Today was a cultural day - we went to
the Shanghai Museum. We walked there - my god was it humid - we were sweating
all the way. We meandered through the back streets and through People's Square
and People's Park. Dare I say it, but Shanghai's facade of expensive shops and
fancy main streets seemed to follow the Western model, but hiding in the
back-streets was still the real China. The result, however, was one of comfort
and a bit of luxury compared to what Stu and I had been getting used
to!
So after a quick go on a white-knuckle ride in People's Park (I couldn't convince Stu to join me, since he is scared of heights), and tasty crepe-style nibble on some street food, we went into the Shanghai Museum.
Shanghai Museum was definitely a
little gem. It takes you on a journey through the changes in Chinese culture in
terms of styles of pottery, representations of religions icons, and archaeology.
Highlights included finally seeing a Ming Vase (though I liked Qing ones better
- can you tell which is which?), and a three foot stone with 1000 Buddahs carved
into it.
