As our time in Northern China comes to a close and we prepare ourselves for the next leg of our journey, I recognize a note of bittersweetness in my reflections. There is a lot to love and a lot to find fault with here. Our whirlwind tour of the place has only allowed for a fragmented view of this country but I'm happy for the experience of it, as it is so different than anything else we have done or have yet to do. Our understanding of things is only just beginning and now we are leaving--but thus is the nature of travel, especially on our route.
After visiting the terra cotta warriors and wandering the narrow passageways of the old Muslim Quarter in Xi'an, Shanghai is a thrilling place to end our stay. The skyscrapers, the streets of seemingly endless shopping malls, the mix of old, colonial Europe and new China, is an exemplary juxtaposition of history and modernity that is a source of pride of many Chinese living here. Of all the old port cities, Shanghai is certainly an impressive model of China's industriousness and fast-paced development. It has all the comforts of the US and manages to house at least five million more people than any large metropolis in the States. Huge apartment complexes are going up all over the place and most buildings are over forty stories tall, creating somewhat of a cluttered landscape not unlike the canopy of a rain forest where all the tallest points are racing towards the heavens, dwarfing their neighbors in an attempt to absorb the glory of being the fastest vertical climber.
This will have to be a short entry as it is late here and I have laundry to attend to in my hotel room sink, but I will spend some more time reflecting and get back to you soon with further impressions of this bizarre and bewitching place.
photos: Epiphany, Jane, and Rachel, in our cabin on one of our many-hour train rides, the waterfront in downtown Shanghai, a pond at a temple of Chinese folk religion, and walking at dusk in Wutaishan.
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