During this trip, I thought I would follow the plan that Amy and I made when we were in Beijing in 2004: one thing in the morning, one thing in the afternoon. Due to the extreme heat and the fact that I had forgotten to pack my only pair of shorts, I amended this to: one thing in the early afternoon, one thing in the late afternoon/early evening.
On my second day, I took a taxi to Old Town. My original idea was to go to the Yu Yuan (Fish Garden), but I couldn’t find it in spite of the fact that the taxi driver dropped me off right at the end of the street. I ended up going back on Sunday with Claire, Carol and Carol’s boyfriend Dominic. Even then, it took us quite a bit of time and troubling of other Chinese for directions before we finally found the garden. In order to consolidate things and make it less confusing, I’ll describe here what was seen on both days.
Old Town was the first Chinese settlement in the area, and was also where the Chinese concentrated themselves as the emperor allowed foreign countries to create their own governmental areas in Shanghai. Most of what is considered old here—where the Chinese actually live—is off the main roads and hidden behind the flash. Old Town in general isn’t really that old, at least in the sense of what we think old should be. It’s been rebuilt in Ming Dynasty style for tourists and has a gigantic walled-in shopping area complete with Starbucks and Hagan Dazs shops. There are a bazillion small shops selling interesting, uber-expensive paintings, ceramics, clothing, crafts and novelties. The whole area is dizzying and maze-like, and at one point I was struck by the fear that I might never find my way out. I imagined having to pay for some really expensive nothing in exchange for directions (this didn’t happen, of course). There are also smaller shops selling trinkets along the side streets. One place had a tiny wooden birdcage hanging from the opening, with a lone cicada inside it. You all know how I feel about bugs. However, I couldn’t help but feel sad and sorry for this little guy as he climbed up the side toward us, tiny front legs wiggling out through the spaces between the bars. Trapped inside the cage, he could sing forever but would never know true love.
Travelers’ tip: If you ever do feel lost in a tourist area, go to the shopkeepers. They will generally speak a little English. The level depends on how much trade they do with tourists. Of course, this doesn’t work in non-tourist areas and smaller cities and towns. In this case, seeking out a college student is your best bet; they’re more willing to try out their language skill. Again, level depends on practice and exposure.
The Yu Yuan is located through an archway and down a stone hall. Once you get on the other side of it, it’s truly beautiful. Lots of flowers an plants, goldfish in the water. There is a teahouse in the center, and you pass over the nine-directions bridge to get to it. The bridge is built In a zig-zag fashion so as to confuse the demons, who apparently can only move forward in straight lines. The garden was built by the Pang family, who were very rich officials during the Ming Dynasty. The garden was destroyed during the Opium Wars (1800s), rebuilt, destroyed again when the Tai Ping rebels attacked the French Concession, rebuilt, destroyed a third time when the imperial empire fell in1911, and rebuilt a third time more recently. China in general has had a truly tumultuous history. Most of ancient Chinese architecture across the country has been destroyed at one time or another by war. If visitors are looking for the truly old, they probably won’t find much. One must be content with what has been rebuilt, and in the case of the northeast where I’m living, what has been newly built that never existed in the first place.
Across the street from this area is Gu Cheng Park. This park is small and peaceful, and full of bamboo trees. It started to rain while I was there, so I ended up staying dry by sitting on some artfully placed rocks under some other trees. It was a peaceful place to sit, as there were lots of people doing the same thing. It amazed me how one person could be reading a book in the rain while sitting on a perfectly round rock. The rocks are near a Japanese restaurant overlooking a pretty little pool, and there is also a small temple that is closed to visitors. I ended up taking pictures of the outside of it. It intrigued me to have a closed space like this in the middle of a public park. I also managed a couple of pictures of the Japanese pool before some guy decided that I would be the perfect subject for his camera. I I quickly darted away.
I did have an umbrella with me, but I didn’t leave Claire’s with one. I was just standing on the street corner when these big, fat drops began to fall. Almost immediately, there was a guy standing next to me with a bunch of umbrellas. I bought one, and by the time I had it up he had completely disappeared. There was no place for him to hide and the streets all around me were completely empty. It was truly uncanny.
That night, Claire took me to dinner at a friend’s house. He’s an older man, a widower, with a passion for interestingly shaped colored rocks and huge carved roots. Claire translated for him as he told me about his hobby, which has grown over a number of years and has just about over taken his small apartment. Everything is either lodged in a display case or carefully wrapped and stored above the cases. I have to say that some of these rocks were really interesting and amazing. I’m thinking in particular of the carved-root tea table and the large, bird-shaped rock. I wished that I could speak more with him because he seemed an interesting man, but Claire was tapped out after the exchange and we went home shortly thereafter..
