Shanghai, Sanya and Shenzhen

On Saturday, Jan. 18th, we left for the first leg of our 3 week tour of points south.  We were hopeful that the weather would be much warmer than it has been in Jinan and that we could spend time in our swimming suits.  First stop was Shanghai.  We were definitely not able to swim at this location.  It was socked in, (combination of fog and smog), and it was colder than it was in Jinan.  We bundled up to go out.

First stop was the Bund or a promenade type walking area on the south side of the river.   There was a lot of river traffic; sightseeing boats, barges hauling coal, etc.  Across the river are all the major skyscrapers of Shanghai.  Normally it would be a stunning view, but that day it was a bit pathetic.  However, it was amazing standing there and thinking that we were in China, and in the center of the most populated city in the world.  Shanghai's population is somewhere near 25 million.

These flowers were growing near the Bund.  Even though it was quite cold, these warmed us up. 

You can see that the Shanghai skyline from the Bund, was shrouded in fog/smog.  Even then it is still amazing.

These buildings are across the street from the Bund.  They are definitely European in design.

This is what the skyline should look like.

Another view.

 This is a famous market not too far from the bund.  It caters to foreigners but there are many locals there as well.

Another stop was the Shanghai museum.  This is a very nice facility with many Chinese artifacts.  There were exhibitions of coins, ceramics, copper works, jade, furniture, calligraphy, Chinese art, minority clothing and seals.  Many dated from before 3000 BC!

Although it was smoggy, our tour guide felt the air was clear enough to ascend the Pearl Tower.  We could not see really well, but it still was impressive to be up that high and see the tall buildings.

We went to another observation deck where there were glass panels in the floor so you could see straight down.  It was difficult to walk out on those panels even though they are stronger than steel.  It was an uneasy feeling!  After about 10 minutes, we gathered in a very interesting museum housed in the bottom of the tower that explained in detail the history and development of Shanghai.  It was like a feature at Epcot center.  There were wax figures depicting street scenes and you felt like you walking in "Old Shanghai". 

 

Later that day we flew to Sanya, the tropical China.  After a night's rest, actually it was difficult to sleep with all the outside noise - honking, night markets, etc., we went for an hour bus ride to Monkey Island.  We stood in a long line for the gondola ride and then we were surrounded by monkeys!  They were all around us, swinging in trees, chattering on top of signs and posing for pictures!  The babies were so cute!  We attended two monkey shows….one with monkeys on bicycles, a mountain goat that balanced on a pipe with a monkey on his back that did a handstand!  The later show was more comical as the trainer was trying to get the monkeys to perform and they would steal his hat, not do what he said, try to “hit” him, etc.  The best part was the monkey who dunked a basketball!  We left the island via a short boat ride after a not memorable Chinese lunch buffet!

We then spent about an hour on a beautiful beach in front of an abandoned resort.  We had the place to ourselves.  We watched the waves and looked at the fishing boats in the distance.  Many dipped their feet and half of their body into the water. 

 

 

These fishing boat were interesting in that they

 were rigged to fish at night.

We took a short nap and went with the rest of the Jinan BYU Teachers to Dolphin Sports Bar and Grill restaurant for dinner.  We met a church member whom Wayne home teaches, normally via Skype.  She only moved to Sanya on Friday to oversee a construction project for Shangri-La Hotels.  She is the only LDS member on the island of 8 million people and we enjoyed getting to know her.  Plus it was wonderful western food and we all raved about what we ordered.  Stan had BBQ ribs and Nancy had chicken fajitas plus blueberry cheesecake for dessert.  Stacy was our waitress and was extra attentive and spoke excellent English.  We wished we could tip her, but that is not Chinese culture.

 

 Following dinner we strolled along the river observing the junk fishing boats, trees lit up with led lights, people doing choreographed dancing, bridges lit up with flashing pictures of horses, birds, butterflies, etc. and many people out in the alleys and streets.  It was almost ten pm and the open air night market was still a buzz of activity where people were selling jewelry, crafts, purses, clothes, fruits and snack foods.  Does this town ever sleep?

 

Another day we visited Tianya-Haijiao, a romantic scenic area.  Many Chinese couples honeymoon here.  An emperor believed it was the end of the earth.  "The Rocks of Sun and Moon  are two boulders near hundreds of other uniquely shaped rocks. Here the "Sun" refers to "husband" and the "Moon" refers to "wife". Looking from the distance, they resemble a couple entwined to each other, but they are in fact separate rocks." (Wikipedia).   It was beautiful and the weather was perfect.  We strolled along the beach and just enjoyed the setting. 

 

 

After a flight from Sanya, we arrived in Shenzhen, a 35 year old city and the most modern in China.  We toured the "Splendid China Folk Culture Village".  It is patterned after the Polynesian Culture Center in Hawaii that the LDS Church developed 50 years ago.  There are miniature replicas of famous sights in China: the Great Wall, Tibetan Palace, Three Gorges Scenic area, etc.  Plus there are individual villages of various minority Chinese people with displays of their artwork and culture.  We watched a demonstration of cutting a coconut, a game with a spinning top, and a horse "war" show that reminded us of a Genghis Khan setting.  The most spectacular event was the evening show which was a mini version of the opening ceremony for the 2008 Olympics held in China.  There were fireworks, drums, dancers, acrobats and beautiful costumes.  They had a cast of at least 75 performers. 

 

 

"Splendid China" exhibits

Night Show