Shanghaied

The Bund: Neo Classical architecture but sadly out of bounds

Hong Kong is a hard act to follow and any city would struggle to win my heart after I clearly devoted it elsewhere, so in many ways my opinion of Shanghai probably isn’t fair. Added to that the fact that the Bund, one of China’s most iconic streets, was in the process of being dug up for the 2010 World Expo, and I was bound to be slightly under whelmed.

But don’t get me wrong, on the whole I liked Shanghai. It was busy, yes (but so much more manageable than manic Beijing), and beer was too expensive for us to indulge in any big nights out, but there were some decent sights to behold, even if the Bund was out of bounds.

We spent three days in Shanghai, staying at Captain’s Youth Hostel, a short walk from the Bund (and a 10 minute trek to the nearest underground). We spent a lot of our time walking around the city, exploring the skyscrapers in the Putong area (although not going up any, as they all charged too much for our meagre budgets), eyeing up the French Concession, enjoying the ancient Yuoyang Gardens (with it’s Tang Dynasty KFC and Starbucks), and scoping out some museums.

One of the most fun things we did was pay a visit to a tiny propaganda poster museum, tucked away in the basement of an apartment block in the suburbs of the French Concession. Most people might not share our fascination with Communist propaganda iconography, but we got a real kick out of this small but impressive collection. The owner was also on hand for friendly conversation and explanations, and the small shop had some great gifts.

The Planning Exhibition, on the other hand, was a bit of a let down. The Mezzanine floor had a fascinating display of photos from the turn of the 20^th century to today, showing how much has changed in the city, but the next five floors were dedicated to the World Expo or explaining why re-housing poor people was a great idea.

No Ragamuffins, drunks or psychotics allowed in the Oriental Pearl Tower. We didn't get in.

Talking of the Expo, evidence of it was literally everywhere. A stupid blue mascot appeared on every street, and posters heralding the even were ubiquitous. Which led me to the obvious question: what the f@ck is a World Expo?

Turns out it is some kind of international bragging contest, where different countries demonstrate who can spend the most money designing silly buildings. Or something to that effect. Whatever the hell it is, it has turned the town upside down, and Shanghai seems fairly pleased with itself for being the host.

Ultimately, I was disappointed that the modern Shanghai has not retained any of the old city atmosphere I was hoping for. The Shanghai of the past seemed so wild and debauched, with opium dens, gambling houses and call girls, that it is hard not to feel let down by the slightly soulless skyscraper filled metropolis it has since become