Wei? Wei?

Wei? is how most Chinese-speaking people answer their cell phones. Or that is the assumption I made after a week in Shanghai.

Still more great photos from Sunday April 25. Walking from Fuxing Park, Dad and I made our way to the old Communist Party HQ building.

One of the many raised highway overpasses. These intersections are so busy that the only way to safely cross as a pedestrian is to walk up the stairs and use an overpass bridge.

HQ Building. We tried to get in and go through an unlocked side entrance, but all that was discovered was a nice hallway, a door to a bathroom, and a disgruntled guard who didn't have to speak English to let us know we weren't welcome inside.

So we took a cab over to the Oriental Pearl Tower, which looks exactly like that. Nice shot of my pops too.

Same height?

Nope. This is taken from the 100th floor observation deck of the building on the right of the former picture, the Shanghai World Financial Center.

The Pearl Tower is really bright at night!

"The Bund" is a super-tourist destination, as the ornate French architected buildings cater to high-end diners and shoppers. There is a river-walk of sorts jam packed with walkers constantly. It is also a nice view.

The building with the bright yellow light on top and the big ball (to the left of the big cone) is the hotel Dad and I stayed in. I didn't bring my zoom lens... but I didn't bring my smog/light pollution filter either.

******

Monday April 26

I set out to get a taste of how Chinese cater to visitors' demand for "authentic" or "traditional" Chinese services. I don't know why, but I never tried massages, nor did I explore the apothecary-style herbal medicine shops. This, now, is a regret I'll have to overcome! What I did try?

Yes. In that many steps, I got tea.

Being young, female and an approachable loner, I inevitably attracted the companionship of a septuagenerian wife out shopping on her husband's business trip. We sat for a long time, I helped her order, and learned about the tax economy of T-shirt trading with China. An item isn't taxed if there is no value-adding contribution from Chinese laborers. So to source from China is cheaper than to sell to China, or that is what I learned in the course of a 2 hour conversation with a freelance teacher.

The Yu'yuan Garden shopping mecca of consumerism. The tea house I had just been to was in the pagoda in the middle of the moat/pond pictured. The bridge to the tea house was designed zig-zag style according to the feng shui belief that bad ju-ju will get lost on a crooked path to the pagoda.

Most interesting shopping center I've ever been to.

The Yu'yuan Garden entrance.

Neat doorway.

*****