Cruises R Fun! - Reviews of Cruise Lines, Cruise Ships, Destinations, Ports And More!
Although the Huangpu's channel is shallow, the port still handles up to a third of all the country's ocean-going cargo. What the Huangpu lacks in depth, it makes up for in volume and variety.
The city is one of China's youngest. Prior to the First Opium War (1840-42), Shanghai was a walled city of less than 300,000 people doing a lively enough trade to have captured the attention of Japanese pirates, who periodically raided up the Huangpu as early as the 16th century.
AS part of the treaty of Nanking, which ended the First Opium War, Western merchants were granted permission to trade and lease land on the west bank of the Hulangpu. The combination of a good port, western technology and commerce, and a limitless labor pool soon made Shanghai one of the leading trading centers in the East, with grandiose stone buildings erected along the central water front, or Bund, housing great banks, trading houses and consulates.
The city was divided between the British-dominated International Settlement, the French Concession, the Chinese City and the large Chinese suburb of Zhabei on the left bank of Suizhou Creek, north of the main city.
As a self-governing city not under the authority of Peking or any other
foreign capital, Shanghai attracted every kind of fortune-hunter, rebel,
conspirator, gangster and smuggler. It became the wildest city on earth,
famed for its luxurious and flamboyant lifestyle where every form of vice
flourished. The City's name even entered the English language as a verb
meaning "to kidnap."
To most Chinese, Shanghai was "The West" where merchants, industrialists
and bankers prospered. In reality, life for most Chinese in the city was
poor and squalid, and they were treated with contempt by most foreigners.
This resentment combined with Shanghai's role as a sanctuary from the authority
of the Chinese government, made the city a hotbed of revolutionaries and
anarchists.
Following the city's peaceful occupation by the communists on May 23, 1949, Shanghai mounted a determined effort to achieve new China's dreams and goals. The city became China's biggest port and most important economic center, trading with more than 20,000 firms in more than 150 countries.
Our day in Shanghai
The ship docked at about 2:00AM in a port that never sleeps.......I got up and closed the curtains to shut out the light from this busy port and tried to get a few more hours of sleep!!! We met our privately arranged tour at 8:00AM and took the shuttle into Shanghai .. about an hour away from where we docked. We were met by our guide Dvir and off we went on an amazing day.
There were 28 of us and we started at the Peace Hotel where Dvir gave us an overview of what he had in store for us and some information about the Peace Hotel itself. Then he led us up to the roof and what would have been a spectacular view if it weren't for all the air pollution.. the pictures will speak for themselves there. Then it was off to the fascinating Jewish Ghetto which is where the Jews were confined during part of World War II. This area did not have walls, but it did have checkpoints and you needed permission to travel to or from it. The apartments were very small and 3 or 4 unrelated families lived in each apartment. The only change today is that the inhabitants are Chinese since most of the Jewish population emigrated to Israel soon after the war.
At this point some of the group dropped out to check into the hotel they had arranged for the night and do some things on there own but 16 of us remained. We went to the Old Town and toured the beautiful Yuyaun Gardens and the lovely teahouse that is there. A lot of shops and restaurants and guess what you could buy pearls !!! We had some time for shopping and then met in front of Starbucks!!!
From there it was off to more shopping, this time a more upscale mall type of arrangement, by then my feet were starting to complain so Bill and I opted for a beer(me) and 7Up(him) at a charming restaurant next door. At this point some of the group wanted to go back to the ship so we dropped them off at the shuttle point and 14 of us headed on.
Dvir took us to the French Commission area which was lovely with lots of mansions that the Russian Aristocracy purchased or built after the Revolution. Unfortunately, they soon found that they had few skills and many princesses ended up as ladies of the evening while the princes drove taxis or buses. The area is beautifully restored and boast the only sidewalk dining in Shanghai. Some of the group opted for burgers but 8 of us plus Dvir & his assistant Frances went to the Crystal Jade Restaurant for a Chinese meal .. we wisely allowed Frances to order for us and it was wonderful.
Then on to the Bund for the fabulous lights. We went to a rooftop restaurant that features a sandy beach type area with decadent seating and an unbelievable view. It was pretty busy so we went to a different one in the same area where we had espresso and cappuccinos and finally when we returned to the street level to await our bus .. huge fireworks burst from the Pudong area and we all ooooohhhhdddd and awwwwwddd. A very satisfactory ending to a wonderful day in Shanghai.
I would love to recommend Dvir Bar-Gal for tours of Shanghai .. his email is shanghaijews@hotmail.com and his web sites are www.shanghai-jews.com and www.chinajewish.org
Some of these pictures are captioned and some are just street scenes from the bus on the way to and around Shanghai.