Day 32 - Sep 28

After waking up and grabbing complimentary breakfast we went into the city. Shanghai is much more spread out than Hong Kong (obviously) but in terms of comparison, in my mind it's much more like Los Angeles. Huge high rises of various architectural styles dominate the skyline, and the tree lined streets with brave cyclists all make up the beautiful and diverse city. The biggest shock to me personally was how big of a role the government plays in everyday life, you cannot walk a few blocks without seeing an officer. Companies you see on street corners are often owned (or partly owned) by the state, and whenever you drive anywhere on the elevated roads (highways) your picture is snapped every few miles. On the flip side, there aren't laws governing everyday aspects of life that I've come to expect - namely traffic laws or regulations on buildings.

 

First went to the Propaganda Museum (in some random basement in an apartment building) and saw a massive collection of posters from the Mao Zedong Era.

Ironically then spent the afternoon visiting People's Park , including an awesome underground street on the old ground level en route to People's Park. In the square the government buildings are obvious and conspicuous with dozens of Five Star flags and security forces.

After, went to Old Shanghai, which is probably one of the biggest tourist traps I've seen. It was still impressive, and the old architecture and gardens were certainly worth the visit. We saw the beautiful grounds surrounding the temple with koi rivers (don't want to call them ponds) and sharp rock outcroppings.

Next we went back to the Pearl Tower, deciding rather to visit a rooftop to look at the skyline. After arriving there and admiring the view for a few minutes, barges launched fireworks over the river painting the dark river and buildings a brilliant red.

 Finally we arrived at the Dolar Shop hot pot restaurant and grabbed dinner with a huge crew of NYU Shanghai students.