Shanghai

What do you get when you take alot of vacant land and even more money and a will to make something? You get Shanghai. You also get the worlds architects verging on a single area to make the most beautiful landscape that standsout against anything else in the world. In 1992, the east bank of the Huangpu river was completely empty. Look at it now.

Here is a traditional shopping district. The little shops on this street sell everything from fine jewelry to fake watches. Most of the shop owners would even bargain with you for a better price. I am not used to bargaining for goods and thought I got a good deal when I talked one merchant down from 900RMB to 800RMB for a set of jade statues. My counterpart then shown me the true art of negotiation by talking a merchant from 150RMB to 80RMB for a couple of scarves. Great negotiation!

One of the sites in Shanghai is the Yuyan Garden. This is an old garden where a wealthy land owner in 1559 built a garden for his father, a wealthy government official during the Ming Dynasty. He used rocks and water to make a beautiful garden where he could gather together with guests and drink tea and relax. Here are some pictures of the garden.

Here is a pond within the Yuyuan Garden. This was a visit in December. Imagine this in the spring!

This is another hungry Fu. I stared him down pretty good, but then he is stone so I think he won.

If the Fu wasn't tough enough of a guardian, this dragon circled a portion of the garden. I could only catch a shot of the head.

At night I was treated to dinner at M on the Bund, a fabulous French restaurant on the Huangpu River. Fabulous food, but even a better view.

This is the Oriental Pearl building. It is the TV Tower in Shanghai, but is a great example of the diverse architecture.