24 Hours in Shanghai

posted May 2007

I arrived back from Shanghai just 1 and ½ hours before I was to be onstage, having departed Hong Kong early the previous morning, after only 3 hours sleep. But this trip was totally worth the exertion.

It was a double-missioned pilgrimage. After hearing so much about this 'futuristic' city, I was intrigued to go and see if I could be inspired by its ambience (think Tokyo Skies). Plus friends from the US wrote me and said they'd be up there for a couple weeks and was there any chance I could meet them?

I arrived at in the city at noon, and met up with my friends at the hotel. We really packed a lot of sightseeing into our only day together, punctuating our meanderings along the river with celebratory pauses in opulent cafes, restaurants, (sometimes just to admire), tea houses (to revive), then finally, Jean George, a very exquisite restaurant, for a very late and utterly memorable dinner.

In Shanghai, I was equally enamored by the Old (the Bund in particular) as I was of the phenomenally impressive New. It seems to me that Shanghai is China's very ostentatious calling card.

As you may know, in the latter 19th and early 20th century the Bund became the financial and political center of the international community. It was China's Wall Street, as Shanghai's financial market became the third largest in the world (behind London and New York). Nearby were located a number of important consulates, including the British, American, Russian and Japanese.

The 24 major buildings of refined character comprising the Bund along approximately 1.5 kilometers of Zhongshan Lu and the Huangpu River, have changed little externally since the 1930s. All were constructed in western-inspired styles - classical, Gothic, renaissance, eclectic and modern - a reported seventeen styles of architecture. The Bund has been called a 'museum of international architecture'.

The collective nature of the interior design in all the new establishments is a cutting-edge, incredibly innovative east/west fusion (or explosion!); designed to thrill. The glamorous central part of the city just reeks of opulence, reminiscent of New York during certain periods.

The faces of the people on the street intrigued me. I noticed numerous Mongolian-shaped leathery faces etched with character. I wished I could draw decently to record them. And there is a different energy there than in Hong Kong that suddenly seems so homogenised, so organised, so polished. (Of course there are numerous practical advantages to living in a sophisticated city with such a supreme infrastructure.)

I imagined I sensed urgency amongst the people, a striving to be all that is modern and excellent, merged with a provincial simplicity and warmth. Surprisingly, I saw couples openly show affection for each other on the street. I don't see that often here. Perhaps the most disturbing human predicament I've witnessed first hand in a long time in my rather sheltered existence was the relentless behavior of the street beggars, particularly along the Bund. It is awfully confronting to step out of an elegant restaurant in the early hours and to be chased for 3 blocks by (professional?) beggars and their children.

Thankfully, my friends were not staying at the Grand Hyatt (seen one, seen 'em all - even if Shanghai's Hyatt stretches up to the 88th floor of the formidably elegant Jinmao Tower - presently the world's fifth tallest skyscraper!). They had booked, also for me, Astor House, a rather funky establishment with old world charm at the end of the Bund opposite the Russian Consulate. Albert Einstein had stayed there. His is the only name I can remember, but there were countless other (in)famous guests during the roaring opium-infused 20's. My room featured dark wood paneling, a fireplace and a very charming little wooden bed with curved edges and a beautiful golden silk overlay. The lighting was dim, the ancient floorboards in the hallway creaked dramatically and perhaps one of the most memorable aspects of my stay there was realising that three of the hotel staff were actually sleeping behind the reception desk when we returned to the hotel at 3am. It was somewhat endearing but also odd to liaise with the receptionist in her sweet white nightie, propped up on her bed of chairs pushed together. Perhaps that image sort of epitomises Shanghai in its infancy as it grows up, during this incarnation to be one of the world's leading cities…they'll do what it takes to get there.

I was woken by a phone call the following morning - Rita, a friend of a friend was on her way to meet me and show me around Shanghai for a few more hours before I flew out. We met in the Lobby and I was immediately struck by her tanned and character-filled face plus her innate warmth.

At my request, we wandered around the back streets of central Shanghai where I took many photos; even got 'stoned' by an illegal fruit dealer who objected to being recorded on film. I saw many scenes that reminded me of the heart of Tokyo. Many of these charming but reportedly derelict buildings with washing hanging outside their windows will soon be torn down, so I'm glad I experienced this soulful part of urban Shanghai life, where children play in the bicycle-lined streets under dark straggly power lines, just blocks from the grandeur of the Bund.

My guide Rita, diminutive in size only, speaks English like a native and I truly enjoyed her intelligent, witty company.

I really do feel like such a lucky so & so, experiencing all that, and I was reminded of the importance of traveling and being spontaneous. Perhaps I should make a fleeting visit to Beijing whilst up this way?