ChinaTeacher

For months I have been planning to check out Shanghai’s Urban Planning Museum – I’m glad I finally got a chance this past weekend!   I decided to give Shanghai another chance.  I haven’t really liked Shanghai because I find it all too much, after just a few hours: too many cars, too much concrete, too many people and hardly any green space.  So, I took the Express Bullet Train into Shanghai (1.5 hrs) for a couple of days of shopping, exploring and dining.  

Once again I stayed at the 24K International Hotel on Fuzhou Lu, centrally located and well worth the bargained down price of 240 RMB per night!  Despite old rooms with filthy carpets and walls, the new furniture, bathroom fixtures and linens make it worth the price, and the location!  Just remember to pack your slippers!

Shanghai’s Urban Planning Museum tells the story of Shanghai’s evolution with a great collection of old photos and exhibits.  But, the highlight is the massive scale model that spans an entire floor.  It shows how Shanghai will look in 2020, the biggest of its kind in the world!  The model features exact replicas of Shanghai’s buildings and neighbourhoods (check out the photo!).  Another floor features a 360-degree movie screen where one can enjoy a virtual ‘flight’ over the city’s main sights.  You can sail on the Huangpu River, drive along Century Avenue in Pudong, or fly high in the sky to enjoy a bird’s eye view of the city.  Most enjoyable!  Your experience continues right through to the exit of the museum – As you head for the building’s exit, you must pass through ‘historical Shanghai’, an area of restaurants and retail outlets created in the style of 1930’s Shanghai before arriving at the subway.  A very creative way to purchase your souvenirs.  I’m very glad I finally found time to visit the Urban Planning Museum.

For breakfast on Saturday, I sought out a restaurant by the name of Bohemia.  Highly recommended, I found it quite easily on the internet, but it took a lot of time and savvy to actually find it in person!  I have to say that I enjoyed my best breakfast since arriving in China 3 ½ years ago!  The scrambled eggs were creamy and full of flavour, and the bacon was thick, lean and crispy, not greasy.  Sauteed herbed mushrooms, broiled tomatoes and toasted country-style bread completed the meal – yummy! 

Bohemia is located just off Taikang Lu.  The Taikang Lu area is a group of old alley ways and original buildings that have been cleaned up and recently opened to the public.  How to get there:  Take Metro Line 1 to Shaanxi Rd. Station.  Exit onto Huai Hai Rd. and head east for one and a half blocks to Ruijin Rd.  Take a right on Ruijin Rd, and then head south to Taikang Rd (about 15 minutes).   Enter Lane 248 or 210 and you will find yourself in a veritable maze of old alleyways and courtyards featuring locally-owned boutiques, cafes and art galleries.  You can spend hours there.  I promise you won’t be disappointed!   

On several trips I have attempted to find the Old China Hand Reading Room, without success.  But this time, I got lucky.  Someone showed me roughly where I could find 27 Shao Xing Road – It doesn’t appear on any of the maps I have.  Luckily for me, it’s just minutes from Bohemia on Taikang Lu!  Located in the old French Concession area, it is a charming coffee/teahouse, resembling an old library, with hundreds of old and new, Chinese and Western, obscure and popular books and magazines on its shelves.  Customers get to relax in Qing Dynasty armchairs in front of antique tables by the windows, while browsing and sipping coffee or tea in a quiet cozy environment.  A food menu is also available.  Most important however is the relaxing and quiet atmosphere of this place.  It’s easy for one to forget you are in Shanghai!  

Now, whenever I visit Shanghai, I no longer have to go running for the train station when I’ve had enough of the frenetic pace.  I have two new areas to visit in the French Concession whenever I feel the need to ‘chill out’: Taikang Lu and Shao Xing Lu in Shanghai’s French Concession!  Check out my photos – there’s a PHOTO link to the right of your screen.