Shanghai is everything you’ve heard. It’s cosmopolitan, bustling, and crowded. It’s tall, beautiful, modern buildings and jam-packed city streets.

It is modern China. We only had a day and a half to explore and we could have spent a lot more time here.

Our evening cruise on the Huangpu River was a great introduction to the Shanghai skyline. At 6:00 every evening the buildings along the river light up at a cost of $400,000 each day. The Oriental Pearl Tower, the one with pink spheres is the central focus. Built in 1994, it is said to be the tallest TV tower in Asia at 1535 feet. The World Financial Tower, which looks like a bottle opener and the Jinmao Tower are other landmarks.

During the cruise we were again asked to have our photo taken with many Chinese. We couldn’t communicate beyond a smile, but we all had a great time.

Our second day in Shanghai started back along the waterfront to see the skyline during the day. The strolled along the Bund, which is the riverside promenade that draws thousands of tourists every day. In addition to watching the ships stream up the river, we also stopped to see the Bund bull, which is a reprisal of the Wall Street bull by the same artist, Arturo diModica.

This version, however, is said to be younger, stronger, and “redder” for the Chinese setting.

After our walk along the Bund, we headed to the Old City bazaar. We hadn’t had many opportunities to do real shopping in China and today was the day. We were turned loose for several hours to search for treasures. We bought a few gifts, a knockoff purse, and a stuffed panda toy for Mia our poodle. The bazaar was built with upturned eaves and lattice windows in the Ming style. While it had the feel of old China, it was actually built in the 1990s. In the bazaar there are two Starbucks and a McDonalds amid the souvenir shops.

Shanghai is known for producing world-renowned acrobats. We were lucky to be able to attend a show at the Shanghai Circus World. The production included juggling, contortionism, trick bike riding, and high flying acrobatics. When the show started we were exhausted and thought about skipping out and returning to the hotel to rest. It was a good thing we didn’t. ERA: Intersection in Time was spectacular, rivaling the best Cirque du Soleil show.

Our wake up call the next morning came super early as we caught a morning flight to Xi’an for the next phase of our Chinese journey.

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After busy three days in Beijing we flew to Shanghai and immediately drove two hours to the beautiful city of Suzhou to begin our swing through three historic cities. While we hadn’t heard of these places before our trip, we learned that they are UNESCO World Heritage sites, and each are home to millions of people.

Actually, this part of the trip was as much about the propaganda shopping as it was about the sightseeing, but we knew this was part of the bargain when we signed up for this tour through Groupon.

Our theory is that these bus tours are underwritten by the Chinese government. It was pretty inexpensive, and the low price is subsidized with stops at “factories” where we are given a presentation about a traditional Chinese product (jade, silk, tea, pearls, etc.) and then offered deals that are really not deals at all. Many in our group spent a lot of money but we didn’t buy a thing. Still, the presentations were interesting and helped us understand a little more about this mysterious place.

In addition to our factory tours we visited some interesting places. In Suzhou we loved the beautiful Lingering Gardens.  The private estate is now a tourist attraction and shows off the opulence of old China.

After a 90 minute drive went arrived in Wuxi, the home of the Lingshan Grand Buddha. This large park honors Buddhism’s history in China and contains some beautiful art and artifacts.

In Hangzhou we went to a theme park based on the 900 year old Song Dynasty. It was pretty wild to mingle with thousands of Chinese, who were enjoying shows, games, and attractions that didn’t make any sense to us. The main attraction was “The Romance Show of Songcheng.” Through dance, acrobats, and theatrical effects we learned about the history and legends of Hangzhou.

After three days, we headed back to Shanghai.

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Our final day in Beijing was punctuated by two stops. First we visited a large Traditional Chinese Medicine pharmacy. This was another of the “opportunities” to buy Chinese products but with an interesting sales angle. Each of us in the group met with a Chinese Medicine doctor (with a translator). The doctor checked our pulse on both wrists at the same time, asked our age, and looked at our tongue. From there a diagnosis was made. Both of us had imbalances in our liver and kidneys.

The doctor also told me that it appeared I would be menopausal soon. (Duh!) Following the diagnosis, a prescription was offered. While we are sure there is legitimacy in the approaches of Traditional Chinese Medicine, we were not persuaded to buy, though others in our group did.

Following our visit to the pharmacy we walked a few blocks to the Forbidden City. It’s China’s largest and best-preserved collection of ancient buildings and the largest palace complex in the world. It was off-limits for 500 years, serving as home and protection for Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

In the Forbidden City, the emperor reviewed his armies, passed judgment on prisoners, and oversaw the flogging of troublesome ministers. Ceremonial structures, elaborate gardens, and an opera house are hidden behind the palace walls. This is one of the top tourist attractions in Beijing and the crowds of Chinese tourists proved this to be true.

After exploring the Forbidden City we had lunch at a typical Chinese restaurant. We are now old pros at eating with our tour mates and passing the food and beer around using the spinning table. We are a group of 25 Americans from all across the US, so there is always someone to get to know.

After lunch we headed to the airport for an evening flight to Shanghai. It’s been really cold in Beijing, with highs in the 30s. We are looking forward to warmer temps further south. The two hour flight to Shanghai was on a big (3-3-3) plane and took two hours. Upon arrival, we drove another 90 minutes to the city of Suzhou, where we spent the night. As you can imagine, we were all exhausted and ready to hit the sack as soon as we got in. Another full and fun n day in China!

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