Shanghai, China

Shanghai was a stark contrast to Beijing and Xi'an. As we had heard it would be, Shanghai was a very large, modern city. But there were a couple of historical sites we enjoyed here as well. I don't know if we were just tired, or if it's just that Beijing and Xi'an were so impressive, but we were not quite as enthralled with Shanghai. Maybe because Shanghai is known for its shopping, and I was too exhausted with the shopping (bargaining) process.

Jade Buddha Temple

Our first stop in Shanghai was the Jade Buddha Temple. In 1882, an old temple was built to keep two jade Buddha statues, which had been brought from Burma by a monk named Huigen. The temple was destroyed during the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Fortunately, the jade Buddha statues were saved and a new temple was built on the present site in 1928. It was named the Jade Buddha Temple. The photo shows a replica of one of the Buddhas. It is made of marble, while the real jade Buddha is made of white jade.

This was the only Buddhist temple we've ever vistited where photos were allowed in some places, so we snapped away. Here Brian took a photo and video of some Buddhist monks chanting and praying.



The Bund

The word "Bund" means an embankment or an embanked quay, and comes from the Urdu word "band," meaning an embankment, levee or dam. The term was brought to India (where it came to be pronounced as "bund") and then to Shanghai.

The Bund stretches one mile along the bank of the Huangpu River in Shanghai. It is a historically protected area, with many preserved old buildings. There was a fabulous view of modern downtown Shanghai as well. It could've been a tad clearer, but you get the idea.

Yuyuan Garden and Old Town

Yuyuan Garden is a famous classical garden located in Anren Jie, Shanghai. The garden was finished in 1577 by a government officer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) named Pan Yunduan.

Yu in Chinese means "pleasing and satisfying," and this garden was specially built for Pan's parents as a place for them to enjoy a tranquil and happy time in their old age.

Acrobatics Show

We saw some renowned Chinese acrobats on our last night in China.

Here's a man jumping through hoops, literally.

And here are some women balancing multiple spinning plates on sticks.

Sydney slept through most of the show, but woke up near the end. Although she still looks catatonic, she's quite impressed. Here she's clapping and enjoying the music in particular. It was a nice finish to our trip!