Shanghai, China
by Charlotte Travieso
Shanghai, China During the spring of 2008, I had a welcome and surprising opportunity to visit China just a few months before the opening of the summer Olympics in Beijing in August. It was a two-second decision to say yes and accept the chance to visit Beijing, Xian (the terra cotta warriors), Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Outstanding attractions included the Olympic Village, a visit to the Great Wall of China, a shopping expedition in Hong Kong, the Buddhist Monastery Gardens in the center of Hong Kong, and first class accommodations in the best hotels in each of these cities. But it was the city of Shanghai that captured my attention and gave me the desire to return. With the first view of the Pudong skyline and the first boat excursion on the Huangpu River along the Bund section of the city, I could feel the pulse and excitement of the city as the fastest growing economic force in the world. The skyline view from the river gives a lesson in modern architecture that is thrilling. The shopping areas present fashion and commerce from around the world and the business district revealed young, well-heeled and well-dressed professionals with success on their minds. Our travel guide described herself as “young Shanghai princess” and I could see how she would give herself that title, having grown up in a city with a unique storied history that seems, from some vantage points, like a fairy land. |
