Shanghai Photographs: The Bund - Hotels in Shanghai? Try:Shanghai Hotels.The Hong Kong Hotel was located in a back street, about 10 minutes from the Bund. We spent two days in the area before taking the train to HangZhou, where we spent a couple of days exploring 'West Lake'; and visiting "Shaoxing" about which I have already written at Magic City. The photos contained in this file are nothing spectacular, but for those who have never been to Shanghai, or never been to China, they might offer some insights.
The first week of May in China is a holiday to celebrate 'May Day', and last May, my fellow foreign Teacher, Chiara Braccagni (Italian Teacher) and I decided to go to Xi'an for the week.
Well that was our plan before we discovered that we couldn't get a train ticket in Suzhou. So we decided to go to Shanghai and see if we could get tickets there. No such luck.
Stuck for what to do, we immediately set about looking for accomodation, only to discover that all the hostels were full. We were however directed to a local 'Chinese' Hotel (as opposed to 'foreigner' hotel). Given our resident status, they let us stay.
The Hong Kong Hotel was located in a back street, about 10 minutes from the Bund.
We spent two days in the area before taking the train to HangZhou, where we spent a couple of days exploring 'West Lake'; and visiting "Shaoxing" about which I have already written at Magic City.
The photos contained in this file are nothing spectacular, but for those who have never been to Shanghai, or never been to China, they might offer some insights.
The Area Around our Hotel
Chiara and I were walking over a little bridge trying to find our way to the Bund, when we ran into a Finnish Girl, Mervi, who told us she would take us there.
That's Mervi. She's not quite as beautiful as the Building in the Background.
The following photographs were taken within one block of where we were staying.
An Art Gallery
At one end of the Bund, there is a rather interesting looking place. You can't miss it, it has a rather interesting triangular sculpture or something on the top deck.
Down below, at the bottom of the sculptured walls, is the "Shanghai Patriotic Promotion Site" which contains an art gallery. Chiara who was frustrated by my lack of interest in museums, was not at all keen on looking at art. (It was probably like Coffee and Pizza - not as good as the Italian Version).
Nevertheless, I found the art so interesting, that while she and Mervi spent the second day browsing in the museum, I returned to the art gallery. They had one particular and unsigned oil painting that was in the exact same style as several of my own paintings of Paris, painted by Elizabeth Lane, former wife of Australian Artist Harold Lane.
It is definitely worth taking a stroll down there - better than being conned into visiting the studios of the Art Students who pester you to go with them to their dubious and financially inspired 'art houses'.
Oriental Pearl TV Tower in Pudong Park, Lujiazui, Shanghai - behind Mervi and I
On the Right, the sculpture at the "Shanghai Patriotic Promotion Site"
Above ground at the "Shanghai Patriotic Promotion Site"
Looking between the sculpture toward Oriental Pearl Tower
Sculptures line the walls as you descend into the 'belly' of the Site.
Along the esplanade
As much as this looks like a nice area - and indeed it is - it is a terrible place to just 'sightsee'. The most 'seen sight' is that of the foreigners telling the hawkers to get lost. I went there on my own the second day while Chiara and Mervi went to the museum, and I gave up on the hawkers after about 10 minutes. When you are with someone it is easier to ignore the blighters. When you are on your own it is a nightmare.
Chiara and Mervi walking the Esplanade
Those are restaurants to right of frame.
Lost in Shanghai
We walked to the far end of the Esplanade
End of the Road - so to Speak!
Leaving the Bund, we headed off to the nearby park that Mervi had visited the previous day. As we walked and talked, we each thought the other knew where they were going. We had a wonderful walk, and came across an interesting series of sculptures outside a bank.
I seem to remember that it was at this point in our journey that Chiara and I asked Mervi where we were headed. That's when we discovered that she thought we were travelling in a specific direction.
Well, that certainly made the situation interesting. We grabbed our maps and tried to figure out where we were. Eventually, with that sorted out, Mervi planned a way to get back where we started, and along the way, we took a couple of detours to investigate some interesting looking places. We did eventually find our way back to the hotel.
This is the alley where the Wishing Tree Was
Architecture on the Bund in Shanghai
Some River Photographs
I hope you have enjoyed this little excursion!
Searching for a hotel in Shanghai? Or sightseeing tours?
Such is the game playing that goes on in China, but in this case, the games are being played my a Norwegian and a Taiwanese. When you the foreigner, are having fun in Shanghai this year, please remember that while Hu Jintao is making great strides to make China a harmonious society, with government officials doing their work honestly and with transparency, there are always those people in China, who, because of their money or some personal power, seek not only to control Chinese and foreigner alike, but to punish them if they do not willingly agree to be slaves.
Arriving at the Hotel at 7 pm, we booked in to once again find ourselves faced with a room with one queen sized bed in it. Again we insisted and received a twin room. We stayed at the JinHui hotel which you can find listed at www.ctrip.com. It is located at LuoHu (lor - who) and is 2 minutes walk from the cargo vehicle border crossing into Xiang Gang (Hong Kong).
The interesting thing about the ride is that as the train leaves each station, a uniformed attendant salutes the departing train. At night, people dance, talk, roller scate etc. An Island blocks the view to the ocean. The sculpture of the boy is urinating
After years of living in China, I finally got around to organizing a trip to Tibet. I was due to pay for the trip at the End of June and I was to go in October during the Chinese National Holiday. If you have been wondering why the Chinese Government put a ban on foreigners going to Tibet, then now you know the reason. It was to stop me! Alleyways and Streets are more narrow than the canals in Xitang Town ZheJiang. Once we cleared the bars it quieted down. Now this is where I point out why the title of this article has 'Clown' in it.
Mingxing's company had booked him into the upmarket Kempinski Hotel in Wuxi and he organized and paid for one extra day so that we could go sightseeing. There are two photos in Part one that relate to the Kempinski Hotel Room, but this photo is of the lavish foyer of the Hotel as taken from the first floor landing above the coffee shop. Whilst the Big Buddha is the 'centerpiece' so to speak, the real spectacular is to be found in the Cultural Museum. This place is one helluva spectacular place inside. It sits directly opposite the replica of the Potala Palace, and when you enter you are required to put coverings over your shoes. I suspect that the real reason is to cut down on the cleaning bill. This place was crowded and all those people shuffling along wearing shoe protectors gave the marble floor a really high sheen.
The Fairy Island on the Lake Taihu. which used to be called the Three-Mount Island, is a group of well-known islands and islets in the famou s scenic spot of Lake Taihu.it lies in the lake, and is 2. 0 kilometers away from the Turtle Head Peninsual, which is in the northeast shore. The entire islands are made up of the islets such as Daji, Xiaoji, Dongya, Xiya, with a total area of 12 hectares. (From a Sign at Taihu.)
Beijing
(Note: Chiara Braccagni's articles are in both English and Italian)
A una di queste chiamate, ci fermiamo a fianco a una coppia di giovani. Non solo i due incauti avevano diversi sacchetti, ma portavano con sé anche una torta. Dopo varie discussioni con la bigliettaia perché la torta nel pulmino proprio non ci stava, provano ad aprire il finestrino e a passarla alla ragazza seduta di fronte a Justine. Visto che non riuscivano a spostare il vetro, sporgendomi, faccio alla bigliettaia: "Lo faccia passare da qui" (okkei, va bene, ho detto solo "da qui", il resto della frase era sottinteso!). Io, anima ingenua, credevo che una volta saliti i due giovani avrebbero trovato il modo di riprendersi la torta. E invece no! Mi sono fatta una decina di chilometri di strada sterrata con una torta gelato sulle ginocchia! E giusto per renderla ancora più precaria, era una torta a due piani con complesse decorazioni, tra cui un drago giallo con occhi e baffi di cioccolata. Avevo il terrore di spetasciarla. A questo punto, però, ridevamo da non riuscire più a respirare.
My 11.45 am flight left at 1pm. Knowing that this would happen, I had bought my international ticket from Beijing, and chanced travelling to Beijing the day before. That also meant that I would need accommodation on the 14th. After checking the Internet, I came across the Beijing Aulympic - Olympic - Hotel, located very close to the airport. The fees were very very very low and that suited me fine. I did not expect however, that the hotel would be as nice as it was
The Garden of Couple's Retreat. Located on the northeastern edge of the ancient city of SuZhou, the garden was first created in the early Qing period as a pleasure garden of Baoning Prefect Lu Jingzhi. In the 13th year of Tong ZhiReign (1874 AD), Shen Bingcheng, governor of Susongtai Region, acquired it and expanded it into the present scale.The park is located by one of the major canals on the North / East side of SuZhou. It is not far from the Old Water Gate, and right behind it is the SuZhou Zoo. I have been in YanCheng now for 6 months and no longer have a map of SuZhou from which to give precise directions. The entrance looks great from the overpass, but otherwise you wouldn't know it is there. I did take some photos of it at night when I was on the canal tour. That tour leaves from 'ShiLu' which is the 'small' walking street - not Guanqian Jie which is the big walking street.
Leo Rosten in the Joys of Yiddish wrote that there is an old Jewish saying, that the difference between psychotics and neurotics is that while psychotics believe that 2 + 2 = 5 neurotics, although fully cognisant of the fact that 2 + 2 = 4, just simply can't stand it! Personally, I think there are a lot of neurotics in the world. When I read all the bad press Israel gets for it's Terrorism in Palestine, and compare it to the press coverage of the current situation in Lebanon, I can't help but think that the Media are neurotic
Definition: King's Calendar Chronological Research
The Premise: Between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE (but continuing down to at least 104 BCE), Sectarian redactors transcribed the legitimate 'solar year' chronological records of Israel and Judah, into an artificial form, with listed years as each comprised of 12 months of 4 weeks of 7 days, or 336 days per year, thus creating a 13th artificial year where 12 solar years existed.
When the Synchronous Chronological Data provided in the Books of Kings and Chronicles for the Divided Kingdom Period are measured in years of 336 days, the synchronisms actually align. [Refer to Appendix 5. to see how it synchronises the Divided Kingdom Period]
About the KingsCalendar Publisher
R.P.BenDedek is the owner and Editor of KingsCalendar.com which was originally set up to publicize his research results into the Chronology of Ancient Israel. Those results were published under the title: 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran'.
Whilst there have been many attempts to solve the chronological riddle of the Bible's synchronisms of reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah and their synchronism with other Ancient Near Eastern Nations, no other research is based on a simple mathematical formula which could, if it is incorrect, be disproved easily. To date, no one has been able to dismiss the mathematical results of this research.
Free to air Academic articles set forth Apologetics for and results of his discovery of an "artificial chronological scheme" running through the Bible, Josephus, the Damascus Documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Seder Olam Rabbah.
During the current economic downturn, this book has been drastically reduced in price but will eventually rise as the economy improves.
Check the Chapter Precis Page to see details of each chapter and to gain access to the Four Free to Air Chapters
R.P. BenDedek writes social commentaries and photographic 'Stories from China' both at KingsCalendar, and as a contributing columnist at Magic City Morning Star News in Maine USA.
(He has been teaching Conversational English in China since 2003 and currently (2013) is teaching in Suzhou City Jiangsu Province.)
Academic Newsletters
Academic Newsletter No 1 Religious Compartmentalism
Shanghai Photographs : The Bund. by R.P. BenDedek | 2 comments | Sign Up
The comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for its content. Only registered members may comment on articles.
that is cool
Written on 12/18/07 at 06:22:12 AEST by youaremyangel
i copy that picture with you and mervi,then send them to our English group created for English majors of our university,you know,what i have said,"watch out,our foreigh teacher and his girlfriend"they were suprisedly rushing to see that picture.That is for joking,hope you will not mind.We would very much want you to join in our grpup if you do not mind.Our QQ group number is37723950.
