Matt in China 2011 - Week 3

[L_G_D]

That's pretty funny, and seems to be the Chinese way now, take something and commercialize it to the nth degree. Especially something originally so serious.

[Matt]

Jing and I went to Chunxi Road which is the neighborhood I stayed at in 2010. It's a shopping district.










Jing is waiting for a blind date. My camera has some art filters. I play with them while we wait.




She spots this guy and seems like he is a loser. We duck into a cab and head to the opera district. It has some nice shops and restaurants. Two opera houses, one of which I saw the show in last year.



The gate to the street.


Jewelry shop

[Matt]

This garage is in the alley across from Jing's apartment.


Where I usually pick up the taxi at night.


The next night we headed to Jinli Street, which I have been to before. Now I get to explore some shops and things I didn't get to last time.
Traditional chinese puppets




The artist isn't in, so Stephanie plays around with his stuff.


This artist paints the inside of small glass jars


All the arti si painted in the inside of the glass with a curved brush. I don't know why I didn't buy one of these.


Even all the Fast food joints here are housed in in the old style buildings.






Outside of Jinli Street is modern Chengdu.

[Matt]

My last day in Chengdu... I do some shopping... I need to buy some gifts and some treats I grew fond of.

I find another local product... Mentholatum (Buffalo), which I knew had decent sales in Asia. Joni swears by it and uses it for a whole range of ailments. This modern snake oil is used as cure-all for pain, itch, dry skin, wet skin, colds, scar-prevention, lip balm, sore throats, sinus pain, head-aches and whatever else people here think it cures. In the USA it is approved as a topical decongestant and analgesic. No one gives a shit in China. Joni applied liberally on her mosquito bites. She carries around a big can of it.


I head to get my last meal here, some traditional Chengdu food from this old town street.


passed on these souvenirs


This artist painted some calligraphy for my dad and nephew.

[Matt]

I arrive in Shanghai and my contact is nowhere to be seen, and ... my phone isn't working. I had some issue with the sim card and couldn't connect to the network in Shanghai. I waited, near panicking, and figured while I was wating, I may as well try to fix the phone. Often, the tourism agent (an airport worker) would come over and offer to help me find a hotel. Somehow I was able to get the phone to work, texted my contact, and she was late and on her way. Turns out she doesn't speak English, and she was kind of faking it through Google Translate when we met for travel meetup. Not honest, but what could I do? All a part of the adventure, I guess. With a working phone, we now relied on the Google translate app to communicate 99% of the time.

Meet Anna, probably one of the biggest KFC fans I know. At this point, after puking the better half of last week, KFC was welcome comfort food. If that's what she wanted, fine.


She is from a small rural village, but recently landed an urban corporate job. She is certainly a unique personality I just couldn't place. Take-charge and business-oriented, she runs her own small business on the side, selling exaggerated glamour contact lenses online. She despises eggs and parsley, and I know that because when any waitress brought a dish containing either, she would pick it up and take right it back into the kitchen. One time she changed her order and ran into the kitchen and i heard yelling in chinese, she then came out smiling. I have no idea what went on. She is deeply interested in American culture, and knows little beyond what she saw in movies. I answered questions about the USA constantly for her.

She has a dog. This is her dog. That shirt is unusual. It's usually wearing pink dresses.


This is from her website:


I'm patiently awaiting communication to be typed and translated.




Her goal was to get me set up in a hotel, make sure I am fed, and show me all the great spots in Shanghai to photograph.
Shanghai is HUGE... inconceivable for anyone who hasn't been there. It takes forever to get from one side to the next, and just when you think you've made it out, you realize you are not even close. Think of driving from downtown to Pudong (just one of their 2 international airports, as driving from downtown Rochester to Canandaigua.
Over 23 Million people live in Shanghai. It is home to some of the largest companies in Asia, and is the center of finance. The richest of the rich are here and they love to show off. Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin-- all just common sights down the city center roads. Things are a bit more expensive than in Chengdu. A taxi is twice as much. Hotels are on par with the US. Food is still pretty reasonable.




The Bund
http://binged.it/HqsUhc
She takes me to the Bund, the best spot for a downtown skyline shot.
The Bund is the bank of a curved section of the bank of the Huangpu River in downtown Shanghai. The lack of bridges, ample pedestrian infrastructure, unobstructed view over the wharf, and skyscrapers decorated like Christmas trees make this a superb spot for night-time photos. Thousands of visitors packed in and walked along The Bund to catch a glimpse of the light shows the towers across the river would put on, and the launching of the elite's super-yachts. The Bund was behind me most of the time, it's classical western architecture, illuminated by golden light, of little interest to me as I photographed the sparkling structures of Pudong, across the river.

A view of some of The Bund:


Pudong:
[img2]http://nyfalls.com/posts/china2b/114.jpg[/img2]



Super Yatchs lined up... taking on parties. Where did all that bailout money go again, Citibank?




Skycrapers began to light up and animate as night fell.

[Matt]

[img2]http://nyfalls.com/posts/china2b/121.jpg[/img2]



The Oriental Pearl Tower (1,535 feet high) houses TV studios.


On the Bund side: the right is an exclusive nightclub; the left is the Industrial and Commerce Bank of China headquarters.


Left: Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC). Right: Shanghai Customs Building


HSBC


Pudong Skyline


Chairman Mao must be so proud of such a wonderful capitalist city... oh wait...


Anna taking on some ice cream.

[Kelly]

I vividly remember being awed by your China night shots last trip. And questioning whether or not you were assisted by a tripod. I am really inspired and impressed with your ability to get such beautiful and dramatic shots just by a steady approach and a keen eye! So lovely!!! Me really like!!

KFC not so much.

[Matt]

Somewhere in Shanghai
We head out from the hotel to a supermarket, because I want to buy candy.


My guess is that this is the Huangpujiang River.


Here's the CarreFour Supermarket.


We then go to Jingan Temple, which is in the heart of the city. it was originally built in 247 AD, in another location, and then relocated here, rebuilt several times, and is now wrapping up additional construction. It is surrounded by huge skyscrapers. The temple is actively used and operated by monks, and open to the community and tourism as well.


We pay an entrance fee, buy incense, bow 3 times towards Buddha, and place the incense on the altar.








I don't know what this huge bronze tower is exactly, but people kept throwing 1 yuan coins in hopes of landing one inside (for good luck)




The temple is a huge maze.