Shanghai has the most recent history of China's large cities. It has always had the earliest exposure to foreign influence because of it's deep water harbor on the great Yangtse River. There are still distinctive parts of Shanghai, the romantic gardened French Quarter, the stately English buildings around the riverside "Bund" and the shorter Japanese trading houses. The Yangtse runs from Western China near Tibet toward the East China Sea at Shanghai. The Chinese consider it a great dragon with it's tail in Tibet and it's head in Shanghai. When the first tunnel across the Yangtse was finished in 1992, commuting to The Pudang area opened up, and the Chinese government extended the international offer for foreign enterprises to establish businesses and build their most forward thinking architectural buildings. The result is nothing short of a "Future City."
The Old Town is still enticing. The Yuan, with its floating Tea house and funky little dumpling shops. The walkways to the teahouse were purposively made in right angles so that people would take their time walking and stop to consider the various perspectives and beauty at every turn. Makes you want to stop and smell the roses doesn't it?
No comments:
Post a Comment