China Part 5

Readers, how I posted a blog about my time in Shanghai without including any of the lovely pictures I took of the Bund with my new camera, I don't know.





The "European shore" of the Huangpu River has buildings that date back to the late 19th century. This part of Shanghai was conceded to foreign powers after the Treaty of Nanking in 1842. Shortly afterwards, the traders moved in. These grand buildings all once served as banks, consulates, customs houses and clubs for the exceptionally wealthy. Many of them are now closed but are spectacularly lit up at night for the crowds of tourists wandering up and down the elevated river bank.





Zhongshan Road follows the curve of the river. This photo was taken close to the Meteorological Signal Tower looking north.





Here is the modern face of Shanghai. This, the far shore of the river at Liujiazui was nothing but rice paddies until very recently.




Broadway Mansions looms over the steel bridge which leads over Suzhou Creek and away from the centre of the action. Japanese military officials oversaw their occupation of Shanghai from the top floor of this building, which had previously been full of western journalists reporting home on the siege of the city. The Japanese used Shanghai as their starting point from which they then laid waste to the country all the way to Nanking, the Nationalist capital of China. When Nanking fell, the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-Shek moved to Chongqing, and eastern China was under Japanese dominion until their surrender in 1945.


I spent 3 nights in Shanghai, meeting Shanghai people and paying Shanghai prices, before taking a plane out to Xian due to the shortage of railway tickets. I'll pick up the story next time upon flying over third world farms and landing in the dusty ancient capital of China.