From Guilin (Guangxi Province) to the cosmopolitan city of Shangai, China

Arrived in Shanghai from Guilin in Guangxi Province as a leg of a tour made in China began in Beijing with nine companions including four old friends. With us from the Chinese capital, the young guide who will call conventionally Franco. For the previous stages of the Tour in China back to its routes.

 

Arrial in Shanghai

In Shanghai there are two airports, we landed in the old one devoted to domestic flights. Already we have seen from the immensity of this city that although more than 30 million people is not even the largest of China. Surely, however, is the most modern, the most industrialized and the focus of the Chinese economy. In practice if Beijing is the capital of the country's bureaucracy, Shanghai is the financial turnover as second only to Hong Kong which among other things is very similar. Airport reach a staid but elegant restaurant where lunch. In the afternoon we visit one of the few historic monuments of the city, the Jade Buddha Temple which houses some large statues from Burma. The Temple as is customary in Buddhist culture, is preceded by a square where the faithful pray fueling the fire of the grill. Dell'incenzo The smell and smoke enveloping the environment by making it mystical. We also have the good fortune to attend a ceremony with the monks who lined up in two groups facing each other, are busy praying together with the rhythm of a strange percussion instrument. From here we go to our hotel housed in a skyscraper, the outside does not seem great but the interior is very elegant. The kitchen of the restaurant where we eat is unfortunately not at the hotel. The evening with the microbus messoci available and the help of the girl who acts as our guide in Shanghai, we take a tour of the center to admire the colossal buildings of the futuristic Pudong district. Once this was an agricultural area but from thirty years in this part is sort the Manhattan Chinese. The skyline is enriched by the Oriental Pearl Tower is surrounded by many tall skyscrapers. The most spectacular view is from the opposite side of the river that flows past the city, in the colonial style of the Bund, but we're on the other side through a modern underpass. Close to the skyscrapers is hard to regulate them and is almost completely oppressed by the immensity, a psychological subjection to them. In the evening, then the whole is enhanced by a skilful lighting. The Chinese since ancient inventors of fireworks are becoming masters of lighting and transform the urban centers in spectacular scenes of light and colors. Some might point to the waste of energy and that perhaps could be avoided by building the world's largest dam on the Yangtze River but China is the land of Feng Shui, which also regulates the placement of a window has a purpose and that leaves aside the our Western logic. For them is crucial to keeping these masses of concrete and glass even if it requires an effort of the first order energy. And anyway, the Chinese are sighted, lights a lot for a few hours then everything in the dark for the rest of the night to save money. We climb all'ottantottesimo floor of a skyscraper with a very fast elevator that takes a couple of minutes. From there there is a panoramic view of the city and the river but also of a skyscraper much higher than ours with such a restaurant with a panoramic glass floor suspended between two towers. Where we can we overlooking the lobby of the building located eighty-eight floors below, and is a vision dizziness.
With the same rate that rose at the elevator takes us from where we go by bus to visit the French Quarter. Shanghai from the Opium War until after World War II was a colony divided between several western powers, the French gave to their grant an aspect typical trans with low houses, squares and bistros. Then we go into the street Nanjing, the main street of Shanghai, mostly pedestrian. If you often during this trip, we wondered where are the billion and 300 million Chinese now realize that there are quite a bit here to do the "rub" on this wide avenue. The road is surrounded by heavily-lit buildings and stalls selling everything. With difficulty we make breakthrough in the crowd. From here return to the hotel for overnight.

Shanghai

After a hearty breakfast in the hotel minibus takes us to the historic center of the city. We immerse ourselves in the narrow streets surrounded by houses of ancient Chinese style, but not dated since rebuilt after the war. There is the browsing crowd strolling between merchants of junk, banquets gourmet shops characteristic. Through this area to go to the Garden of Mandarin Yu, an aristocratic villa with spectacular pagodas, bonsai, artificial rocks and ponds all in Chinese style. The villa and its garden are right in the heart of old Shanghai near the pond where the teahouse is connected to the shore by a bridge in a zig zag. After the visit we continue to walk in this neighborhood heavily turisticizzato looking for some souvenirs to buy after long negotiations. And 'interesting to see the contrast between different architectural styles, the pagoda-shaped buildings that surround us and, looking up, the skyscrapers of Pudong in the background. Lunch then visit the City Museum, one of the most important of China, located in a large building of the center. The museum is well maintained, there is provided the audio guides in Italian and is DVIS in several sections. Particular emphasis is given to the sculpture and applied arts, but there are also sections devoted to numismatics, furniture and calligraphy. I dwell particularly on the Buddhist statues, the detailed working of jade jewelry, old metal containers. I make a fleeting visit also the furniture of the Ming Dynasty and the section as the beautiful calligraphic writing, China has equal dignity with the painting being considered an art form. The showpiece of the museum, however, is the section where ceramics in the glass are located numerous works of art, finely decorated pottery, marquetry starting time immemorial up to the Ming Dynasty, covering a long period of time. Can not see everything, I will limit myself to those that the audio guide points out as most significant. On leaving the museum we go to the Bund, the nearest British concessions at the time, basically a walk along the river overlooked by large European-style buildings are a reminder that the banks of the Thames from the City of London. Before us, on the other side, the new district of Pudong skyscrapers of that last night we saw the dark and now we see in broad daylight, but whatever you see is fascinating. Between the Bund and Pudong's only the river but in fact seem light-years away from each other by history and architecture, colonial past and the future on which China is projected, a country in full economic development as the many cargo ships that ply the waters between the two neighborhoods. In common Bund and Pudong have the emotional drive that created them, wanting to show, Britain first and then Communist China, the economic strength of a nation. After your photograph taken on microbus took us at our request in a shop selling fake goods, basically an apartment used for business abusive. The interior of the building that houses it is fairly bleak, the apartment consists of three rooms is filled with clothing and accessories, watches, fountain pens much like those that offer the big names in the market. Here in China you can find fake goods everywhere, on street corners are offered at the Rolex 5 euros, but in reality things are often poor, but here, we assure the quality but the price is not that interesting anyway low. Then we go on Nanjing Street but not in the pedestrian area where we were yesterday. We walk on this street full of fashion shops and major international brands, this time the real ones. The traffic is intense and must be careful to cross intersections because here the rules of the road never gives priority to pedestrians and the pedestrian crossing point only the only place where you can cross. Tonight will see the circus stunt in the scene of a large luxury hotel. The Circus is one of the major elements of Chinese culture, many children are brought to the school and stunt artists who come out are among the best in the world. The theater is modern and elegant, the proposed number of first order. Alternate on stage acrobats, contortionists, jugglers and acrobats. We spend a couple of hours really exciting. After the show back in minibus to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Shanghai

After hearty breakfast in hotel leave the microbus Shanghai and the province and head in the nearby province of Jiangsu. We will return in Shanghai Province alone in the evening to reach the new international airport where we wait for the flight to return home. The airport is very big, has large, modern architecture and could not be otherwise as a business card and contact point for many travelers with an ambitious, forward-looking city. Late evening our plane detaches from Chinese soil to bring us back in Europe. (For the itinerary in the Province of Jiangsu see appropriate travelogue)