Shanghai Reflection
To start my journey, I landed in Shanghai, the most populous and modern city in China. Despite visiting China several times, I never had the chance to explore Shanghai, and thought it would be the perfect place to begin this multi-month expedition. With a population of almost 29 million people within the Shanghai metro area, this would by far be the largest, most expansive city I’ve ever visited.
Right out of the airport, you can feel the tempo of the city. With the combination of the vast amount of people, loud monotonous speakerphones, and a lack of fluent Mandarin, I felt an immediate pace of the city. After arriving at my hostel, I dropped my bags and immediately walked towards the Bund, which was conveniently located 5 minutes away. I still remember the first time seeing the Bund unobstructed, walking through a pack of people to reveal the stunning skyline. This was one of the most surreal parts of the trip. It was insane to see a skyline I had only seen in postcards, laid out right in front of my eyes. I do think it lives up to the hype, albeit it was disappointing when the lights turned off (the skyline turns off after 11:00pm).
That night, I met a Chinese guy named Liyalong, who was a chef in Henan. He saw that it was my first time in China, and decided to buy dinner for me, of which was greatly appreciative of. With my broken Mandarin and Google Translate, we spoke all night. He talked about his job, his family, and life in China. He was 24, and didn’t go to college. He opted to be a chef, taking over his father’s position in a small eatery right outside of Zhengzhou. His sister was in university in Shanghai, holding a part-time job while studying for graduate school. He was visiting her to help her move into her new apartment. He also spoke of the struggles of his life. He wanted to go to college, but couldn’t maintain his grades and slacked off, of which he voiced his regret. He felt stuck, unable to find a better job or opportunity. Yet he felt content, happy to have a job, a home, and a simple life. As I didn’t have plans for the next few days, I asked him if he was free that day (as it was already about 3:00am) and we spent the next day exploring Shanghai.
We first went to Shanghai Tower, the tallest building in all of China. It felt like a nice place to get an overview of the city, and see the scale of this metropolis. After a 128-story ascent, the city opened up, exposing all the different neighborhoods, business districts, and the Huangpu river. The most fascinating thing about these vast views are the separations between districts. You can see residential blocks, marketplaces, business areas, you can see it all. But ultimately, you can also see the economic divide within the city. Closer to downtown Shanghai, you see these opulent housing complexes, filled with European-styled architecture, large water fountains, and well-maintained gardens and facilities. But looking a bit farther from the city, you see older, shorter apartment complexes, with aging facades and faded colors. The contrast is so stark from this perspective, and is most apparent in a city like Shanghai. I also met another friend at the top of the tower named Vladmir, a student from Tanzania on a trip. We’ll touch on him later.
After Shanghai Tower, we made our way to Wukang Road, which was a part of Shanghai’s Xuhui District. This area used to be the French Concession, holding an abundance of French architecture. It was definitely an urban hub, with cafes and clothing stores lining the streets. Personally, it wasn’t super exciting, but it was a nice stop to take a photo.
We then made our way to Yuyuan Garden, a beautifully maintained garden located in the heart of Shanghai’s Old Town. With an assortment of stone bridges, colorful trees, and ancient temples, it was stunning, although the crowds made it somewhat difficult to enjoy (much like many attractions in China). The prettiest part of this garden was this large Ginkgo Tree, which was just peaking in color. The entire garden is definitely worth the visit, and was in a very convenient location.
After the garden, we made our way to the Shanghai Museum, which was about a 20 minute walk. This museum, despite not being the largest or being completely open, had a gorgeous collection of artifacts, ranging from ornate ivory, rosewood furniture, and ornamental fans. The sheer amount of artwork throughout all the museums in China is immense, and very much worth the visit.
Now that the sun was down, we walked to the beginning of Nanjing Road, a busy pedestrian street filled with restaurants, events, and shopping malls. These are common in China, consisting of a large strip of road with an assortment of bright storefronts, employees trying to flag you down, and Chinese lottery boutiques (this was a commonality across the country, especially at these pedestrian streets). We strangely found our way into a North Korean barbeque place, where they supposedly served North Korean imported beer, surrounded by propagandistic imagery. It was an interesting experience, and the food was definitely tasty.
This was the end of my first full day in China, and was perhaps one of the most fulfilling days of the trip. In a new city, making new friends, eating new food, it checked off all the boxes.
Day 1
Taking an easy morning, I woke up a bit late. The itinerary for today was the Shanghai International Circuit, a racetrack located about an hour from downtown Shanghai. As an avid follower of F1, I’ve always wanted to go to the Chinese Grand Prix. I remember staying up till 3AM in University to watch the Chinese Grand Prix with my friend Hunter, and I finally had the chance to see the track myself.
Being that Shanghai has a superb mass transit system, it took only 2 different lines to reach the track, although I did get slightly lost as the end of the trainline splits into two, of which I took the wrong one on the first try. Once I reached the station, the track was a short 10 minute walk, going through two security checkpoints. Although I did try to book tickets to tour the track in advance, I couldn’t find any website that allowed me to do so, and most of the research said to show up to the track and hope it was open. To my luck, the track was open, and they were conducting tours, as well as these miniature go-karts that would allow you to actually drive on a section of the track. Of course I purchased them both. Walking onto the track itself was like a dream. I had seen drivers on this very course before, barreling through turn 16 to claim victory, or slide into the gravel. The large grandstands are even larger in person, with these 10-story observation decks overlooking the track, almost menacingly. I made my way to the garages, right under the podium where the winners would usually claim their trophies. At the base of one of the pillars next to the garage was the stewards room, where a wall of monitors captured every corner, straight, and action on the track. This is where officials would review footage to administer or revoke penalties, a vital room that dictated many races.
After taking a few photos, I got into this electric go-kartesque vehicle. It was modeled after those 1960’s F1 cars, painted in bold red, blue, and white colors. The go-kart track included going down towards turn 16, turning into the pit lane, and driving back down the side of the gravel trap, towards the finish line. The car was definitely a bit tight, as my legs were bunched up compared to the pre-teen children riding them before me. But it was still an amazing experience, being able to drive on the track itself, and see the same finish that decades of racers have before me. After the ride, we took an official tour around the complex. It was all in mandarin, so I couldn’t understand a lot of it. I did meet a fellow F1 fan named Zhang, who was from Beijing. He was a Charles LeClerc fan, and was equally as excited to see the track as me. We then walked to the top of the grandstands, getting a wide view of the entire track, as you can see the back straight and turns from the startline. I could just imagine the hundreds of thousands of people here on race day - the atmosphere, the sound of the cars, all coming together. I would love to one day come to the Shanghai F1 Grand Prix, perhaps on another multi-month journey.
The Shanghai GP is not only a race - it represents a part of China’s national identity. F1 is a status sport, with 20 teams traveling around the world at world-class race tracks. It is a multi-billion dollar industry, reserved often for the elite and pricing out many followers. The Shanghai GP has been the most affordable GP on the calendar, offering the nation to see a premier sporting event at a more affordable cost. To demonstrate this scale, it would be cheaper to fly to China and watch the GP compared to flying to Miami and watching the GP. For China to be part of F1’s identity while opening up its exposure to the largest market of consumers in the world shows China’s progression in the world’s scale, a reflection of global identity through motorsport.
After visiting the track, I made my way to Shanghai’s Auto Museum, about 20 minutes from the track. It had some solid exhibitions, especially one detailing the progression of transportation within China’s history. They had Flying Pigeon Bicycles or 飞鸽, one of the most popular and widely produced bicycles in the 1960’s and 70’s. They also had the Hongqi CA72, the first Chinese-made luxury car. Alongside a collection of German, American, and prototype Electric cars, this museum really did have a lot to offer. For a nation that once couldn’t afford personal vehicles to being the largest auto-manufacturers and consumers in the world, this museum does reflect the rapid development of China’s society.
I would end my day taking a DiDi ride back to my hostel, where I had a pleasant conversation with my driver. His name was Li, and he had been driving a taxi for over 40 years. He was an extremely welcoming person, happily dumbing down his mandarin to accommodate my language barrier. He told me he had a daughter whose name was Li Na, and was around my age. She always wanted to study in the States, but they couldn’t make enough to send her abroad. She was in university in Chengdu, but was also working a side job to make ends meet. He was surprised I would travel alone, especially somewhere I didn’t completely understand the language. I said there was nothing to be scared of, causing him to chuckle. I told him if he ever made it to New York, I would happily take him and his family around. I tried to tip him, but he profusely rejected it, saying he would take up my offer one day. We exchanged information and then said our goodbyes.
Day 2
This was my last day in Shanghai. Having spent the entirety of yesterday on the outskirts, I decided to hit more of the landmarks within the city. I started my morning in a shopping district on Huaihai road, about 15 minutes from my hostel. I then made my way to Jing’an Temple, which was another 20 minutes from the shopping district. Destroyed, rebuilt, and moved several times, Jing’an Temple was super interesting. Known for its shimmering gold roof tiles and elaborate woodworking, it was stunningly bright. Arriving midday, the sunlight was a bit flat, but still made for interesting compositions. Perhaps the most peculiar thing about this temple is its location. Located on West Nanjing Road, the surroundings of the temples were shopping malls, skyscrapers, and even a Arc'teryx Flagship store. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a contrast of old and new, a conflict of modernity and history. The Temple looked grossly out of place, almost like it was dropped from the sky into the center of the city. The borderline absurdity of the design of this temple and its surrounding buildings were awfully Kafkaesque. In the centuries this temple has stood it has witnessed the complete shift in culture, unrecognizable. It stands as one of the most bizarre places I’ve ever been too, not something I was expecting.
After a quick lunch, I made my way to Longhua Temple, located 25 minutes south of Jing’an. While also being a Buddhist Temple, Longhua Temple is the largest ancient Temple complex in Shanghai. On top of its beautiful pagoda and temples, the true magic of Longhua Temple was inside its chambers. Inside every door stood these grand Buddhist statues and sutras, incredibly detailed and vibrant. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much detail and precision at a temple before. The temple grounds were also filled with cats, dogs, and birds, all of which were calmly roaming the streets between visitors and temple roofs. The environment of this temple was much more calm, especially compared to the constant noise of traffic around Jing’an Temple. Being that it was the tailend of fall, the yellow leaves flowing in the wind with the yellow walls of the temples and buddhas inside felt like Kismet, a treat to the eyes and soul. I remember feeling at peace leaving this temple, especially when an orange cat reminiscent of my own cat, Thomas, decided to follow me out.
After Longhua Temple, I took the subway a half an hour further south to the Shanghai EXPO Cultural Park. Located on the bank of the Huangpu River was this large park complex filled with cherry blossoms, tulips, and roses. Unfortunately I didn’t see their peak colors, but I did see some plum blossoms just peaking through. I initially planned to visit the nature display, which included an enormous freshwater aquarium diorama. However, it was closed, so I quickly diverted plans. Out of curiosity, I decided to head to Costco Shanghai, which was an hour away. When at home, I pretty much go to Costco every week, so I figured I may as well keep my streak for as long as I could. When I arrived, I was surprised to see how synonymous this experience was to the US. The lighting, the smooth concrete, and the structure of displays, it was all the exact same. To be across the world yet feel like I was at home; as funny as it sounds, it was quite comforting. I purchased a CCC certified powerbank as well as the China exclusive food court items, such as Bulgogi Bakes and Combo Pizza, which was removed after COVID. To see Costco’s reach across the world was fascinating, as a person who never went to the US can get a small sliver of the true American experience.
I returned back to my hostel at around 7pm, where I met up with the friend I made at the top of Shanghai Tower, Vladmir. He was a student from Tanzania who was sponsored by Huawei to visit their Shanghai factories. He was a bit older than me, around 22. We met at Yuyuan Garden, a place I had gone to the day before, but wanted to see with the neon lights at night. We talked for a few hours, discussing the reasons that brought us to China, our lives at home, and our futures. He came from a family of 8, with 3 brothers and 4 sisters. His father was a professor at a local University. He entered an energy competition organized by Huawei, a cellphone manufacturer in China. He ended up winning the competition, and was rewarded with an international trip. Him and his group were visiting landmarks before going to the actual factories, which is what led me to meet him at the top of Shanghai Tower. He described the difficulties of life in Tanzania, whether that be the governmental regime or daily pressures of life. Education and social mobility are stringent on opportunity and income, as well as the people you know and the connections you make. When I asked him to visit America, he described it as being an impossible task, with the flight ticket costing months and months of salary, alongside the arduous visa process. Vladmir really opened my eyes to the realities of those who don’t have the economic or social mobility to freely travel and live their lives, held down by conditions they never asked for. However, he was also an example of courage and dedication, finding himself in a new country for the first time because of his actions and making his own opportunities. It truly was miraculous that we connected, both finding ourselves at the top of Shanghai Tower together, where I complimented his Ferrari leather jacket and him complementing my camera. At the end of the night, we both reiterated how grateful we were to meet each other, and said our goodbyes.
Shanghai was a beautiful city to visit. While the temples were magnificent, the shopping districts endless, and neon lights all I thought they could be, it was the people I met that truly made my experience in this city. Vladmir, Liyalong, Zhang, and Li are the memories I will most cherish and value, hopefully one day seeing them again.
Day 3