Shang-Hiya!

June 11, 2018June 2, 2019 Peter 0 Comments

Over three years ago, I left my home in the UK to embark on a journey that I have been terrified to bring to an end ever since. Over two of those years were spent in China in what can only be described as a love-hate relationship but what can’t be argued against, are the amazing opportunities and memories it provided me with. For my two week winter break (now extended for four as I lost my passport), I decided to return to where it all began and spend two weeks in Shanghai. How did you lose your passport, Peter? I literally have no idea. Six hours before my flight back to Japan, I realised it had simply vanished off the face of the earth, or been stripped and sold for spare parts by triads. (Probably not the latter) As a result, I have some spare time to explore Shanghai and show you a side that you may never have seen before. Happy new year everyone and check out some of my journey below!

While there are many shining and modern high-rises in Shanghai, many Shanghainese still live in more traditional housing such as above, full of character and stories. One of the downsides about China is that there is such a boom in property development and this has led to the arguably the same style and layout of apartment being reproduced, millions of times across the country. Many times, you will go to a friend’s house and you’ll think, this is spacious, clean and airy but it lacks a personal touch. Often, it doesn’t feel like a home. Areas such as this have a different feel and walking through them, you can feel the soul of the people bursting from the windows. Below, you can see the old mixed with the towering new in the background.

College dorms at Jiaotong University looking out upon local students playing basketball.

Many of Shanghai’s streets, like below, are lined with beautiful trees which hang over the roads like a canopy. It’s a sight which I have very rarely seen in China and gives Shanghai a very different feel to many other cities I’ve travelled to. Despite it being the deep of winter, the leaves are still falling from the abundance of trees, swirling in the air, leaving you feeling a connection to nature, even in the heart of the city.

One of the greatest things about China, for me, is the food. Every area of China offers a different array of food. The Chinese food offered up in the west isn’t really indicative of what’s on offer. Often, what looks like the dingiest and dirtiest place on the street is where you will get the best food, cooked exactly like a homemade meal. Above, you can see a bowl of pork and scallion wonton which cost me 12rmb for 12 (about £1.40) and you can literally watch it being made in front of you. Below is a type of steamed bun, which has also been fried and often comes in a selection of flavours. These are filled with pork and as you bite into them, scalding soup bursts out of them which is eventually cool enough to consume without causing premature death. Mushroom, shrimp and mixed vegetable fillings are also popular. These cost me 8rmb for four(about £1) although the child’s foot below isn’t included.

The modern finanacial area as seen from the Bund contrasts distinctly in comparison to the European and Chinese architecture on view in much of the rest of the city. Unfortunately, I’ve never been lucky enough to see this sight on a really clear day where the buildings really light up but it’s still an amazing spectacle.

Below: A photo from July 2016 of the skyline at night.

One area of Shanghai which is worth checking out is TianZiFang, the photos of which you can see below. Many cities, popular with tourists in China, usually have an area, seemingly traditional in architecture and selling all the crap of the day and usually X is a carbon copy of Y, but in another city. For example, if you go to Lijiang (featured on Ulsterman before) it seems like a beautiful and unqiue city but when you realise it’s maze of streets are just a copy of each other, selling the same snacks, teas and souvenirs, it’s quite disappointing. Despite my initial prejudice, though, TianZiFang felt a little different for me. There were locally made snacks on offer from residents selling directly out of their own homes. Shanghai-based clothing sellers are selling reasonably priced, fashionable and independent clothing. There are tiny bars where you can sit outside and watch people going about their day, all amongst a labyrinth of small streets and alleyways. The traditional feel of the old homes and factories is still in tact and if you don’t go on a weekend (when there are considerably less people), it is actually quite pleasant to walk around. Check out the bottom for my personal favourite shop in TianZiFang.

Above: If you’re feeling cramped in TianZiFang’s tiny streets, you can take a short walk to the avenues surrounding it for a breather and this wonderful scene.

Below: I personally loved this ice cream shop using Vladimir Putin as an advertising tool to entice customers. I don’t doubt Putin bloody loves an ice cream from TianZiFang. As we say in Ireland, ‘Get it down ‘ye big lad!’

My personal favourite: Childhood. As I walked past, I was enticed by the warm interior of the shop. And the candy…

Take a look at what I found.

Nothing screams childhood for me like chocolate condoms. I remember at ten years old asking my parents what condoms were. This would’ve been a much easier and tastier answer for them.

We all used candy sticks like cigarettes. Let’s not lie. It was cool as fuck and buying a box of Tom and Jerry Candy sticks essentially made you the Godfather. Marketing them as actual cigarettes in the west nowadays, however, would be a dream of a lawsuit for the politically correct raccoons, I mean, very intelligent people of the free world. China, you go girl!