Entry Seven: Welcome to Shanghai

We had the most turbulence of the entire trip on the way the Shanghai. It was certainly a rocky ride, but we made it here safely. The students did great. This experience will allow them to be able to fly anywhere they want to, nationally and internationally.

 

Our new tour guide is James, who grew up in a small town near Shanghai and migrated here. The choir will perform their second concert here Tuesday night. The first concert in Beijing went very well. Claflin looked and sounded marvelous on that stage. The concert was well attended and the reception was more that gracious. The Chinese especially liked when the choir sang a Chinese song, and Salsaeo drew a thunderous applause as well. Dr. Larry Wyatt did a great job directing the mass choir.

 

Shanghai is like New York to the third power. Seriously. There are skyscrapers upon skyscrapers upon skyscrapers. The city is very modern. Like Julia said earlier, it’s the future of China.

 

All of the hotels we’ve stayed in are nice, but this one is very modern and gorgeous. The students are very happy about that.

 

Shanghai has little history in comparison to Beijing and Xi’an, being just 200 years old. Beijing is the political center of China, and Shanghai is the economic center. People come to Shanghai to make a living. There’s every business you can name and people everywhere. Shanghai has twice as many people as Beijing, more than 15 million. The streets are crowded with people. The roads are stacked on top of one another. Hugh skyscrapers housing apartments line the streets. The city is bursting at the seams, and continuing to grow.

 

Because the people here are more exposed, the pointing and staring has lessened. We are still the center of attraction though. We visited the silk factory on Monday and learned how the Chinese make their precious silk. The Chinese discovered silk worms by chance 5,000 years ago. It has become one of their signature products. We saw the cocoons and how the silk is spun. We also saw how they make silk bedding.

 

We also visited Nanjing Road, a pedestrian shopping area some in our group likened to 125th Street in New York. The street was lined with department stores. The students have become accustomed to peddlers and vendors, who approach us each time we exit the tour bus either asking for money or trying to sell something. They are also getting a lesson in bargaining, as many Chinese vendors give foreigners the highest price, then bargain with us to make the sale. I tell you, some of the students are pros at this.

 

After seeing an amazing performance by the Chinese Acrobats, we returned to the hotel to prepare for our last day. The students will perform at the Oriental Art Center on Tuesday night. We leave for home Wednesday morning. 

 

By the way, the official tree of Shanghai is the Magnolia tree.

 

- Charlene Slaughter

 

More pics from the Silk Factory…

Nanjing Road…