In Shanghai 27-30 September 2008
The next morning we had to get up fairly early to catch our plane to Shanghai. Here we were going to meet up with another good friend, Anna, who lives there, and stay at her apartment. They say that every picture tells a story and Alwyn snapped this one of me waiting in the departure lounge for our plane. Being a tourist is a very tiring business, obviously! You can also tell how cold it was.
Again our journey was easy and short. The taxi ride to the centre of the city, however, was long. There is another way to the airport which I took on the return journey – and I’ll tell you about that later!
We arrived at Anna’s lovely apartment to a warm welcome and a beautifully prepared, and very western, lunch. It was great to be back in a home again. Her apartment overlooks school grounds and every morning at 7.30 a.m., the school children perform massed gym for half an hour. The loudspeaker music and calls to action are a great way to wake up, and watching the performance is riveting. So many children, in perfect formation to music, every morning, is discipline that has to be seen to be believed.
We took a taxi into the city and meandered through the Temple area which is a maze of lovely little shops, beautiful buildings, bridges over water and hanging lights everywhere. By this time darkness was falling so it had a very romantic feel about it.
From here we walked to the Bund area, one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai. I loved it! The area centres on a section of Zhongshan Road within the former Shanghai International Settlement which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River, facing Pudong in the eastern part of the Huangpu District. Shanghai was divided into zones to be occupied by each of the conquering powers with people from different countries. These people were very privileged and some of the restaurants at the time bore signs which said ‘No Chinese or dogs allowed’ - hard to comprehend the arrogance that existed at that time, looking back from another age and another country.
This zoning explains why so many different styles of architecture are visible within the different sections of Shanghai, and are particularly apparent when viewed from the Bund area. In fact, the Bund comprises 52 buildings of various architectural styles such as romanesque, gothic, renaissance, baroque, neo-classical, beaux-arts and art deco. Shanghai has one of the richest collections of art deco architecture in the world. These buildings once housed numerous banks and trading houses from Britain, France, Russia, Germany, Japan, Belgium, the US and the Netherlands.
The Bund was initially a British settlement and later combined with American settlements to become the International Settlement. A building boom in the 19th/20th centuries led to the Bund becoming a major financial hub of East Asia.
The Customs House, No. 13 The Bund, was built in 1927 on the site of an earlier, traditional Chinese-style customs house.
This is what it looked like in the 1920’s
The clock and bell was built in England to imitate Big Ben.
The HSBC Building, No. 12 The Bund, is now used by the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank. It was completed in 1923 and was once the Shanghai headquarters of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation but the Bank failed to reach a deal with the Shanghai Government to buy the building again in the 1990’s when the Shanghai Government moved out of the building that they’d used since the 1950’s. In the 1920’s, it was called ‘the most luxurious building between the Suez Canal and the Bering Strait’. Inside the entrance hall, you can see its famous ceiling mosaics, which have been fully restored.
By the 1940’s the Bund housed the headquarters of many of the major financial institutions operating in China. However, with the Communist victory in the Chinese civil war, many of the financial institutions were moved out gradually in the 1950’s and the hotels and clubs were closed or converted to other uses. But by the late 1970’s, with the thawing of economic policy in the People’s Republic of China, buildings on the Bund were gradually returned to their former uses. During this period, a series of floods caused by typhoons, motivated the municipal government to construct a tall levee along the riverfront and the embankment now stands about 10m higher than street level. This makes for a wonderful stroll along the banks of the river. A number of pleasure cruises still operate from here to the Pudong area.
A great deal of construction is taking place along the Bund to reconfigure traffic flow and is expected to be completed early next year. (In fact, there’s hardly anywhere in Shanghai that isn’t currently under construction – more of that later!).
The Bund area is a ‘happening’ place to walk in the evening. There’s activity on every side and everything’s lit up and very beautiful. Here’s a view of the Pearl Tower in the Pudong area with a pleasure boat operating on the river. The part of Shanghai on the other side of the river – Shanghai Pudong - was a paddy field 15 years ago and is now the fastest growing area in China – in fact, its financial centre.
It’s equally impressive during the daytime too and here’s the view of the HSBC Bank (left) and the Customs Building (right), looking down from the top of the Pearl Tower.
And so it was that the next day we went to the top of the Pearl Tower. You saw how tall it was from across the river. This is just the base, close up.
We travelled to the Pearl Tower by tube which is an experience in itself. Avoid the rush hour at all costs if you value your life! It’s even worse than the London underground!
There’s an Expo at the bottom of the Pearl Tower and it’s huge. It gives pictorial evidence of the development of Shanghai and I photographed many of the models and pictures which show how it once was.
I learned so much of Chinese history at the Expo and it’ll be hard to be concise and include the photos, but here goes!
Shanghai is one of the Treaty ports, forced open after the first Opium War in 1840. The war started when the British Government sent officials to China during the reign of the Qian Long Emperor. Britain wanted to do business with China, and were offended when the Emperor replied that China was self sufficient and didn’t need to do business with other powers. The British started to smuggle Opium into China. Thousands of opium smoking houses were scattered along the streets and lanes in Shanghai and quite a few of them tried to solicit customers with girls (they were called ‘Flowery Smoking Houses’). The numerous opium dens were part of the gloomy side of Old Shanghai. Emperor Dao Guang (one of the strong Qing Dynasty Emperors) forbade its importation.
A Chinese official called Lin Ze Xu became a national hero when he followed the orders of Emperor Dao Guang and confiscated and burned the opium at Humen, the port of Guang Zhoun. The British used this as a pretext to declare war.
Although the first 100 years of the Qing Dynasty had been very strong, this was a period when there was weak governmental control of the country. While they’d been strong, China had been able to keep its doors to the outside world firmly closed. However, at the same time, the Industrial Revolution was taking place in Britain and the country was becoming a very strong foreign power. As Britain became more powerful, China became weaker and Britain declared war. In the early 19th century, British forces temporarily held Shanghai. The war ended with the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842 and Britain forced China to open four coastal ports to do business with them and their colonies. One was Shanghai. Opium was the biggest import from the UK and the cotton production in the United States essentially destroyed the cotton industry of Shanghai. It was from this time that Shanghai developed an unique culture - half colonial, half feudal – where the east meets the west. It seemed to me that a nation that never sought war with other nations was very gracious about its invaders. I read a couple of signs at the Expo:
“… this was when China was ‘plunged into the abyss’ of semi-colonialism. When the foreign settlements and concessions were established with the Nanjing Settlement in 1845, China’s sovereignty was further eroded. Nonetheless, the forced opening had a far-reaching effect on the development of the city’s municipal works, economy and culture”.
And:
“Modern Shanghai was taking shape amid conflicts and merging between Chinese and western cultures, interwoven with Chinese traditional cultural spirit and western modern civilization, which enabled Shanghai to be radiant with metropolitan charm. The past prosperity of Shanghai has both dazzling brilliance worth parading and bitterness difficult to tell. The reason for our looking for the past traces of Shanghai now, is to know the yesterday, think today and focus on tomorrow rather than to have a nostalgia for the past prosperity”.
After Shanghai became a Treaty Port the foreign powers seized part of the city’s administrative and judicial powers in the concessions. Before the Opium Wars there were no courts, as such, in China. The Mixed Court, a judicial establishment set up by the Chinese Government, consisted of both Chinese and foreign judges. The loss of judicial sovereignty in the settlement was an important symbol of Shanghai’s semi-colonial status.
In 1860 both the British and the French declared war on China and the second Opium War took place. It was during this war that they burned down the Yuan Ming Yuan – the Emperor’s Summer Palace.
In 1900, more foreign countries joined in with the English and forced China to agree to the conditions they imposed. Eight countries, including Germany, America, Japan, Austria, Italy and Russia united to declare war on China.
The Emperor fled to Xi’an during this war. At the end of it, China was forced to sign more unequal treaties with the eight countries, to give them money and land. Huge damages were inflicted during a war that was not of their making. More coastal cities were forced to open to do business with England and France.
In 1912 the last Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, was overthrown by Dr Sun Yat-sen from Canton Province. He founded a nationalist party and set up a national government. This didn’t work for very long because lots of war lords, who sprung up all over China, were fighting against each other. In 1919, after the First World War, the Chinese Government was forced to sign another treaty to allow the Japanese to take over German interests in Shantong province. It stirred things up throughout China and the Chinese people started to demonstrate as this seemed like a betrayal of their country.
In 1921, a group of students and educated people founded another party, the Communist party, when the whole of China was in disorder. In 1927, the communists tried to end foreign rule and a man named Chiang Kai’shek (chang kysheck) began to exert power as the leader of the nationalist party. He started an autocratic rule that lasted from 1927-1937. However, because the two parties had different philosophies, civil war broke out. The Japanese army invaded China in 1931 and since Chiang Kai’shek was occupied fighting with the communists, he ignored the invasion. The Chinese people couldn’t allow this to happen as they didn’t want to be a Japanese colony so in 1936, Generals Zhang Xue Liang and Yang Hu Cheng devised a plan to kidnap Chiang Kai’shek. This operation is known as the Xi’an incident which took place at the Huaqing Palace Hot Springs which we visited, where bullet holes can be seen in the walls and windows. The communists forced Chiang into making a ‘Second United Front’ with them against Japan. The rising tide of Chinese nationalism and the cessation of warfare against the communists propelled Chiang Kai-shek to the pinnacle of his political career. He was considered the only leader with both the popular support and international recognition to be capable of leading the nation into a war against Japan.
Whilst all this turmoil was going on, Shanghai continued to prosper.
In 1936, it was one of the largest cities in the world with 3 million inhabitants, of whom only 35,000 were foreigners although they were in charge of half the city. New inventions like electricity and trams were quickly introduced and westerners helped transform Shanghai into a metropolis. Shanghai accounted for half of the imports and exports of China. The western part of Shanghai was four times larger than the Chinese part in the early 20th century. In fact, Shanghai was then the biggest financial city in East Asia.
The European and American inhabitants of Shanghai called themselves the Shanghailanders. The extensive public gardens along the waterfront of the International Settlement, the Bund, were reserved for the foreign communities and, although it seems unbelievable, were forbidden to Chinese natives.
This beautiful painting represents what life must have looked like in the International Settlement.
and this painting shows the Bund in 1893 at the Jubilee of the Founding of the Settlement
During this period, Shanghai was known as ‘the Paris of the east and the New York of the west’. The city’s industrial and financial power increased because the merchants were in control of it, while the rest of China was divided among warloards.
But the interference from Japan could not be tolerated and on 7 July 1937, China officially declared war with Japan. Chiang Kai’shek had sent 600,000 of his best-trained and equipped solders to defend Shanghai. Although he lost the battle, he dispelled Japanese claims that it could conquer China in three months and showed the Western powers, who occupied parts of the city and had invested heavily in it, that the Chinese wouldn’t surrender. Chiang knew the city would eventually fall but he wanted to make a strong gesture in order to secure Western military aid for China. His strategy was to ‘use space to trade for time’ to prolong the war as long as possible and stretch the Japanese supply lines and bog down Japanese solders in the vast Chinese interior. When the capital city of Nanjing fell, he moved the Government first to Wuhan and later to Chongqing.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour and started the war in the Pacific, China became one of the allied powers. China had the unwavering support of the United States China Lobby who saw the possibility of a Christian and democratic China. Chiang was even named the Supreme Commander of allied forces of Chine Warzone, which included India and Southeast Asia.
The war lasted for eight years until the Japanese surrendered in 1945 - after the bombing of Hiroshima by the United States.
At this point, civil war broke out again and lasted for four years until the nationalists were defeated and Chiang Kai’shek fled to Taiwan under the protection of the American 7th Fleet, where he continued to fight against the communist régime on the mainland. But the communists prevailed, and on 1 October 1949 the People’s Republic of China was founded and Mao Zedong became the Chairman.
But enough of the history! The sights were incredible when we were whisked 350m into the air to the Space Module at the top of the Tower. From here the views of Shanghai were spectacular (not unlike being at the top of the Empire State Building in New York). From here we could actually look down on the World Financial Centre and Jin Mao Tower
Which actually look impressively tall from the ground!
When you consider that only 15 years ago, the Pudong area of Shanghai was a paddy field, the development is nothing short of miraculous. Construction is happening 24/7 as Shanghai prepares itself for the 2010 World Expo. And the population has swelled to over 20 million.
With the Huangpu River so conveniently situated, much of the construction materials is transported on barges, as can be seen from the Space Module at the top of the Pearl Tower.
But there are, of course, other parts of Shanghai (or places close by) which present a very different picture of life away from the hustle and bustle – as these beautiful paintings depict.
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And also parts of Pudong that haven’t yet come under the construction ‘hammer’ and are waiting for development
And so, footsore and weary after a huge injection of Chinese culture, we wended our way back to Anna’s apartment, stopping for a coffee (of course!) a very strenuous foot massage and a lovely dinner and walk home.
After a day like that one, we were fairly lazy (thank goodness) for our remaining time together. We talked about China, went shopping, bought heaps of cheap DVD’s, talked more about China and relaxed, enjoying each other’s company.
One of our favourite snacks as we shopped and wandered became custard tarts – yum!
One last thing that amused me greatly was when we went to visit the recently opened H&M store. Having shopped at H&M in London and Peterborough and seen that nearly every garment said ‘Made in China’ it caused me a giggle when I tried on my first T-shirt and saw that this one (and most of the others!) was made in Bangladesh! So capitalism and exploitation is just as alive and well in China as it is in the western world!
And so the time came to leave China after an amazing introduction, not only to its magnificent culture and amazing sights and sounds and smells, but also to my wonderful historian, Anna.
They had one last treat for me – the journey back to the airport on the fastest train in the world. The journey itself is magnificent. The journey to get to it takes almost as long as going by taxi in the first place! But that’s not the point, is it?
We walked to the tube station and travelled by underground to Maglev Longyang Station
Only one part of the line has been developed so far – from this station to the airport. Anna told me that it’s currently a bit of a white elephant because it’s so hard to access the station in the first place. However, it was certainly worth it.
The train runs on air above what appears to be a concrete pad. It looks very futuristic in style and was very comfortable.
It’s hard to imagine travelling at 630 kph but that’s the speed that our train achieved. It’s relatively smooth but the landscape passes the window at an amazing speed and we certainly tilted slightly on one very small bend! I wouldn’t have missed the experience for the world!
And so it was time to say goodbye to Anna and Alwyn at the airport. They’d been wonderful friends, guardians, tour guides, and teachers and their hospitality knew no bounds.
As I travelled on the plane back home to New Zealand, I contemplated some of the things I’d learned about China today and the traditions and customs I’d heard about.
I learned that it’s vital for all Chinese people to have a full larder on New Year’s Eve with the rice jar completely full. Yu (yeuw) means fish and it also means ‘to leave something’. On New Year’s Eve all Chinese people eat fish and leave something on their plates for the year ahead.
On New Year’s Eve the house must be very clean because no manual labour takes place on New Year’s Day. In particular no sweeping may take place in case good luck is swept away. Most people eat out on New Year’s Day as no cooking can be done. New Year’s Day is not just a one-day public holiday – the holiday continues for 15 days!
Chinese wear all new clothes on New Year’s Day and preferably something red, because red is auspicious.
Both white and black indicate mourning. The colour yellow belongs to the royal family - Emperors always wore yellow. No other colours are specifically important to the Chinese.
Critical to the beliefs and values of the Chinese was Laozi (literally ‘Old Master’) a philosopher of ancient China and a central figure in Taoism. Laozi is revered as a god in religious forms of Taoism. According to Chinese tradition, Laozi lived in the 6th century BC and his work was embraced by various anti-authoritarian movements.
Also critical is Confucius (551-479 BC), a Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese thought and life. His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity. These values gained prominence in China over other doctrines.
Such a vast country, so much to take in. It's been an amazing experience with two very wonderful friends to show me round.