Not to disappoint, but I didn't do a bit of shopping in two of the major shopping districts in Shanghai that I toured. But let's talk about them anyway! The first one was Nanjing Dong Lu, a pedestrian walkway flanked on both sides by major department stores, and known as Shanghai's Number One Shopping Street.
For those of you who know anything about shopping in Shanghai, you might know that there are a lot of, how shall we say, "imitation" goods available. Normally they're on the sidewalk, free to browse, but due to the international scrutiny of the World Expo, the shops with these goods are now hidden away. But never fear, as I am a white person in an asian city, I am a target customer. I had dozens of people sidle up to me, showing me pictures of fake goods on cards and saying, "Hello, lady, you want bag? You want watch? Very beautiful, you come see." I think that you then have to follow them to a back room somewhere, and needless to say, I was not exactly comfortable with this. "Ignore all approaches." the guidebook said. And so I did.
There would be more pictures, but that mile-long walkway was pretty much all there was. After an hour of walking, I was ready for a rest stop, and what better place than a swanky hotel? The cafe of the JW Marriot, waaaaayyy up there on the 38th floor:
Next stop was the French Concession. The French arrived in Shanghai in 1846 and leased land from the Chinese to establish their own neighborhoods. They had their own electric power, bus system, and legal system within their own 4 square mile quarter. But by 1930, the French were outnumbered 10-to-1 by Chinese gangsters, White Russian refugees, communist revolutionaries, and pimps and prostitutes. Luckily for me, today it is a charming historic district and known for its shopping!
The Russians fled their homeland after the Bolshevic Revolution in 1917, and landed in Shanghai. First stop was a "statue" (I say that because it was just his head) of the Russian writer Alexander Pushkin.
This villa used to belong to Song Meiling, better known as the wife of Chang Kai Shek (remember the guy who brought all those people to Taiwan?)
Now this is a statue! It's Nie Er, who composed the Chinese national anthem before he drowned in 1935 at the age of 23.
On a lighter note, the French Concession is filled with tree-lined avenues...
...and stylish shoppers who don't want their picture taken.
Look reeeaaalll, real close at the little boys pants. Yes, they're split down the back. Yes, that's so they can squat and go to the bathroom on the sidewalk. Yes, on these particular sidewalks. Watch where you step.
This villa used to belong to Song Meiling, better known as the wife of Chang Kai Shek (remember the guy who brought all those people to Taiwan?)
Now this is a statue! It's Nie Er, who composed the Chinese national anthem before he drowned in 1935 at the age of 23.
On a lighter note, the French Concession is filled with tree-lined avenues...
...cute little boutiques...
...and stylish shoppers who don't want their picture taken.
Look reeeaaalll, real close at the little boys pants. Yes, they're split down the back. Yes, that's so they can squat and go to the bathroom on the sidewalk. Yes, on these particular sidewalks. Watch where you step.
Next time, more... not shopping! All this culture and I still feel like I'm failing Shanghai.
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