Yesterday we arrived in Shanghai and the city received us very well. We took a boat ride on the river cutting Shanghai into two pieces. This was the most wonderful way to be introduced to the city. There were lights everywhere. They were intricate and mesmerizing. On one building there was a projection of a butterfly flapping its wings and I thought that was impressive. There was another building that looked like it had shooting stars floating up from the ground into the sky. Shanghai is quite similar to New York in that they are both huge cities except Shanghai is much cleaner and is better planned. In Shanghai they have elevated highways above the canopy that allow quick travel though the city. Like all large cities in China, they have a major traffic problem but these elevated highways help.
On the second day in Shanghai we visited ECUST which is a local technology and information university. I’m gonna be honest, the visit was very unimpressive. Nobody could hear the tour guide, the lecture we were given was poorly made and poorly delivered and the campus was ugly. However, the students there were very interesting. A friend and I were talking with two graduate students majoring in English and they were very friendly and curious. Their cafeteria was much better than what we have at Pitt. The food was cheap and delicious, a common theme in China. I had some of the best meatballs I have ever eaten and the rice was sticky and yummy.
Later in the afternoon we visited the Museum of Urban Planning which told the story of Shanghai’s past, present and future. This was a great museum because it explained how Shanghai became one of the biggest and best planned cities in the world. Shanghai has lofty goals pertaining to going green and having good living conditions for all their citizens. On the third floor they had a large diorama of the city which was beautiful. The museum told an important story of how Shanghai became one of the biggest and most important cities in the world.
For dinner some of us went to a local Cantonese dinner place where we feasted on chicken, pork, fried rice, noodles and more. This was a delicious meal. But what came after dinner was the best part of Shanghai so far. We went to an acrobatics show that blew my socks off. There were dudes jumping eight feet in the air through metal hoops and then doing a double backflip. There was a lady who could spin around in a large hoop. I could describe everything perfectly but you still wouldn’t be able to understand how impressive this show was.
After the show two of my friends and I wandered around the city. We were in an area with high end stores that told watches, jewelry and every other useless artifact that old rich people want to buy. We ended up getting lost and we needed to take a cab back to the hotel which was an easy trip. I really like Shanghai but I think I like Xi’an more.
