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New Shanghai!
Several parts of town are undergoing urban renewal, with older buildings either being restored or torn down and replaced
with modern buildings in the old style. These neighborhoods have lots of trendy restaurants and shops.
| Shanghai "urban renewal" |
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| A part of town where buildings have been restored, becoming trendy! |
Most of the new construction, however, is taking place on the other side of the river. This area is called the Pudong, and
is filled with skyscrapers and businesses. The tall tower to the left of center in the picture below is Pearl Tower, the local
television tower and a source of pride because of its height. On a clear day, you can see all of Shanghai from the top of
this tower.
| The Pudong |
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| as seen from the Bundt of Shanghai |
While in Shanghai, we took a day trip to Souzhou, where we visted Tiger Mountain park after buying pearls at a pearl wholesale
market.
| Tina and Taylor among the many potted flowers! |
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| Tiger Mountain |
| Entrance to the Forbdden City |
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| Note the large painting of Mao Tse Tung, one of the few you will see these days |
| Summer Palace |
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| as viewed from the lake tour boat |
| The Summer Palace |
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| The Dowager Empress's marble boat |
| As you can see, this wall is STEEP |
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| It isn't easy climbing the wall! |
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We started out in Shangahi and stayed at the Portman Ritz-Carlton Hotel, a hotel we knew well from the days when we lived
in Beijing!
| Here we are in a Shanghai Street on March 21, 2002 |
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| Peggy and her girls, Tina and Taylor, Charlie, Carol and Peace; Steve took the photograph |
| Shanghai is a fairly westernized city |
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| Can you spot the fast food influences? |
Perhaps the best museum in China for antiquities, this is the Shanghai Museum!
| The Shanghai Museum |
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We finished our trip with a stay at the Holiday Inn, Lido in Beijing, the hotel complex where we had lived for two years
(1996-8).
In Beijing, we did the typical tourist things: Forbidden City and TianAnMen Square, Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall,
and the Summer Palace...
| one of many buildings inside the Forbidden City |
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| This is the one you see most often in films |
| TianAnMen Square, viewed from Forbidden City |
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| In the background you see the monument around which the demonstrations in the 80s were held. |
| The Temple of Heaven |
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| the most famous of the three main buildings in the temple complex |
| Chalrle and Peace at the great Wall |
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This is only a small selection of Steve Miller's photographs, There are literally hundreds of them, to say nothing of
the equally large number Charlie and Carol took!
I hope, however, that these few give you a taste of spring in China!
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Yu Yuan Gardens is perhaps the best tourist sight in Shanghai. Surrounded on all approaches by street markets and antique
stores (where most of what is sold is NOT antique), Yu Yuan is a Ming dynasty home and a small temple which was moved to this
site to protect them. The tea house is a popular place to entertain VIPs!
| Teahouse at YuYuan |
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| Charlie, Peace and Carol on the bridge |
| Inside YuYuan |
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| A collection of buildings surrounded by gardens and dragon-topped walls |
Then we went to Xian, home of the terra cotta warriors
| 6000 terra cotta warriors and horses |
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But there is more to see in Xian besides the terra cotta warriors, no matter how famous they may be. After all, Xian was the
first capitol of China and is loaded with all sorts of historic sites!
Only a few are: the baths outside of town where Chang Kai Shek was captured by government troops while fleeing the Japanese,
the massive city walls, the beautiful Drum and Bell Towers, a spectacular mosque and its gardens, and many temples and parks.
| Baths and palace |
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| Xi'an city wall, moat and gate |
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| Bell Tower |
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| Drum Tower |
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| Building in the mosque garden |
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| Xi'an city center |
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