Reaching for the sky in Shanghai

Our second day in Shanghai starts at the Shanghai Museum. The building was constructed in 1993 and takes as its design idea the Chinese belief that the sky is round and the earth is square.

The exhibition primarily shows how early the Chinese developed a high culture. The exhibits, some of which are over 5,000 years old, are very impressive. There is a German audio guide that provides a brief explanation of the exhibits and helps to understand the connections.

Of course, there is also a large section for ceramics. It explains how Chinese porcelain was created. The kilns are particularly impressive, as porcelain requires a very high firing temperature.

There was only one point of criticism at the museum, and that was the temperature. The air conditioning was set to about 16 degrees. Therefore, even in warm outdoor temperatures, it is advisable to bring a jacket.

After visiting the museum, we went to the Bund. There, we not only admired the skyline in daylight but also visited one of the buildings constructed in the 1920s and 1930s on the Puxi side of the Bund.

The Peace Hotel is accessible to everyone. It was built in the 1920s by Victor Sassoon. As the richest man in Shanghai, he demanded that no one should build a higher building than him. In the hotel, he hosted wild parties with international stars, such as Marlene Dietrich. He especially liked to surround himself with beautiful women.

We then went to the Pudong side to visit the Shanghai Tower, the second tallest building in the world at 632 meters. It boasts the world's highest observation deck at 561 meters. The elevator only takes a little over 60 seconds to reach the 121st floor. From the top, you have a great panoramic view of Shanghai.

We then visited the Xiantandi district, where old Chinese houses have been restored and converted into shops, restaurants, and cafes. There are only three other areas in Shanghai with these old houses. The others have been converted into luxury apartments.

The two-story houses were originally designed for one family. However, at the start of World War II, many Chinese people fled from the Japanese, especially after the Nanjing Massacre in 1937, to the foreign concessions in Shanghai. There they were safe from the Japanese, but had to live together in a small space. Therefore, up to 50 people lived in these houses. 20,000 Jews also fled from Germany to Shanghai to seek safety there.

One of the houses is now a museum that shows how the houses were furnished as single-family homes.

In the afternoon, we strolled through the streets of the French Concession and marveled at a huge luxury shopping mall with stores that exclusively sold luxury goods like Chanel, Gucci, etc. These stores had no price tags. Due to high luxury taxes, the already high prices in China are even more expensive. However, there are apparently enough wealthy Chinese people in Shanghai to sustain this luxury mall.

Our trip to China was almost over. In the evening, we attended the Shanghai Circus' Acrobatic Show. Highly recommended, although it was mostly visited by foreign tourist groups. The performers were world-class, and every act was truly sensational.

Two weeks in China are now behind us. It was a very impressive journey. As independent tourists, we made the right decision to book a guide and driver for each city. Booking directly in China is affordable.

It paid off to book only international 5-star hotels. The prices were not more expensive than a 3-star hotel here (if booked correctly), and considering what we saw in other hotels and especially the hygiene in China, I would recommend it anytime. China is still a relatively inexpensive travel destination where you can afford to have a first-class vacation with a driver, guide, and 5-star hotels on a relatively small budget. Our trip was definitely cheaper than all the organized tours we saw from travel agencies.

The friendliness of the people was particularly impressive. The highlight of the trip was the Impressions of Westlake Show. The best hotel and overall highly recommended was the Intercontinental Ruijin in Shanghai.