Sherry's Hide-out: Memories of 19 July 2004 UTF-8






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Saturday, July 16, 2005

Memories of 19 July 2004

Wuxi + Shanghai

We had our breakfast from 7.00am onwards. As usual, it was a chinese buffet style breakfst. Porridge, Noodles etc. By 8.00am, we leave the hotel to proceed to "San Guo Cheng". At 9.00am, we reached "Three Kingdoms City". Upon entry, we were make known that the place was very big but they had trams to bring us round the place and of course, we had to pay for that. Given that choice to walk or go round the place by tram, of course, we chosen to take the tram.

[Three Kingdoms City]

Among the several movie-shooting bases located along Taihu, "Three Kingdoms City" is the largest and most well known one. Covering 35 hectares, the city was built in 1993, totally in Han dynasty style, to film the famous historical TV serial odyssey - The Romance of Three Kingdoms, which is one of the four most famous novels. The serial was a success and then the city became the most favorable location of historical films.

Then we went for the "Tai Hu Cruise". The ship was quite beautifully done up and from the ship, you can see the "Tai Hu". The cruise was about an hour long. We were allowed to take some photographs along the way. Saw the shooting area for "San Guo Yan Yi". There were pictures put up of the walls to show the shooting of the drama serial. We left "Three Kingdoms City" at about 10.30am.

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By 11.00am, we went to "Wu Xi Yu Quan Zhen Zhu Yang Zhi Chang", the pearl retailing center. The pearl center sold a lot of pearl prdoucts which included pearls necklace, pearls earrings, pearl like skin care products etc... They did aggressive selling which many of the group members could not stand it. So basically, they stood there and chit-chat and did not buy anythings. Mom bought some pearl necklaces which was not expensive. I think there were also a few others who bought some skin care products and some earrings.

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We had our lunch at 12.00pm in one of the hotel by the roadside. The road was uneven but the hotel looked quite grand. The food was okay but the toilet was flooded. At 1.00pm, we left for
"Zi Sa Bo Lan" which was actually known as "Red Earthen Art Studio Wuxi China". At here, we were introduced to the many different kinds of tea pots. However, only 1 person bought a set. Intitally, mom wanted to but then she changed her mind later. We bided farwell to "Xiao Mi" here and proceeded on to Shanghai.

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At about 3.00pm, we started our journey to Shanghai. It's about a 2 hours trip. As usual, we had to pick up the Shanghai local tour guide, Xiao Cai before we reached "Nanjing Road" at 5.00pm. We were given 1 and 1/2 hour to shop around "Nanjing Road". We bought some shirts cause we did not bring that many shirts along. We also bought some local products like sweets.

[Nanjing Road]

China's premier shopping street, 3.4-mile-long Nanjing Road, starts at the Bund in the east and ends in the west at the junction of Jingan Temple and Yan'an West Street. Today Nanjing Road is a must-see metropolitan destination attracting thousands of fashion-seeking shoppers from all over the world.

After the Opium War (1839-1842), Shanghai became a treaty port. Nanjing Road was first the British Concession, then the International Settlement. Importing large quantities of foreign goods, it became the earliest shopping street in Shanghai.

Over time, Nanjing Road has been restructured, undergoing significant change. For shopping convenience, its eastern end has an all-weather pedestrian arcade. Big traditional stores no longer dominate the market since modern shopping malls, specialty stores, theatres, and international hotels have mushroomed on both sides of the street.

Today over 600 businesses on Nanjing road offer countless famous brands, superior quality, and new fashions. KFC, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and other world-famous food vendors line both sides of the street. Upscale stores include Tiffany, Mont Blanc, and Dunhill. In addition, approximately a hundred traditional stores and specialty shops still provide choice silk goods, jade, embroidery, wool, and clocks.

Open-air bars, abstract sculptures, and lingering sounds from street musicians enhance evening strolls. A trackless sightseeing train provides a comfortable tour of the night-transformed pedestrian street. Flashing neon signs illuminate the magnificent buildings and spangle the night skyline of this lively city.


At 6.30pm, we met up and had dinner at a nearby restaurant on "Nanjing Road". The restaurant was very big and the food was not bad especially the "Xiao Long Bao". Following that, we went on the boat and had a cruise at "Huang Pu Jiang" at 8.00pm. The tickets were meant for the 8.00pm trip so we had to rush a bit cause the boat would not wait for us. There were many vehicles at the car park there, so we had to walked quite a distance to catch the boat.

[Huangpu River Cruise]

Huangpu River, the most important shipping artery of Shanghai, wriggles like an undulating muddy dragon from the mouth of the Yangtze River in Wusong to the East China Sea. The yellow and ice-free Huangpu River is 114 kilometers (71 miles) long, 400 meters wide and has an average depth of nine meters (30 feet).

Huangpu River joins 29 kilometers (18 miles) north of downtown Shanghai and divides Shanghai into two parts, east and west. Cruises are available everyday, including the shorter cruises (navigating the main waterfront area between the Yangpu Bridge and the Nanpu Bridge) and the complete cruises (meandering eastward along the golden waterway, over a distance of 60 kilometers or 37 miles). Whether it is in the daytime or at night, the views along the river are the same beautiful. The great modern skyscrapers and the characteristic buildings in different architectural styles are the best records of the development of the city and the Huangpu River, the birthplace of Shanghai, is the faithful eyewitness.

On the ship deck, one can see the colourful Shanghai beacuse of the "Neon Lights Sing Boards" which cannot be seen in Singapore. But you will also realised that the buildings at Shanghai are much nearer to each other compared to Singapore. It's quite crampled. It was so near that, maybe at this building, you can see what the other person in the other building is doing.

There were 2 storeys on the ship. First we went to the deck to take a look at the scenary view, then we went to the 1st floor where there were seats for you to sit and enjoy the sea breeze & the scenary. Finally, we went to the air-conditioned room with seats inside and chit-chat and take photographs. We all thought the programs for today had came to an end after the cruise, but everyone were shocked when we were told that we had another place to go. It's a long day. Following the cruise of about 1 and 1/2 hour, we went to "Shanghai Xin Tian Di". The happening place at night for the Shanghainese or I say for the foreigners in Shanghai.

[Shanghai Xin Tian Di]

Located in the center of Shanghai City south of Huaihai Zhong Lu, Shanghai Xin Tian Di has become an urban tourist attraction that holds the historical and cultural legacies of the city. Shanghai Xin Tian Di is a fashionable pedestrian street composed of Shikumen and modern architecture style.

Shanghai Xin Tian Di is unique because of its concept of construction. It retains the antique walls, tiles and exterior of the Shikumen housing of old Shanghai. On the other hand, its interior embodies a totally different world of international gallery, bars and cafes, boutiques or theme restaurants. When you walk into Xin Tian Di, you will get the taste both of Shanghai in the 1920's and the sonic modern lifestyle of urbanites of the 21st century.

The Shikumen Building appeared in the mid-1800's, and is a product of Chinese and Western architecture styles. In the early 1900's, it was the residential buildings of Shanghai citizens. The building represents modern Shanghai history and culture. However, with the development of the city, the formerly glorious Shikumen gradually faded out the historical stage as it could no longer satisfy people's demands of residence. Thus, the idea of rebuilding Shikumen buildings was launched by the developer of Shanghai Xin Tian Di in 1997.

As we all know, big cities or metropolises of the world all have their representative buildings which reflect the local history and culture, and which also become renowned tourists attractions. Shanghai Xin Tian Di was established with this phenomenon in mind. The result was to endow Shikumen building with new commercial value by changing its function of residence, changing old blocks into a new world full of life! Thus, not only the typical Shikumen architecture of Shanghai City was kept, but a block of commercial area was also developed by Shanghai Xin Tian Di.

Xin Tian Di is divided into two parts: the South Block and the North Block. The South Block mainly consists of modern architecture with Shikumen architecture as an accompaniment. Its North Block kept the old Shikumen architecture style, forming a contrast to the modern South Block.

South Block: As the complex of shopping, entertainment and leisure, the South Block covers 25,000 square meters (6.2 acres) and opened in the middle of 2002. This glass wall building has a very modern atmosphere. Besides restaurants from all over the world, boutiques, fashionable ornament shops, food courts, cinemas and one-stop fitness centers provide places of leisure and entertainment for customers and tourists from home and abroad.
North Block: Composed of antique Shikumen buildings with inner modern design, decoration and equipment, the North Block features upscale stores and restaurants with cuisine from different countries such as France, Brazil, America, Japan, Germany and Italy, fully revealing the international level of Shanghai Xin Tian Di.

Xingye Lu, the dividing line between two blocks, is the site of First Congress Hall of the Communist Party of China. The Shikumen buildings along two sides of the street have become the scenery embodying both the historical and artistic features of Shanghai. Xin Tian Di attracts the eyes of people from all over the world. Famous stars open their restaurants or shops in Xin Tian Di, which become good places for fans to communicate with their idols. Except for that, the fascinating cabaret and cellar dinning room of the French restaurant, the inspiring rock music played by the Japanese music restaurant and the folk performance of South America in the Brazilian restaurant leave people with great impressions.

Shanghai Xin Tian Di is where "yesterday and tomorrow meet in Shanghai today". It embodies the comfortable and convenient life of the 21st century, having all conveniences such as an automatic elevator, central air-conditioner and broadband network. Its boutique keeps in pace with international fashion. Also, the typical Shikumen buildings of old Shanghai seem to be telling people beautiful stories about the history and culture of the city.

Shanghai Xin Tian Di has become the best place for tourists to appreciate the history and modern life of the city, and is also a meeting place for local citizens and foreign visitors.


We had an hour or so free time, we walked around "Shanghai Xin Tian Di" for about 1/2 hour before we went to Starbucks for a drink with YingYing and her mother. At about 11.00pm, we gathered at the meeting point and others say they were at Mcdonald.

Finally at 11.30pm, we reached our the hotel where we were be staying for two nights, Jin Hui Hotel.

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My Thoughts:

It was a very long day today cause we went to many places like "Three Kingdoms City", "Tai Hu", Pearl Retailing Centre, Zi Sa Bo Lan, "NanJing Road, "Huang Pu River" and "Shanghai Xin Tian Di". Total of 7 places in all for a day. "Three Kingdoms City", the place where "San Guo Yan Yi" was filmed. But I did not see the show, so I don't actually have any ideas about it. "Three Kingdoms City"was a place full of history. There were a show on battle fighting going on, so we went to take a lot. My sis took a lot of pictures. It looked like real but I think it's quite tough for those people cause under the hot weather, they had to wear the knight suit. The tram ride was a good one cause we don't have to walk until crazy. Singaporeans were just "lazy", they wanted the most out of the trip and in the most lesiurely way.

Pearl Retailing Centre, we were shown how the pearls were taken out of the shell. They showed us the variety of skincare products, the pearl necklaces. The pearl necklaces were also quite nice. They gave us special price for it. As they did agressive selling, many were quite unhappy over it. But as it was an attraction, so had to stayed there for the time required before we can go off. Our troubles were finally over when the next group of people came in. Zi Sa Bo Lan, the place where teapots were made and sold. We were being shown many types of teapots and they gave us discount prices for the teapot set. The teapots were very nice but a pity because I don't drink tea, so no use buying the teapot. The teapots also very special but no use to me.

"NanJing Road", a shopping street in Shanghai which was like Guan Qian Jie but this was a longer shopping street. We went to Balenano to get some T-shirts cause they were on special offer and another main thing was that we did not had enough T-shirts for change. We went to the bookshop also but did not buy anythings. We just walked around and see the "NanJing Road" before we went for dinner.

"Huang Pu River Cruise", the third cruise we had since the first day. But "Huang Pu River Cruise" was a good one. We were able to see the special "Neon Light Sign Boards" which could not be found in Singapore and to think the signboards were in Chinese. The buildings were near to each other because of the prosperity in Shanghai over the years. After a long day, I thought I could go back to the hotel but there was one more point to go before we could go back to the hotel. What a torture!!!

"Shanghai Xin Tian Di, a happening place for the locals as well as outside people like tourists. It looked like our local Clarke Quay. There were many pubs, discos, cafes & restaurants around the place. We chose to go Starbucks again. I think I really liked Starbucks a lot cause no matter in Singapore, Hangzhou or Shanghai, I still went to Starbucks. Drinks were cheaper in China then in Shanghai, no doubt about that. Seeing where Shanghai people goes at night also broden up my view and its a monday night but there were still so many people around.

It's a tiring day today but I think by the time, we checked into the hotel and reached our room, I'm already not very tired. I listened to my Discman, charged my Handphone & camera, organized my things & photographs. Worrying about tomorrow cause it's a free and easy day but we will still have a guided tour for 1/2 morning. We shall see tomorrow how everything goes.

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