Shanghai-Jiangnan Tour: Part 2

2. Aunties, Amahs and My Fave Aunty Ah Zhu
About 85% of my tour group mates are aunties and uncles, including my ma of cos! And 1 distinct pattern of the aunties – they carry brolly with them everywhere, rain or shine.



And me being the rare none-aunty in the group got concerned aunties asking me if I need a brolly. No Way unless it rains!!! Anyway, I'm very pleased with this bunch of amahs cos they all were very very surprised to learn that I'm turning 28 when they thought I was only 21 or 22. Heh!

And here's presenting you my favouritest aunty of the trip:


Quick snap while Aunty Ah Zhu's not looking

She talks non-stop, is kind at heart and very forward-thinking too. Very cheery woman considering she fought cancer just 2 - 3 years back. We took the same cab back one evening and she bombarded me with soooo much comments that I burst out laffing non-stop, in awe of her talkaholism. This pix's for her (she told me how she loves this display found at 万松书院 in Hangzhou:


Display at Wansong Shuyuan, where that kayu Liang Shanbo studied with Zhu Yingtai

Aunty Ah Zhu got us really worried once when we were in Shanghai's Tong Ren Tang (同仁堂, the famous Chinese medical hall that's really out to ketok money promote Chinese medicine). We were treated to a free foot massage at the hall. All of us ended our session within 1 hour but hers took exceptionally long. We waited 45 minutes for her in the coach and when she finally came up, everybody cheered. Her husband got an earful from her though. I attempt to do a transcript of what she complained to us -

Ah Zhu (in distinct Ipoh accent): 啊哟!真不容易才摆脱那个医生! 他们一直按摸我的脚,不肯放我走! 说我很多问题,需要买药进补. 我跟他们讲我没钱了,又没工作,没儿女养很残的,他们还是不放过我!这个死老的(refering to her hubby)又不合作,笨到要命, 我讲到这样辛苦说我没钱,他竟然插嘴说我们有新币!

She managed to get off only after buying S$50 worth of tonic. And she sent me rolling in laughter so pain that my tears flowed.

By the way, I can do a re-enactment, complete with the fantastic accent + expression of what she said upon request.

Shanghai-Jiangnan Tour: Part 3

3. Children of Our Times
The Chinese love taking their children out and treat them like prince and princess. (No) thanks to China's one-child policy, the Chinese parents need only to focus all their love on a single kid.


These 2 kids kept turning away when I wanted to snap them having fun with the bubbles.

Proud mummy lifted her baby's 肚兜to reveal her gender when she caught me clicking on the cam across the lake.


Dad and Mum paddles with their princess across the lake. These parents are so free - they don't have to work!

Lucky boys from Singapore's St Michael Primary having an Study Exchange Trip in Shanghai. By the way, their Chinese sux big time.

Shanghai Jiangnan Tour: Part 4

4. Venices in Asia
I haven't been to Venice so I don't know just how beautiful they are. Meanwhile, the water towns of Wuzhen and Suzhou prove mersmerizing enough for now:


Excuse me, please don't read Niaozhen.

Wuzhen used to house a population close to 10,000 people. Now it dwindles to only 600, mainly old folks who feel more at home washing clothes, bathing, peeing, shitting all in the river right behind their house.


Peek-a-boo inside one of the villagers' house.

My ma enjoying the breeze by the river.


In the past, most houses in Suzhou are built with the back door opening up to a river. Lesser land nowadays is making this less possible. One thing remains - the white / cream coloured walls with black roof. Somehow the government in Suzhou decided that houses look more appropriate this way. On the other hand, the houses here look boring with its cookie-cutter pattern especially when you view them from their front doors.


It was said that Emperor Qian Long once dined at this restaurant called Songhe Lou during one of his trips to Suzhou. The restaurant had run out of dishes when he arrived in the late evening. With some creativity, they presented him with rice crust dug from the chow-ta claypot stir-fried with leftover of prawns, meat and vegies. Qian Long liked the dish very much and asked for its name. Off the cuff, the innkeeper named it "tian xia di yi cai" (天下第一菜). Songhe Lou gained fame from then.

Shanghai-Jiangnan Tour: Part 5

5. Communism Rules
The legacy of Uncle Mao is evident all around the country. Exhortation slogans are splashed across big walls. The Chinese tong zhis (同志) are urged to work hard, innovate, practise road courtesy, aim for common good and many other reforms that could make them better people and a stronger nation.

Lao Mao says hi





Still, they speak loudly as though in brawls, are really pushy - and I mean this literally. Crowded or not, they just like to push. And god knows how many rude sales people I came across. I guess being the world's most populated nation puts everyone on tenterhooks to outshine in order to outlast. But one thing I really can't stand is the Shanghainese habit of honking whether or not the road is jammed, even on a road like this:



I think the sloppy gong-an (公安) should do something instead of standing around, imposing a pathetic fine of S$1.00 for drivers who beat the red light.

Shanghai-Jiangnan Tour: Part 6

6. Pride of a Nation
I'm sure you've heard about the Nanjing massacre. Pls google it if you haven't. For a city that has been through so much, the Nanjing-ers take a lot of pride in the difficulties they've managed to overcome.


The great Yangtze Bridge - built with bare hands, tears, sweat and blood. 35 people sacrificed their lives to dive in the fierce Yangtze River to measure its depth. China built this bridge when they underwent their most difficult times, refusing the aid of Russia which had better equipment and resources at that time. One Chinese engineer was even buried alive in cement when he accidentally fell into one of the columns and refused help so as not to slow down the building progress. The bridge took 10 years to complete. It allows road transportation on top with a railway on the lower deck.

Now, Nanjing is one of the most flourishing Chinese cities.





As consumerism mounts, the Chinese found themselves caught in the reality competitions fervour with Chaoji Nusheng 超级女声 being the most popular competition:




There are at least 4 Li Yuchun (last year's champ) lookalikes in the competition. And these judges' comments for all 4 are "you've got a unique personality, very special character". Unique my foot! How unique can u get when you look like the other 3? I'm quite impressed by the fanatical fans though. They even set fireworks ablaze in the studio! My gawd, I can't imagine some folks' hair getting burnt.

Other than their very own superstar, the Chinese also produce their own brands of cigarettes:

Guess which is the most popular brand?
Hint: the one with the orh bak kak animal lor

The economy miracle in the country extends beyond Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing. Even the city that is famous for its pork ribs is now attracting loads of FDIs.


Wuxi doesn't rank as my preferred city during this trip but it's quite happening here too. By the way, Wuxi's pork ribs is nothing compared to our Paigu Wang (排骨王) lor.

Stadiums are sprouting out everywhere as the world turns to Beijing for the 2008 Olympics.

Shanghai-Jiangnan Tour: Part 7/8

7. Chinese Love to Gamble
Cards or tiles, rich or poor, indoor or out. Anytime, anywhere.





8. Back to Basics
I thought cassettes are extinct until I see them again in China. And despite having more cars on the road, the Chinese still love their bicycle aka 自行车.




If you think Chinese kungfu is bullshit, you might reconsider after watching this performance at Wuxi's TV City (where classics like Water Margin and Sanguo Yanyi 三国演义were filmed). I was genuinely impressed by the fighting scene they put up! Real blows were exchanged as they rode on horseback. Eeeeha!



And to create more job opportunities for the booming population, the KFC in Shanghai even had a post as basic as this:


Colonel Sanders must be eating snake somewhere.

Shanghai-Jiangnan Tour: Part 9

9. Pulsating Shanghai
I love this city. So full of energy and vibrancy. So packed with people. So filled with magnificent night sights. And there's the summer sale galore...ooh...so crazy, so little time, so much to do!


What's the fastest train today? Bullet train? Boohoo...you're outdated. It's the Shanghai Maglev (magnetic levitation) train. It hits 700 to 800km/hour when it's at its fastest. My journey hits 450km/hour at its top speed.




I caught acrobatic show in Shanghai. Not something I fancy. The show was decent though I prefer the Ah-Kua show in Thailand...hahaha...

Shanghai is a city of contrast. "Cheena" architecture coexists with grand colonial British and French buildings. High-climbing skyscrapers harmonise with nostalgic houses lining against the alleys.


Chenghuangmiao Street. I say skip it - too touristy for good shopping.


Nanjinglu. Unleash the shoppaholic demon in you here.


As more lofty apartments sprout out, the old folks lament over the rapid loss of traditional Chinese homes that are poor in sanitation but rich in native flavour.

Expressways that go round and round connect this chaotic city. Too bad I don't have a snapshot of it at nite. Totally awesome.

Qipu Lu. Shanghai's equivalence of Taipei's Wufenpu. Cheap clothes, accesories, and imitations. Watch out for the traffic; it's super crazy.

Now I present you the oh-so-famous THE BUND! Too bad the sky's gloomy and misty the day I visited :(


See that building with the magenta round structure? That's the Oriental Pearl Tower. One of the world's tallest. These stubborn communists refuse to change their script that says this is Asia's tallest. Please lar, world's tallest for now is Taipei 101 lor.






Aerial views of The Bund from Oriental Pearl Tower 60th Floor. The Bund separates Shanghai into Puxi and Pudong. Puxi is more developed but Pudong's catching up fast.

Shanghai gets even more glam as sky gets darker. But dammit, my cam can't make it to do enough justice to the panorama. It's so beautiful that I couldn't bear to blink my eyes for fear of missing out anything.










Take a cruise round The Bund (Huangpu Jiang) if you can. The splendour had me intoxicated.



I left Shanghai with 2 regrets - 1, not being able to take a shot of a street; 2, not being able to shoot 和平饭店 Peace Hotel. I'll be back with a better cam the next time and I'm gonna buy myself this new cam as my birthday prezzie upon receiving my first pay cheque at my new job :)