The Xiamen Airlines flight from Xiamen to Shanghai took a little over one hour. Unfortunately, this arrives in the Hongqiao Domestic Airport rather than the Pudong International Airport, so we were unable to sample the iconic maglev train ride from the airport into the city. Hopefully I can get to do this on my return journey.
Our hotel is about 4km from the airport, with another 3km or so to get from the hotel to downtown Shanghai. Rather a soulless tower block, and not particularly cheap by the standards of other Chinese cities, but the rooms are excellent.
In the evening we met up with some of Jason’s Chinese friends, who took us for a tour of some of their favourite bars in the city. It was certainly helpful having a local to act as a guide, although I got the impression that it would have been easy enough to get around on our own if necessary. Shanghai has a very cosmopolitan feel to it, which makes the whole experience seem reasonably relaxed if you are used to the pace of life in other large Asian cities.
Today we decided to start with a river boat trip to see some of the city from that vantage point. Luckily it was a reasonably clear day by Shanghai standards so I was able to get a good view of the impressive Shanghai city skyline on both sides of the river. This place puts other cities like New York and Hong Kong in the shade when it comes to awe inspiring skyscrapers. In the afternoon we walked along the Bund – the river promenade that runs alongside the historical buildings constructed during Shanghai’s trading past. Some of the architecture looked very British, reminiscent of buildings you would find on the Thames Embankment or Liverpool. Masses of other tourists around, both Chinese and overseas.
Towards the end of the day we crossed over to the Pudong side of the river via the so-called Tourist Tunnel. This is the zone where most of the high rise construction seems to have taken place in recent years, and is either an impressive indicator of China’s new prosperity, or a dispiriting fortaste of things to come, depending on your outlook.
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