Shanghai - old and new.

We arrive in Shanghai at 10 am, following a long and arduous navigational task for the captain, officers and the all important pilot - or pilots in this case. I look out from our balcony at about 7 am to see huge container ships passing close by, and as we get further up river, more and more barges of various sizes are added to the traffic. 

Once we turn from the huge Yangtze into the Houngpu river, the vast spread of Shanghai becomes evident; dock areas along the river, massive cranes, industrial plants - possibly coal-fed power stations - belching steam and fumes into the atmosphere.  It’s still a long way to go before we get to the actual city. 

Eventually, we start to see the shining towers of new Shanghai gleaming in the early morning sun. This area east of the river  - Pudong - was virtually empty back in the 1980s but has undergone phenomenal development with every possible shape and style of high rise monolith being built to outdo the last and is now Shanghai’s financial centre. We see the infamous bridge come into view and the possibility of the ship passing beneath seems unlikely - but of course it does! Then we can see The Bund - the historic west bank lined with elegant honey coloured buildings of neoclassical, baroque, and Art Deco styles, relics of Shanghai’s days of European Concessions. 

We dock at the central cruise terminal, a short stroll from The Bund and directly opposite the most iconic building of Pudong, the Oriental Pearl Tower - though sadly our view is not of the Pudong skyline but of a rather bizarre park. Still, it’s infinitely preferable to the usual dockside landscapes! 

This being China, being cleared to disembark is complicated. First there’s ship clearance, then we all have to pick up passports, get off the ship, go through face to face immigration checks where we’re given stamped copies of our passports, then return to the ship, handing in our passports and keeping the copies. Only when every passenger has gone through this process can we leave the ship. There’s a long delay where it seems two people have not done the - then we’re told it’s a ‘clerical error’ on behalf of the Chinese authorities and we’re free to go! 

Each time we leave the ship, our passport copies are checked, but generally, the Chinese officials are friendly and we’re guided through with smiles! 

Today we’re visiting the oldest part of the city - Yuyuan Garden  which is over 400 years old, dating  back to the Ming Dynasty. It was owned by a government officer, Pan Yunduan, as a place for his parents to enjoy a tranquil old age. 

I love the design of Chinese gardens - the water, rocks and beautifully carved pavilions. Of course, the best time to visit is said to be spring with cherry blossom and autumn with the changing foliage, but it’s beautiful on this crisp and sunny winter day with a few remaining bronze leaves clinging to the acers. 

In complete contrast to the tranquillity of the garden, we then move on to China Town - or at least Shanghai’s version of it. We’re in a street of ‘traditional’ Chinese buildings leading to an open air shopping centre which we feel is a Chinese version of Cheshire Oaks - and even busier. It’s full of traditional food outlets - most unrecognisable to us - and shops selling silks, fans etc. With the approach of Chinese New Year, decorations are large, colourful and definitely not subtle. We make the error of crossing the lake via the zigzag bridge - traditionally zigzag to confuse the demons! - where progress is incredibly slow due to the number of people moving in both directions and stopping for selfies! 

Then it’s time to move from the old to the new, crossing the river to Pudong via the road tunnel.  We’re visiting the Shanghai Museum East, recently opened and fabulously designed. Its streamlined exterior is in complete contrast to what we’ve just experienced, and the interior is flooded with space and light. Each gallery is also thoughtfully designed to make the most of the exhibits. 

We have only an hour here, so it’s very much a race through exhibition halls, and I’m also keen to explore the architecture including the Chinese roof garden and the spiralling outdoor pathway down from here to the second floor of the gallery. It really needs more time, but we’ve fitted quite a bit into this afternoon! 

We had planned to go out to explore The Bund on our return, but we’ve booked into La Dame (one of the speciality restaurants) for tonight’s meal and with our delay in disembarking, there’s no time.  And then there’s an acrobatic show to see. We had booked to see a performance in the city, but apparently this isn’t taking place, so it’s a scaled down version in the small ship’s theatre. The performances of acrobatics and magic are excellent - particularly considering the limited head room! 

It’s been an excellent if tiring day with many photographs taken! For my main I’ve chosen a shot which to me encapsulates the juxtaposition of old and new in Shanghai - the girl with the phone against a poster advertising the art and origin of Shanghai with an old mono photo of China town - and ubiquitous line of scooters and bikes.

As extras, there’s the Shanghai Museum East, a collage of exhibits/interiors, and two other collages of the gardens and China town. 

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