Shanghai, December 14th
Asia trip 2018-2019

I start the day early in the morning at the Hotel. Shanghai has many interesting places to visit. But I did not decided on anything beforehand. My best options are three of the most touristic places in the city. All of them beautiful, and that’s why there is going to be a lot of pictures on this post.

I start to walk towards the Jade Buddha Temple. What should have been an hour walk becomes almost two hours. I walk in the general direction of the temple but I do not lose the opportunity to get out of my way and look for anything interesting.

Shanghai feels more polluted than Guangzhou or Shenzhen. But it’s acceptable for a two hours walk. The most polluted city I have been being Kraków in Poland. Kraków is a beautiful city and worth visiting, but as it is located in a valley it will become dense with smog when there is a lack of wind. Shanghai also has quite chaotic roads. But, things are changing. There is police regulating some big intersections and making sure that people follow the rules. Cars and pedestrians behave correctly. It’s usually scooters that run amok.

The Jade Buddha Temple was built in 1882. It consists of several pavilions dedicated to different deities. It is a beautiful place were devout people doing their prayers and tourist mix together.

On my way out, I pass by one of the shops and buy a small present. They accept MasterCard. I guess, that this is more common in touristic sites. As Sweden goes cashless I realize how inconvenient that will be for visitors without a valid credit card. Here, I got a Shanghai transport card, and I cannot use the recharge machines in the metro as the machines only accept digital means of payment that I do not have. In Shanghai is just this machine, at home, public transport and restaurants that show “No Cash” signs are on the rise.

I get off the metro at Line 10’s Yuyuan Garden station. The surroundings are packed with groups of tourists. I can see several Europeans and Americans, a rare vision, at least at this time of the year. All of us are going to visit Yu Garden.

"Yu Garden was first built in 1559 during the Ming Dynasty by Pan Yunduan as a comfort for his father, the minister Pan En, in his old age. Pan Yunduan began the project after failing one of the imperial exams, but his appointment as governor of Sichuan postponed construction for nearly twenty years until 1577. The garden was the largest and most prestigious of its era in Shanghai, but eventually its expense helped ruin the Pans."

Wikipedia contributors. (2018, November 24). Yu Garden. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

The garden has several small buildings and hosts an art exhibit. Inside the buildings, they kept the original furniture. The furniture gives you an idea of how people enjoyed the garden.

Outside the garden, there are innumerable shops. If you are looking for a souvenir shop, or a restaurant you will find plenty in here.

Last, I get to the Shanghai museum two hours before it closes. I have to stay a few minutes in a long queue before entering the place. The museum is divided into different art sections. In the calligraphy’s section, it is difficult to walk. Meanwhile, the seals’ section is almost empty. It is a big museum and just one of its sections is closed to the public. I roam around the place for almost two hours.

Today has been a do-what-all-tourists-do day. I like to visit the most popular places at the cities I go. Usually, that places are popular for a good reason.