August – Shànghǎi’d to Dōngběi

« Previous – Home (Spring 2009)

Next – Thailand (Winter 2009) »

China (Summer-Fall 2009) posts

« Previous – China (July 2009)

Next – China (September 2009) »

So I don’t know if you’ve heard, but China is pretty big. I severely underestimated the amount of time I needed to visit my ancestral homeland and ended up staying for about five months! And I haven’t even seen everything I want to see!

Places (July 2009)

Places (August 2009)

• Shànghǎi
• Harbin/Hā’ěrbīn, Hēilóngjiāng
• Wǔdàliánchí
• Shěnyáng
• Chángbái Shān
• Shěnyáng
• Shānhǎiguān
• Běijīng
• Chéngdé
• Běijīng

Places (September 2009)

Places (October 2009)

Places (November 2009)

Shànghǎi

July 27, 2009 – August 11, 2009

Arriving at night without a room reserved, I wandered around town for hours, looking for a hotel. Many were full or Chinese-only. I walked down crowded, neon Nanjing Lu, one of many pedestrian-only streets in Shànghǎi. I finally got a discounted room at a Motel 168 not far from the Bund, which I discovered was being renovated for the World Expo 2010. The renovation was so obtrusive that the view of the river was completely blocked.

My time in Shànghǎi was kind of odd. Both of my parents are from Shànghǎi, so it was kind of a homecoming, but distinctly not. Regardless, I think I relaxed a bit and ended up taking my time (here, one of the most expensive cities in China). Maybe I just needed a bit of a break, after being in China for a month already. In the early days, I took walks along the Bund, such as it was, looking at and peeking into some of the historic buildings. I also stopped by touristy Yu Yuan and had xiao long bao (juicy steamed dumplings) at Nanxiang Xiao Long Bao. Wandering streets around Nanjing Lu, I came across delicious shengjian mantou, dumplings that are pan-fried for a crispy bottom. Some days, I just stayed in my room, surfing the internet. I was also able to meet with my friend Jason a couple of times for dinner, and we also visited a couple of local clubs, which was an interesting experience. I even braved the rush-hour subway a couple of times.

I had to stop in the visa extension office in Pudong (east of the river). The first time, I didn’t have my temporary residence form from the hotel, so I had to go all the way back to the hotel. I tried to out-wait a strong downpour, but I got soaked anyway. After my second visit to the visa office, I ended up walking around the Pudong waterfront, scoping out the Oriental Pearl tower, then went back to Puxi (west of the river) and walked around the People’s Park area, chasing a rainbow back to the Bund.

I started to sleep more, staying in during the day, venturing out in the afternoon or evenings. I took in some Tianchan Peking opera, which was interesting in that all of the performers were female, even for the male roles. The theater was filled with friendly regulars, who sang along and chatted animatedly during the performance.

Shànghǎi dining is quite good and varied. It wasn’t all xiao long bao, river shrimp, and nian gao, though. I also succumbed to an intense pizza craving and ate at a Pizza Hut, which had surprisingly upscale decor but woefully mediocre food.

Later in my stay, I walked around the Suzhou Creek area and chased evening lightning at the Bund. I revisited the Conservatory of Music near Huaihai Lu and the heritage buildings dotting the French Concession, the area ceded to French settlement. I also got a new power adapter for my Nintendo DS, to replace the bulky British-style plug on the one I’d purchased in Hong Kong. After I retrieved my passport (with a new China tourist visa), I walked around the exterior of the cool Science and Technology Museum in Pudong, walked to the Yongpu Bridge but wasn’t able to walk along the bridge, had xiao long bao at the Din Tai Fung branch in the towering World Financial Center, and wandered around the shopping mall and office plaza in neighboring Jinmao Tower. One evening, I made it out to Xintiandi, a new development packed with upscale bars, restaurants, and malls (with a Din Tai Fung branch there, too!). Another evening, I walked out to Tianzifang, a gentrifying artist’s ghetto, located in the winding alleys and converted spaces within the better part of a city block.

Dining out became even more of a treat than usual. My great-aunt and great-uncle graciously took Jason and me to dinner at the Secret Garden restaurant, a converted European-style mansion. I splurged on an expensive but excellent prix fixe chef’s tasting dinner at the Whampoa Club on the Bund. I also had shengjian mantou at a branch of Yang’s Dumplings in the Wujiang area with my great-aunt.

One of the highlights of my stay was the Shànghǎi Museum. It was so cool that I visited twice. (Admission is free!) One of the reasons I had to visit twice was because I took a lot of time taking a lot of photos. There were lots of impressive pieces. I think I was most taken with the compelling statues.

The muggy, rainy weather in Shànghǎi was getting me down, though. I wanted a change. I decided to jump up to China’s north-east region. To get there, I was going to fly. To get the airport, I took the maglev, which reached speeds in excess of 430kph. (I’d hate to be a bug on that windshield.) One relatively short flight later, I was in Harbin (Hā’ěrbīn).

Harbin/Hā’ěrbīn, Hēilóngjiāng

August 11, 2009 – August 13, 2009

I was in Harbin for a few reasons. First, it’s a good gateway to the rest of Dongbei (“East-North”), the northeastern region of China. Due to its proximity to Russia, the architecture and cuisine was also somewhat different from what I had experienced so far. I also wanted to escape the heat of the south and the recent rains.

The Russian influences were readily apparent in the city’s architecture as I walked around, including St. Sophia Church, an Eastern Orthodox church that now houses a small museum. There were plenty of historic buildings designated with plaques along Zhongyang Dajie, a cobbled pedestrian street leading out to the river.

Many people were enjoying the pleasant afternoon out by the river. There were singers, musicians, and dancers up and down the promenade. I strolled down the river and enjoyed the sun setting over the water. Back in town, I checked out a video game arcade and shopped for drinks and snacks at a mega mart. It was interesting seeing capitalism in action!

Wǔdàliánchí

August 13, 2009 – August 14, 2009

From Harbin, I took a train to Bei’an, on the way to Wǔdàliánchí. Because I’d waited too long to secure a ticket with a seat, I had to stand for much of the scenic trip, arriving in the evening. I took a minibus to Wǔdàliánchí (the town, not the nearby resort). Wǔdàliánchí is famous for its five lakes and volcanoes, and I was in the mood for some nature after being in urban centers.

I had originally wanted to stay in the resort, not in the town, but the townspeople were incredibly nice, so I stayed in an inexpensive guesthouse. The next day, I negotiated a taxi for the day and visited one of the extinct volcanoes, hiking up and around the caldera and lava fields. I also checked out one of the local underground ice caves, which remain cold enough year-round to host ice sculptures. It was a little bizarre emerging from the sub-zero caves out into the mild daylight.

Shěnyáng

August 15, 2009 – August 17, 2009

From Wǔdàliánchí, I took a bus back to Harbin, pausing briefly to pick up some snacks for the overnight train ride to Shěnyáng. After a pre-dawn arrival and the usual hotel hunt, I walked around town. I later visited the Shěnyáng Imperial Palace, built and maintained by the Qing emperors.

After the palace, I continued walking around town, somewhat randomly, stopping at whatever looked interesting, like a market stretching along a long indoor corridor, a large Mao statue flanked by dynamic proletariat and revolutionary statues, and Korea town, full of spas, karaoke joints, bars, and restaurants. Close to North Korea, Shěnyáng has a large ethnic Korean population.

While in Shěnyáng, I came up with my travel sustainability plan. It was time for another nature trip! I knew I was going to return to Shěnyáng, so I wasn’t worried about not seeing some of the other major sights.

Chángbái Shān

August 17, 2009 – August 19, 2009

Chángbái Shān is famous for its nature park, including the elevated Tian Chi (Heaven Lake), a caldera lake that straddles the China-North Korea border. There are a few access points from the China side. From Shěnyáng, I took a train to Songjianghe. This side had a park bus that took tourists to access points for nature walks, including a gorge with bizarre rock formations. Unfortunately, by the time I made it up to the base of the hike up to the 2470m summit, fog had already set in, completely obscuring the panoramic view of the lake. I was disappointed, especially when I learned that the view had been spectacular just the previous day.

The weather forecast didn’t look that good from this side, so I took a train to Baihe. I spent a night in a hostel dorm room with some, ah, fragrant comrades. The next morning, I made sure to get up extra early to take the first bus out to the park. The weather looked decent when we arrived, but steadily looked worse and worse as I stood in a long line as 4x4s shuttled tourists up to the peak. Finally, I boarded a minivan that careened up and around hairpin curves winding up the side of the peak. Foiled by fog again!

The rest of the day was partially salvaged by a pleasant hike to Chángbái waterfall. Unfortunately, access to the lake was closed due to a recent rock slide. Hmph! I gave the mountain a bird and turned around. The park bus whisked me to some other scenic spots, including a relaxing hike out to the Deep Green Pond and the Sunken Forest. Too bad about missing the Heavenly Lake, but the other sights offered some consolation.

The weather forecast called for sun after three days, but I decided to push on and leave. Maybe some other time? That decision made, I still had to play a game of “chicken” with some ticket scalpers. Eventually, Good triumphed and I got away with only a slight “service fee”.

Shěnyáng

August 20, 2009 – August 21, 2009

I was pleasantly surprised by clear blue skies when I returned to Shěnyáng. The last time, the skies had been obscured by clouds and smog. This time, I visited the September 18 museum, commemorating the incident that eventually led to Japan’s invasion of China. The museum was educational as well as, in turns, startling, shocking, and saddening. I’m glad I got to visit it this time.

I was also glad to visit Beiling park, home to the Zhao tomb. The grounds of the tomb were pretty quiet and pleasant. Afterwards, I wandered around the park, watching as locals began arriving in the late afternoon. People were out exercising, congregating in the open areas, and flying kites. Outside the gates, I was dumbfounded by a large group of people exercising with jump ropes. Some of them were quite skilled, and I had fun watching their performances.

My final day in Shěnyáng, I visited the Shěnyáng Garden Expo. I had all my gear with me, instead of leaving it at the hotel or station, since I didn’t know how much time I would have before my outbound train. The amusement park and themed areas (small zones capturing the “flavor” of various countries and Chinese cities) were not that memorable. Still, the sculptures, flower gardens, and walking paths made for a pleasant day outdoors.

Shānhǎiguān

August 21, 2009 – August 23, 2009

A train ride to Shānhǎiguān put me in walking distance of its Ming city walls and the eastern end of the Great Wall. I made my way through the old town and walked to the base of the Great Wall. The crowds thinned out the further up I ascended. In a rare fit of law-breaking, I ventured past the end of the maintained section and continued hiking along the crumbled ruins, where I met only a couple of other hikers.

After clambering around the summit, I finally descended through brush trails and gullies, ending up at a mountain temple half-way up the mountain. I decided to give my feet a treat and took the ropeway the rest of the way down, walking past town to the beach, where the Great Wall meets the sea at Old Dragon Head.

By the time I made it back into the walled town, the other attractions were already closed. Luckily, the central tower was still open, so I was able to catch a nice sunset over the low roofs. After getting shoo’ed out, I wandered around for more sunset shots. I was even able to lure some Chinese tourists into taking similar photos.

Compared to the suboptimal visit to Chángbái Shān, I was very pleased with my time in Shānhǎiguān. The Great Wall, the hiking around the summit, and the sunset were definitely highlights!

Běijīng

August 23, 2009 – August 24, 2009

Fresh off the train, a hotel tout intercepted me outside the train station and took me to a reasonable, inexpensive place not far from a metro station. I had plans to be elsewhere shortly, so I just made a walking day of it along Běijīng’s often-long streets, namely hitting the Wángfǔjǐng shopping district, topping it off with Peking duck at Quanjude. This was a relaxed sampling of Běijīng.

Chéngdé

August 24, 2009 – August 25, 2009

I took the train to Chéngdé, the mountainous summer retreat of the Qing dynasty emperors, northeast of Běijīng. After the usual hotel hunt, I ended up quite near to the so-called mountain resort (summer retreat park/reserve). I spent the first day within and on the walls of the park, visiting the palaces and museum. I did a lot of hiking, getting lost in the brush at times. I also made sure to take some time to relax once I reached ruined sites, pavilions, and sitting areas, some of them atop high peaks. For the most part, I avoided the tour groups shuttling through the park, making it into a game.

On the second day, before the afternoon bus back to Běijīng, I took in a few of the major monasteries and temples surrounding the mountain resort, mainly making my way around by foot. I started at Puning Si, crowded with active worshippers. I was lucky to gain admission to an upper gallery to get closer to a huge Guanyin statue, a highlight of this visit. At Xumi Fushou, built in the Tibetan style in honor of the 6th Panchen Lama’s visit, I was surprised by what I found on the interior of the large walled structure. With time pressing, I made it to Putuo Zongcheng and was fascinated with its multiple structures, outbuildings, and central chapel. There were varying numbers of visitors at each of these three sites, and each was its own distinct experience.

Běijīng

August 25, 2009 – September 3, 2009

Somehow, the skies were less overcast when I returned, a pleasant surprise, especially after overly-hazy Chéngdé. This time, I took to wandering around the local hutong and passing through Houhai Lake (several times), finding a couple of favorite jiaozi (dumpling) places and da bing (tortilla) vendors. I spent time walking through built-up shopping streets, but also visited places like the Bell Tower, its sibling the Drum Tower, and the (sprawling) palace of Prince Gong, recently restored to a vibrant, shiny state (and still smelling slightly of fresh paint and cement dust!).

I returned to Jingshan Park, with its series of pavilions overlooking the Forbidden City. Much later, I would eventually make it to the Forbidden City itself, but oddly, not this visit. I got lost on the way to the Lama temple, ending up at the nearby Confucian Academy, spending much longer than I had expected. On a bit of a lark, I also visited to Olympic Park (from the 2008 Summer Olympics), with its broad, sweeping plazas filled with people, seeing the Water Cube and the Bird’s Nest in person.

Of course, a visit to the Great Wall is almost mandatory while in Běijīng. I booked an excursion to the Great Wall at Simatai, a more rugged, picturesque section that ended up being closer to Chéngdé than to Běijīng. Despite getting furiously cussed out by a vendor lady who I suspected of taking my drink bottle, I had a nice, leisurely time, even trying unsuccessfully to bribe the guard at the far end into letting me cross over into the crumbling section. In the end, I wandered back down and met up with the rest of the group, who had done a longer trek along a neighboring segment of the wall, meeting some interesting people.

Back in Běijīng, I made a point of visiting the Lama temple and was blown away by the beautiful, aged interiors and decorations. At the Temple of Heaven, I coincidentally ran into a couple of German university kids from the day trip to the Great Wall. I searched my memories of my first visit to the Temple of Heaven, back on a family vacation, and noted some interesting differences. I also revisited Tiananmen Square and the Qianmen area to the south.

It wasn’t all historical sites, though. There was also the food! Walking along Guijie food street, old and new architecture contrasting, my sandal strap broke on me, leaving me limping around, looking for a shoe shop on a food street.

I also had to extend my tourist visa again. Only, this time, I had to open a Chinese bank account and deposit sufficient funds! After a bit of a mad scramble, I had a Chinese bank account, and my visa application was in the queue. While it was being processed, I jumped out of town to tour some more of the countryside.

« Previous – China (July 2009)

Next – China (September 2009) »