I visited most of Asian countries, but one big country was still missing in my portfolio - the biggest and one of the oldest Asian civilizations - China. I cannot even say why for so long I wasn't willing to go there and was choosing other Asian countries.
As this summer my daughter was turning two, which meant from now on we would need to pay full price of the ticket, it was the last opportunity to go to another continent without paying for her ticket. Since Marijn was already a few times in China and he agreed to return there, because he knew I very much wanted to go to China, I decided to plan this trip in a way to see places he hasn't seen so far. Which meant skipping Beijing. Which was fine for me - of course I wanted to see it very much, but China is so reach in touristic attractions that I could choose easily other amazing destinations. We decided then to focus on the central and southern part of China, therefore as a starting point we chose Shanghai.
Unfortunately the direct flights from Brussels were already quite pricey, therefore we decided to get there from Paris, which is very close to Brussels and the ticket with Thalys was included in the price. We chose the day flight, as I'm unable to sleep on planes and we thought it would be a bit easier for our girl. We were very lucky with the seats, because in our 3-people row one seat was free - which we used for Nina (officially she was supposed to sit on our laps, but it would be highly tiring on such a long flight).
We arrived to Shanghai at 7AM, which was 1AM in Europe. We started to feel very very tired and the customs procedures also took a bit of time. After we left the customs zone, Marijn immediately bought the Chinese sim card in order to have internet. It turned out to be an excellent idea. Even better idea was to download the DiDi app, which was a sort of Chinese Uber. It was super cheap and super efficient. And so we used DiDi in order to get to our hotel.
It was of course a difficult decision, where to book a hotel in Shanghai, as the city is so huge, but we chose a hotel called SSAW Boutique Hotel located near the Bund. We arrived to the hotel in the morning and well before the check-in time, but the staff was so nice that we were allowed to check-in and go to the room. We were so exhausted after the flight that we went immediately to bed and we slept all day...
We woke up in the early evening and we wanted to still see something on that day. The closest attraction was Bund, which is Shanghai's waterfront. Well, Bund was not only the closest attraction, but also the biggest attraction and one of the most recognizable symbols of Shanghai. At that time it was full of people! It was my first experience with crowds in China and the number of people was really overwhelming! We were trying to walk a bit, but at that time it wasn't easy. We just took a few photos of the spectacular skyline and then headed for a dinner. Via TripAdvisor we found an excellent restaurant "Lost Heaven" and it was a great choice! Located very close from Bund, it offered a typical cuisine of Yunnan region and the food was delicious!
The next day we realized it's an Asian summer. Which means monsoon. The rain was so incredibly heavy that it was impossible to leave the hotel. We then enjoyed our great Asian breakfast and spent the rest of the day on relaxing in the hotel. In the evening, when the rain was gone we went to the Bund - well, where else? :)
Since we "lost" already two days, on the third one we woke up early and we decided to use it as much as possible. The first site on our list was Yuyuan Garden. Located very close to our hotel, we walked there only 10 minutes. And although we started the sightseeing really early, it turned out not to be very early. The place was full of people! As it was still the very beginning of my Chinese adventure, I was getting used to the number of people very slowly :)
Yu Garden is believed to have been built in the Ming Dynasty, more than 400 years ago. It wasn't very big, but because it was divided in many parts, it seemed to be a bit bigger than it really was. As a typical classical garden, it had pavilions, halls, rockeries and ponds. And a lot of plants! It was really exquisite!
After the Yu Garden, we went to the Bund, to see it in the daylight. At that time and with this heat, the Bund was completely empty. The heat was indeed unbearable, I knew it would be hot in summer in China, but to be honest I did not expect such a hotness.. I didn't expect either to meet a former colleague of mine! He currently lives in Beijing, so ok, also China, however he hasn't been to Shanghai in two years and let's be honest - Shanghai is a huge city, so probability of meeting a friend is rather small... :)
We then took Didi and went to another place on our list - Jade Buddha Temple. Surrounded by huge blocks, the temple seemed to be an oasis in the middle of the concrete desert. The temple was built in 1882 in order to keep two Buddha statues brought to China from Burma by a monk called Huigen. In the meantime the temple was destroyed, but subsequently rebuilt in 1928 and most importantly the two statues were saved. It was a great place to rest, interestingly it was also relatively empty with a very few tourists visiting the temple.
Next place on our list was the former French Concession. Once we arrived there, I had impression we are in Europe. Completely different architecture from what we've seen so far in Shanghai with buildings and villas built in the European style at the beginning of the 20th century. It was the largest and most prosperous French concession in China and in the 1920s it was the best and richest residential area in Shanghai. We had a short walk and did some shopping in the nearby galleries.
Following day we spent in Suzhou, but before we went there, I had a very early walk in the Old Town and a very quick visit in the Yuyuan Garden - just to take a few photos without people. Streets were (nearly) empty, I was enjoying the beautiful architecture of the Yuyuan Bazaar and the rest of the Old Town. This part of the city completely differs from the rest of Shanghai and it's one of its most picturesque areas with many well preserved buildings in traditional Chinese style. It was once a residential district, today it's a lively market with hundreds of shops selling jewelries, silk, antiques, arts, crafts, souvenirs and local snacks.
On the way back to the hotel I noticed several groups either doing Tai-Chi or doing exercises with fans.
On the last day of our stay in Shanghai, just before taking the train to Xian, we still managed to visit the Longhua temple - the oldest and largest temple in Shanghai. Its construction dates to 242 AD, when King Sun Quan ordered to built 13 pagodas, which could house the Sharira relics (cremated remains of Buddha). One of the 13 pagodas belongs to the Longhua temple complex. Some time later the temple was destroyed by the war and since then rebuilt in the 10th century during the reign of the Song dynasty. The complex comprises several halls in which the three treasure of the temple - Dazang sutras, the gold seals and the Buddhist statues - can be found. In front of the Longhua Temple stands the seven-storied, 40.4 meters high Longhua Pagoda.
Unfortunately the direct flights from Brussels were already quite pricey, therefore we decided to get there from Paris, which is very close to Brussels and the ticket with Thalys was included in the price. We chose the day flight, as I'm unable to sleep on planes and we thought it would be a bit easier for our girl. We were very lucky with the seats, because in our 3-people row one seat was free - which we used for Nina (officially she was supposed to sit on our laps, but it would be highly tiring on such a long flight).
We arrived to Shanghai at 7AM, which was 1AM in Europe. We started to feel very very tired and the customs procedures also took a bit of time. After we left the customs zone, Marijn immediately bought the Chinese sim card in order to have internet. It turned out to be an excellent idea. Even better idea was to download the DiDi app, which was a sort of Chinese Uber. It was super cheap and super efficient. And so we used DiDi in order to get to our hotel.
It was of course a difficult decision, where to book a hotel in Shanghai, as the city is so huge, but we chose a hotel called SSAW Boutique Hotel located near the Bund. We arrived to the hotel in the morning and well before the check-in time, but the staff was so nice that we were allowed to check-in and go to the room. We were so exhausted after the flight that we went immediately to bed and we slept all day...
We woke up in the early evening and we wanted to still see something on that day. The closest attraction was Bund, which is Shanghai's waterfront. Well, Bund was not only the closest attraction, but also the biggest attraction and one of the most recognizable symbols of Shanghai. At that time it was full of people! It was my first experience with crowds in China and the number of people was really overwhelming! We were trying to walk a bit, but at that time it wasn't easy. We just took a few photos of the spectacular skyline and then headed for a dinner. Via TripAdvisor we found an excellent restaurant "Lost Heaven" and it was a great choice! Located very close from Bund, it offered a typical cuisine of Yunnan region and the food was delicious!
The next day we realized it's an Asian summer. Which means monsoon. The rain was so incredibly heavy that it was impossible to leave the hotel. We then enjoyed our great Asian breakfast and spent the rest of the day on relaxing in the hotel. In the evening, when the rain was gone we went to the Bund - well, where else? :)
Since we "lost" already two days, on the third one we woke up early and we decided to use it as much as possible. The first site on our list was Yuyuan Garden. Located very close to our hotel, we walked there only 10 minutes. And although we started the sightseeing really early, it turned out not to be very early. The place was full of people! As it was still the very beginning of my Chinese adventure, I was getting used to the number of people very slowly :)
Yu Garden is believed to have been built in the Ming Dynasty, more than 400 years ago. It wasn't very big, but because it was divided in many parts, it seemed to be a bit bigger than it really was. As a typical classical garden, it had pavilions, halls, rockeries and ponds. And a lot of plants! It was really exquisite!
After the Yu Garden, we went to the Bund, to see it in the daylight. At that time and with this heat, the Bund was completely empty. The heat was indeed unbearable, I knew it would be hot in summer in China, but to be honest I did not expect such a hotness.. I didn't expect either to meet a former colleague of mine! He currently lives in Beijing, so ok, also China, however he hasn't been to Shanghai in two years and let's be honest - Shanghai is a huge city, so probability of meeting a friend is rather small... :)
We then took Didi and went to another place on our list - Jade Buddha Temple. Surrounded by huge blocks, the temple seemed to be an oasis in the middle of the concrete desert. The temple was built in 1882 in order to keep two Buddha statues brought to China from Burma by a monk called Huigen. In the meantime the temple was destroyed, but subsequently rebuilt in 1928 and most importantly the two statues were saved. It was a great place to rest, interestingly it was also relatively empty with a very few tourists visiting the temple.
Next place on our list was the former French Concession. Once we arrived there, I had impression we are in Europe. Completely different architecture from what we've seen so far in Shanghai with buildings and villas built in the European style at the beginning of the 20th century. It was the largest and most prosperous French concession in China and in the 1920s it was the best and richest residential area in Shanghai. We had a short walk and did some shopping in the nearby galleries.
Following day we spent in Suzhou, but before we went there, I had a very early walk in the Old Town and a very quick visit in the Yuyuan Garden - just to take a few photos without people. Streets were (nearly) empty, I was enjoying the beautiful architecture of the Yuyuan Bazaar and the rest of the Old Town. This part of the city completely differs from the rest of Shanghai and it's one of its most picturesque areas with many well preserved buildings in traditional Chinese style. It was once a residential district, today it's a lively market with hundreds of shops selling jewelries, silk, antiques, arts, crafts, souvenirs and local snacks.
On the way back to the hotel I noticed several groups either doing Tai-Chi or doing exercises with fans.
On the last day of our stay in Shanghai, just before taking the train to Xian, we still managed to visit the Longhua temple - the oldest and largest temple in Shanghai. Its construction dates to 242 AD, when King Sun Quan ordered to built 13 pagodas, which could house the Sharira relics (cremated remains of Buddha). One of the 13 pagodas belongs to the Longhua temple complex. Some time later the temple was destroyed by the war and since then rebuilt in the 10th century during the reign of the Song dynasty. The complex comprises several halls in which the three treasure of the temple - Dazang sutras, the gold seals and the Buddhist statues - can be found. In front of the Longhua Temple stands the seven-storied, 40.4 meters high Longhua Pagoda.
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