evening, I was invited to a BBQ hosted at a rented house near the campus. To my surprise, a group of 25+ people were waiting for me! It was a belated birthday celebration and, with my arrival, 21 nationalities were represented 🙂 We sang, we played pool, we danced, we ate bbq, we played mahjong, and they were all there for me. It was such a fantastically overwhelming feeling! These folks hadn’t forgotten one of our first conversations, they had just been waiting for the perfect moment. Words cannot begin to describe how grateful I am to have such fantastic friends!

Spontaneous Spring Trip

This past weekend I participated in a two day trip to 临海 (Linhai) and 天台 (Tiantai). The trip was offered through the Exchange Program at JiaoTong. Each of us paid 200 rmb for travel expenses, housing Saturday evening, park entrance fees, lunch and dinner Saturday, and lunch on Sunday. I actually had not originally planned to attend the trip, but when a spot opened up last Wednesday I bought a ticket.

As with most things planned by the university, the organization was lacking. When we boarded the bus, we were still unsure where we were going, how long it was going to take, and what we were doing. A friend of mine said it well as our journey began, “I’ve learned that in China you never know things ahead of time, but things generally work themselves out.”They told us to pack for outdoor activities and plan for slight rain. We left Saturday morning at 8:30 am (the plan was to depart at 8:00 am). The bus ride was to take 2-3 hours, but due to rain our trip lasted twice as long. We arrived in Linhai a little after 12:30 pm. This ended up being ideal as we were all starving and there was a delicious lunch awaiting us.

After lunch we explored Linhai. We visited the park encompassing the East Lake of Linhai, climbed the staircase up to Chenghuan Shan, and walked the Great Wall, not THAT Great Wall, but a Great Wall. This was the Jiangnan Great Wall, not as historically important, but still quite a sight. At around 5:00 pm, we headed back to the busses and to dinner. We ended up staying at a very nice hotel in downtown Linhai. I will admit, the shower and soft bed may have been my favorite part of the whole trip.

The next morning, we enjoyed a continental Western style breakfast before loading up on the bus to travel an hour or so. We arrived at Tiantai Mountain at 10:00 am and were allowed to hike until a little afternoon. The views were absolutely breath taking, but I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

After hiking we had another delicious (pre-paid) lunch before embarking on our return trip. I was exhausted, but satisfied upon returning. Next trip? Nanjing 🙂 Stay tuned friends!

 

 

 

 

Rain, Rain Go Away

As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers. Well Shanghai is going to have a mighty large amount of flowers this May, because this rain just doesn’t stop!

Fortunately, the weather has been warming up. Upon arrival, I thought I would never be warm again. Now the weather is mild and when the sun is out, very pleasant. But when it rains, I mean it rains. My recommendation for anyone traveling to Shanghai in the spring is to invest in an umbrella as soon as possible. It’s not like home where it rains a bit during the day and then is gray for the rest of the day. No, in Shanghai it rains from morning to night. You should also invest in a sturdy umbrella as it is generally very windy here as well. I will admit there is one fantastic positive to rainy days like this: it breaks up the pollution in the air. Running immediately after a rain is quite satisfying.

With any luck, this rain will ease up soon and I will have more fun pictures of Shanghai to show! 

 

 

 

Part IV: Eating My Way Across Fujian

Food, food, food! Where to start?! A good friend of mine suggested that the success of a vacation is measured in the quality of the food consumed. And I must say the food I have enjoyed in this past week has been absolutely incredible!

As I have mentioned in previous posts, Xiamen is a seaside city. This means seafood! At first, I was skeptical of eating seafood in China. In places like Shanghai where the water pollution is depressing, I definitely recommend avoiding the seafood. Xiamen is another story entirely. Scallops, shrimp, crabs, and squid, freshly caught and prepared in the most delicious sauces I have ever tried. Our first night in Xiamen, I tried a squid and bok choy soup (top right), spicy shrimp (bottom left), and crab noodles.

It was very common to see buckets of various living sea creatures lining the streets of Xiamen. (pictured top left) Locals caught the sea creatures: crabs, fish, shrimp, octopus, squids, etc, and displayed them for selection. On the night that our hostel owners cooked dinner for us, we went with them to select our dinner. It was fun until one of the fish escaped from the bucket and I noticed that the clams were moving. Turns out, I’m more of a final product person. The bottom left corner shows an ice cream dessert that I tried. The woman prepared it by using a thin flour wrap, two scoops of ice cream, and what I believe was crumbled up waffle cone. She laid out the wrap, sprinkled on the crumbs, and placed the ice cream in the center before wrapping it up like a burrito. It was sweet and refreshing!

Another exciting part of Xiamen was its famous Taiwanese food street! I cannot even begin to explain everything that is happening in the following photos, but I can tell you I tried nearly everything. I will try to explain the food pictured below as best I can. Starting from the top right: spiral potatoes on a stick, the potatoes were sliced and spread across the stick, fried, and then covered in spice of your choice. Like French fries, but way better. Next, on top are cups of full cooked crabs. A friend of mine tried one and said it was delicious, but too much work. Below that is an array of raw seafood on a stick. To eat, you select what you like and it is grilled in front of you. The last picture in the top row was a noodle dish that I was not brave enough to try.On the bottom left, a woman is preparing egg muffins. She used batter then filled them with egg, various meats, and occasionally vegetables. The top middle was fascinating to watch. In a less than 3 minutes, this woman could prepare for you a full wrap. She would first spread pancake like batter across her cooking top, add raw egg, and let it cook for a few seconds before adding lettuce and meats of your choice. The last two photos are additional street vendors preparing noodle dishes. Street food is very oily, so I encourage you to pace yourself with your selections.

My favorite food in Xiamen was the scallops. They were so fresh and prepared so well that I ate them three days in a row. There’s something about the spices in this country that just compliment my pallet.

In Wuyishan, we tried a pretty delicious mushroom medley. Because of the vast mountains, the city of Wuyishan had quite a selection of mushroom options. We tried two sautéed dishes, and they were perfect after a long day of hiking. All-in-all, the food was fantastic and I will greatly miss it.

 

 

Part III: Uphill Both Ways, Hiking at Wuyishan

Tuesday evening at 8:00 pm, I took a night train from Xiamen to Wuyishan. Still in Fujian Province, Wuyishan is a popular destination for Chinese natives, but much less common for foreigners.

A Note on Night Trains. Take them. Honestly, if you want to visit fun parts of China, you should look into night trains. For this vacation, I took two. At first, I was very skeptical of taking a 12 hour train to anywhere. I am easily prone to motion sickness, but taking the night train did not negatively impact me in anyway. We arrived at the train station around 7:00 pm and boarded by 7:30 pm. Three of us played cards until around 10:30 pm, then I went to sleep. I spent 320 kuai on high speed from Shanghai to Xiamen (in total), and only 128 kuai from Xiamen to Wuyishan, and another 100 kuai from Wuyishan back to Shanghai. This paid for a ‘hard bed’ which included a mattress, pillow, comforter, electrical outlet, and luggage storage space. My only complaint is that people could smoke in the train cars, but honestly, it was hardly an issue. I put in my headphones or ear plugs and woke up around 8:00 am. I slept with my passport and wallet (you should do this anyway when traveling), but never felt in any danger. So in conclusion: if you want to travel across China, night trains are the way to go.

Part III: Uphill Both Ways, Hiking at Wuyishan

On Wednesday morning, four of us arrived at Wuyishan. This was to be Day 1 of intense hiking. A lot of people have asked me, “What is hiking like in China?” Well honestly (I hope this doesn’t sound too sarcastic), it’s like hiking in the US but with more Chinese people. The mountains are pretty much what you would expect: enormous and breath taking. We decided to stray from the tourist routes on the first day, and explored more. We happened across a beautiful waterfall and quite a few tea farms (okay, so that’s pretty Chinese). As we hiked higher and higher, we ran into several rows of tea plants. As it turns out, Wuyishan is fairly well known for it’s tea and local mushroom dishes. We of course tried both!

The next day, we hiked up another mountain. During our second day of hiking, we ended up at a special “lovers’ bridge.” For a special price, you could purchase a lock that represented your relationship and hook it to this bridge. It is believed that the relationship will last so long as the lock remains.  If you end the relationship and hope to pursue another, you have to release the lock. And let me tell you, it hurts to reach this bridge which is at the peak of one of the highest mountains in Wuyishan…

If you decide to travel to a national park, I encourage you to bring your student id. Normally, it costs over 200 kuai for one day of hiking. With a student id, we only paid 160 kuai for a three day pass. I’m not entirely sure why hiking costs money, but it may having something to do with the shuttle system to and from different tourist peaks. After entering the gate, we jumped on a bus and rode for about five minutes until we reached one tourist center. After completing our day of hiking, we were able to take the free shuttle back to the main gate and grab a bus back to our hostel.

Be warned. There are very little foreigners at Wuyishan. You will have your photo taken and you will be actively stalked by illegitimate taxi drivers offering you a ‘special price’. My recommendation is to ignore both and utilize the bus system. There is no establish taxi service in Wuyishan, so it’s better for your wallet to take the bus. They may look like taxis, but they aren’t. The taxi drivers there are infamous for charging you 15 kuai to take you 2 minutes down the road to the nearest bus station. So save yourself some money and headaches, and just learn the bus system.

Wuyishan was beautiful, and an absolutely wonderful ending to a once-in-a-lifetime spring break. After two days in Wuyishan, we took another night train back to Shanghai. The whole trip was long and the hiking was exhausting, but it was absolutely worth it. You are cheating yourself if you do not travel within China while you are here. It’s affordable and safe if you do it right, and there are plenty of ways to make sure of both. A few suggested sites: qunar.com, agoda.com, and English.ctrip.com

After an incredible (exhaustive) and rejuvenating trip, it’s back to midterms, studying for the HSK, and metro navigating in Shanghai. Home sweet Minhang, Shanghai

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the beautiful city of Xiamen! On day 2 of our spring break travels, we arrived in the beach city of Xiamen. I spent almost 4.5 days in this city, and I can honestly say I would go back in a heart beat. The weather was incredible while we were there- easily above 25 degrees Celsius the whole time and not a cloud in sight.

Part 2: Xiamen and Gulangyu

During my stay in Xiamen I visited three main areas: Xiamen city center, the island of Gulangyu, and a local mountain. We arrived on Friday a little after noon, and found our way to our incredible hostel. From there we split into two groups: one to explore a nearby temple, and another (me and Jianan) to shop at the local market. After successfully purchasing a sunhat and lunch, I found myself on a beach similar to those in the States. The sand was white and the water was clear. With the sun high in the sky, I was able to finally able to relax. Our hostel was located near the beach and about ten minutes from the boat to the island of Gulangyu and twenty minutes from downtown. Friday was all about getting comfortable with our surroundings, and Saturday was when the fun truly began.

Friday morning, we woke up with the intention of exploring Gulangyu. Gulangyu is the island adjacent to Xiamen. We took a bus from the hostel to the boat dock. Here we purchased our round trip tickets to Gulangyu; a mere 8 kuai, the boat ride took less than 5 minutes. The experience to Gulangyu may be one of the most bizarre in my life. Upon purchasing our tickets, we entered the docking area and were immediately met by hundreds of Chinese tourists. Many a picture was taken, but I was too concerned about maintaining my balance to be irritated by the poorly timed photography. An alarm would sound and like cattle we, along with hundreds of other tourists, shoved our way onto a small boat to be ferried to Gulangyu. I will admit to actively ‘moo-ing’ all the way onto the boat.

Once reaching the island, it was 110% worth the uncomfortable ferry ride. We were able to explore the board walk area of the island that showcased some of the traditional architecture as well as the magnificent peaks. The beaches were less than desirable with cold water and bits of trash hidden in the sand, but the weather was gorgeous and the air was clean. I spent several hours exploring the tourist areas as well as the boardwalk, enjoying every bit of sun I could. That night we returned to the city of Xiamen and had a fantastic seafood dinner (see Part IV: Food). I was hesitant to eat the seafood, but am glad I tried it. The shell fish was fresh and the sauce was lighter than that found in Shanghai.

The next day, we returned to the island. I spent considerably more time walking. Fortunately, I invested in some spf 20. While fair skin is quite desirable to Chinese natives, it’s a pain in the butt to folks like me. I had foolishly forgotten to apply sunscreen the day before, but was fortunate to have invested in a sunhat. Sporting my sunglasses tan, I explored the island further and tasted several different types of street food.

By Monday, several members of our group had returned to Shanghai. The weather grew a bit cloudier, and I enjoyed my down time. We were very fortunate in our hostel selection. Monday evening, they cooked us a home-cooked meal. Trust me when I say it was the best meal I have had since arriving in China.

Tuesday, I decided to go on a run. As it turns out, one of the hostel owners is a marathon runner. I decided it would be a good idea to accompany him on a run. Never have I felt so out of shape! We ran up and up and up a local mountain. The view was fantastic! But everytime I was sure I had reached the top, he would cry out, “Zou ba!” and up we would go! We ended up running around 7.8 km (that’s a little under 5 miles for those reading at home). It took me about an hour and a half to complete it, but I did complete it!

After a satisfying run and well-earned shower, I left Xiamen for Wuyishan

Part I: Fuzhou, The Capitol of Fujian Province

Spring Break 2014! This is what I have decided to call my recent 9 day vacation to Fujian Province. The original plan was to spend only 5 days traveling: Shanghai -> Fuzhou, Fuzhou-> Xiamen, and then return home to Shanghai; but without much persuasion, I agreed to extend my trip. A group of 7 of us left Shanghai by high speed train at 6:00 am on Thursday morning and arrived in Fuzhou that afternoon.

We spent the rest of Thursday exploring Fuzhou. On Friday at 10:30 am, we caught another high speed train to Xiamen. Two others joined us on Saturday afternoon. As a group of 9, we explored Xiamen and nearby areas. Then on Sunday, two from our group left Xiamen for Shanghai via high speed rail. On Monday evening, two more left via 17 hour bus. Tuesday morning, one more left via high speed. Finally on Tuesday night at 8:00 pm, the last final of us took the 12 hour overnight train from Xiamen to Wuyishan. We arrived on Wednesday morning, hiked, then stayed at a hostel Wednesday evening. We woke up Thursday, hiked, and then at 10:00 pm took an overnight train back to Shanghai. We arrived Friday morning at a little after 8:00 am and took the metro home, finally arriving back in Minhang around 9:30 am. These past 9 days have been exhausting, but absolutely phenomenal. My next 4 blog posts will track the most international and fantastic spring break I have ever experienced.

Part 1: Fuzhou, The Capitol of Fujian Province

Both Xiamen and Wuyishan are located in Fujian Province of which Fuzhou is the capitol. We spent the first day of our journey in Fuzhou, but I must admit it was easily my least favorite part of our trip. The night before departing for Fuzhou, a group of 4 of us stayed at a hostel in downtown Shanghai. Because of this, we began our journey quite exhausted. Fuzhou is a rather poor capitol city with air almost as thick as Shanghai’s. We spent our time exploring the tourist street of Fuzhou, visiting the home of a famous Chinese philosopher. It is still unclear to me how we ended up in this city, but we made the most of our time there. We found a delicious Korean/Japanese restaurant and some delicious snack vendors before exploring the famous Chinese philosopher’s home. I learned a great deal about the Western influence that led to the Opium Wars. After a few hours of walking around the most tourist area of Fuzhou, we headed to a hostel near the train station. It was a pleasant area, but with very much to do. I learned a very important lesson this first day of our journey: the most important thing to bring with you when travel is a fun group of people. I am happy to say that although Fuzhou was a rather boring city, this trip was the first step to several incredible friendships.

 

 

Prepping for FuJian

I am excited to announce that from April 3-7, I will be visiting FuJian Province. April 7 is the Chinese Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day. This public holiday is a time to pay respect to those who have died. Because of my flexible class schedule, I decided it was time to take a trip. A group of seven of us will depart from Shanghai on Thursday at 6:30 am. We will arrive in the capitol of FuJian, Fuzhou, around 1:00 pm. The high speed rail will take a little over 6 hours, but will probably be packed. We will explore Fuzhou for the day, stay at a hostel, and then head to Xiamen on Friday.

Fuzhou is a watered down version of Shanghai, so we decided to spend a majority of our trip in Xiamen. We will leave from Fuzhou around 11:00 am and arrive in Xiamen in the early afternoon. We will be standing for the entirety of this rail ride. The next few days will be filled with hiking, beaches, and beautiful weather. Two other friends will join us on Saturday. We will stay in Xiamen until early Monday afternoon. Then we will catch a 17 hour bus from Xiamen to Shanghai. Yes, 17 hours on a bus. When in China!

Some of the things I hope to do in Xiamen: climb to the top stair of Ciji Palace of QingJiao, visit Zheng Chenggong Training Field Ruins and Xiamen Botanical Gardens, relax in Haiwan Park, walk through Jimei Turtle Park, hike Xiamen Wulao Mountain and Wuyuanwan Wetland park, and visit Xiamen Dragon Boat Pong in the evening. But then, I only have three days- so we shall see!

I will make sure to take plenty of photos and share as soon as I am able! In the future, I will have to bear in mind that more people creates greater difficulty in planning. Fortunately, the folks I’m traveling with are wonderful and easy to work with. I am thrilled to be spending this long weekend with so many friends, and excited to see what FuJian has to offer!

 

Welcome to 外滩!

Today was one of the most fun days I have had since coming here. I’d like to introduce you to one of my favorite places in Shanghai: The Bund! This scenic area is easily one of the most popular tourist areas in Shanghai, but it’s easy to see why! It is beautiful 😀 especially at night, when Pudong is all lit up… Well, I’m getting ahead of myself. Nestled between Line 2- East Nanjing Road and Line 10- Yuyuan Garden, you should ABSOLUTELY spend time here upon visiting Shanghai.

The tall tower in the back with the three bulbs is known as the Pearl Tower. The whole area on that side of the river is the Pudong District. If you are in banking and you end up in Shanghai, that’s undoubtedly where you will spend some time. The blue building to the right is affectionately known as the Bottle Opener- you can see why. Fun fact: originally, the design was supposed to have a circle instead of a square, but the shadow would too closely resemble the Japanese flag. The building in the farthest right corner, you can barely see it (not lit up), is soon to be the tallest building in the world. It’s currently still under construction, but they are claiming the title.

The Huangpu River separates the water front area is known as the Bund and Pudong District. But on the other side of the river (behind the cameraman in the group photo above) is the French Concession. You are not mistaken in spotting the rather Western design. The Bund lies north of the old, walled city of Shanghai. It was initially a British settlement; hence the Western influence on building designs. These are among the oldest buildings in the city of Shanghai. The Shanghai Bund has dozens of historical buildings, lining the Huangpu River, that once housed numerous banks and trading houses from the United Kingdom, France, the US, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, and Belgium as well as the consulates of Russia and Britain.

The Bund itself is about a mile in length, and Pudong is generally lit up from about 7:00- 10:00 pm every night. I’ve included a couple of other fun photos, but I cannot stress to you how much you are missing out if you do not visit!