China 2007: Shanghai 9/22/2007 Yu Gardens, Pudong/Jinmao Tower, traditional Mongolian BBQ buffet lunch, walk along the Bund, Shanghai Museum, silk demonstration, Shanghai Acrobats show

Breakfast buffet at our hotel. We have a day packed with excursions. Shanghai is China's dynamic financial and artistic center.

Our hotel

First we go to the 16th century Yu Garden. This complex with its classical architectural details, maze of walkways, and reflecting pools has been a marketplace and social center for over 200 years. It's raining lightly and I leave the group after a while to get a hot chocolate at a Starbucks I see. Also I buy several Chinese hanging tassels.

Postcard

Next we drive over to the futurist Pudong development area. It has been transformed from once fertile farmland. This new area is rapidly becoming the symbol of modern China with its world class hotels, international financial institutions, and commercial centers. We go to the 88th floor of the Jinmao Tower, the tallest building in China in 2007. It is home to the Grand Hyatt Shanghai. Unfortunately we don't get to see the talked about stunning views due to the weather. It's overcast and very cloudy.

Jinmao Tower

A brief stop where we learn about the process of silk. We hear about the history of silk worms-about their different stages of development. Weaving of the silk strands. Interesting. There's a store attached to the area where we had our demonstration. I buy a pair of silk pajamas which I hope will fit my daughter. (They didn't) I bought my husband a nice silk short sleeve shirt.

We enjoy a special lunch. Traditional Mongolian BBQ. Long tables. We are each given a good sized bowl and told how to fill it. There's a station set up with meats, vegetables, etc. We take our bowls and choose our ingredients. After we have filled our bowl up we walk to the back of this large restaurant. There's a huge circular flat cooking stone where the men empty the contents of your bowl in separate piles. The pile cooks and then it's shoveled back into your bowl. That's your lunch! It was so good. One of the best meals on this trip.

Now we walk along the Bund. This is an elegant riverside promenade. If you look behind you see the European and foreign influence of the 1930s in the buildings there. Then looking forward out to the Huangpu River we see the futuristic buildings of the Pudong. The Oriental Pearl Tower. We can also see river traffic which may be going out to the sea or upstream to the interior of China. Stunning visuals.

Modernistic Oriental Pearl TV

Now we head off to the Shanghai Museum. It was established in 1952 and is famous for its collection of ancient Chinese art in the world. There is ancient Chinese bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, and painting. The works of art shown in the galleries are mainly masterpieces of Chinese cultural heritage spanning from the Neolithic Age through Ming and Qing dynasties until modern times. There is a special exhibit of paintings-from Titian to Goya-on loan here from the Prado Museum. This exhibit is here from 9/12-11/12/2007. This is a very large museum. We get a brochure. Lulu tells us how much time we have to explore, view. There's no way we can see everything. At the museum store I buy a pair of white jade earrings for my mom.