Shanghai Part 2: The Hai Life

Although I was only in Shanghai 5 days, I've already decided that I will most definitely be heading back for another trip at some point. I only have great things to say about the city! But, it was so big that I feel as though I merely scratched the surface of what it had to offer. 

One of my absolute highlights was my last full day in Shanghai, where we lived what I like to call 'the hai life'.

My day began with a lovely little gift given to me by a girl called Donna who was staying in my hostel dorm room. Sometimes Chinese people get a bit of a reputation as being stand-offish or rude but for the most part, I can say that they don't adhere to this stereotype. Case in point would be the girls I met in my dorm room. Once we got to understanding that I couldn't actually speak Chinese, we exchanged attempted conversation in broken Chinese and English. Despite knowing we couldn't really communicate, Donna and her friend (who didn't have an English name), were determined to get my WeChat details before we all departed from Shanghai. On my last morning in the hostel, Donna approached my bunk just as I woke up to tell me that she'd been to a local snack shop and bought me some treats to share with my friends. It was the best way to wake up!

 (Donna, what a babe!)

Having ticked off experiencing some culture off my Shanghai to do list, the only thing left to do was see Shanghai from above. I was determined to head up at least one of the crazy tall skyscrapers. I wasn't particularly fussed about which one, it just had to be one of them.

 (Spoilt for choice with the Shanghai Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center and Jin Mao Tower)

After a bit of um-ing and ah-ing, we decided we were happy to pay the pricey entrance fee to get up to the observation deck of the Oriental Pearl Tower. However, when we were hit with the news that the queue to get in was two hours long, we were suddenly less keen.

Some of us had read that there was a bar as part of the Grand Hyatt Hotel which was at the top of Jin Mao Tower. It seemed like a good deal to try get to the bar and bypass any kind of entrance fee. I'd actually done a very similar thing when I was in Tokyo in the summer. So for anyone looking to see big cities from a height, I recommend hunting down your closest Hyatt chain hotel and heading to the bar for a great view and a drink.

The interior of Jin Mao Tower was absolutely insane. You could look directly down the centre of the tower from 87 floors up. I'm not really that afraid of heights but even I had to admit that looking down made me quite nervous. See here for the full effect. 

 

We had to go through a bit of a maze to get to Cloud 9 bar on the top floor. There was a minimum spend at the bar and the cocktails were pricey but I still contend that it was completely worth it. We got there just before sunset so it was pretty amazing to watch the sun go down on Shanghai and see all the city lights come up one by one. With a strong long island ice tea in my hand and some great company, it was a great way to spend my final evening in Shanghai!

(Oriental Pearl Tower light show)

I had an early flight back to Tianjin to catch the following morning, but it didn't stop me partying just one more time with everyone and staying up until silly o'clock. That night, we headed to Kartel rooftop bar which was pretty nice from what I remember. They had a free flow beer wristband deal which was, in hindsight, perhaps not the best decision I could have made considering my early flight. In the end, I headed to the airport with Tom running on just an hours sleep and getting on the plane genuinely felt like a hallucination. Needless to say, I got some well earned rest when I got back to Tianjin, ready to start my 6 back-to-back lessons day of teaching the following day. Still, I had absolutely no regrets - I had a blast!

Day trip to Hangzhou

I didn't know much about Hangzhou before going, but apparently, it's well known in China as home to some of the country's most beautiful women. I was excited to get out of the hustle and bustle of Shanghai for a day and visit some of the beautiful scenes I’d seen plastered all over Google during my research of things to do there.
The previous day, we'd spent about an hour collecting the train tickets to save time collecting them on the morning. This was definitely a good decision to make. Upon arrival, the station was overwhelmingly huge and filled with herds of people (see above). Annoyingly, I'd accidently booked a standing ticket. But, I was grateful that the journey was relatively short though - only an hour and a half away from Shanghai.

(Brollies out)

(A 'view' of the West Lake) 

We were a little disappointed by Hangzhou because the weather was so awful. Everything was covered in mist including one of Hangzhou's most well known attractions - the West Lake. We arrived and couldn't see much at all. I had to hand it to Chinese tourists though. Despite the awful weather and the fact you couldn't see anything, there were still lots of tourists around.

We didn't let the rain dampen our spirits though. Determined to make the best out of a bad situation, Charlotte, Sam and Elijah thought it'd be amusing to go to one of those costume photography places. For 40RMB (about £4), you were able to choose from a wardrobe of traditional Chinese dress and have your photo taken and printed as a souvenir. It was really hilarious to see Charlotte dressed up as a pink princess, whilst Elijah and Sam went for the Chinese warrior look complete with sword and staff.

(Blue Steel, eat your heart out!)

(Historically accurate footwear from the boys)

I found it even more hilarious when crowds of Chinese tourists began to encircle them during the photo shoot, taking photos of their own. Charlotte, Sam and Elijah because tourist attractions themselves!

Hangzhou is also famous for it's many historical buildings. Later, we ventured towards the Qinghefang Old Street to visit some of the nearby museums. The street was a good place to kill some time. There were lots of souvenir stalls and places to try out some of the local snacks. It took a little circling around before we actually tracked down the Hangzhou Chinese Medical Museum, a place full of interesting smells. We also took a trip to the Drum Tower, and I made friends with one of the guards at the entrance...

(Drum Tower) 

 (Making friends in Hangzhou)

After this, we took a random turn and headed uphill. We did a little climbing and came across a few temples which has a good view point of Hangzhou from the top. It was still misty so looking at the view required a little imagination to really take in the beautiful views.

Although we didn't really do a great deal, we did actually have a nice day out. This was clearly the case when as we waited for our trains back to Hangzhou and Elijah got more than comfortable with the floor. Our little trip really tuckered him out... 

All in all, I think I've already decided that I'll have to visit Hangzhou again when the weather is a little less unpredictable so I can really appreciate how beautiful the place can be. Until then Hangzhou!

Shanghai Part 1: Shanghai Shenanigans

At the beginning of October, we were given a week off from work to celebrate Golden Week. We were warned by former ELAs that plane or train tickets could sell out pretty quickly because every man and his dog travels during national holidays. Luckily, the people I had made friends with during training camp were on the ball with booking flights and hostels in advance before things sold out or got too expensive.

I was looking forward to a little break from teaching and to seeing all my friends to catch up and let off a little steam. In search of recommendations of must see things, I told a few of my students that I would be headed to Shanghai.

“Teacher, it’ll be very busy! Busier than Beijing!” they warned. And they were not wrong.

Perhaps I was lulled into a false sense of security when I got to Tianjin airport. I was pleasantly surprised at how empty the airport was. Although this was technically my first experience of it, I think I can safely say that travelling during any national holiday in China is crazy. Herds of people pile themselves onto subway carriages. People queue in front of tourist attractions for hours.

Of course, we adopted the ‘when on holiday’ mentality and found ourselves doing just those things…

(The Bund)

First things first, no trip to Shanghai would have been complete without a visit to the Bund and a cheeky photo in front of Shanghai’s iconic skyline. The trouble was the thousands of tourists with the same idea, making a photo without the corner of some random person’s head sneaking its way in nearly impossible. This was about as close as I got:

(Still clearly loving life though)

One of my favourite parts of our city break was the visit to the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre. Located in the basement of what looks like a block of housing flats, it is a place easy to overlook. But if you’re a bit of a history buff or are just looking for a way to get a snapshot of how influential Mao was though, the propaganda museum is a must see.

(Room B-OC, President Apartment, 868 Huashan Lu)

The museum took me right back to my GCSE history days. It reminded me of when you were given a propaganda poster and asked to analyse the imagery for meaning, relating it to contemporary historical events. I can’t say I have any background in Chinese history, but it’s something I’m looking to discover more about whilst I’m here for the year. The original propaganda posters were really striking. It was intriguing to see how the styles changed over the years, as well as how the Chinese perceived huge historical events in the western world like the 1960s social movements in America. It's not really an aspect you really consider when you think about China, so well worth checking it out if you're into history. 

(Taking sneaky photos of some of the posters)

Continuing our exploration of the cultural aspects Shanghai had to offer, one night we ended up at a bar called JZ Club playing live jazz. It was great to see some live music! The main composer (the pianist of the ensemble) was a bit of an oddball. Between each song, he'd attempt to charm the audience by explaining his creative influences when it came to composing. Strangely enough, he admitted that one jaunty number was inspired by a Christian prayer. So there you have it folks, Christian jazz is apparently a thing!

The lead saxophonist also looked suspiciously like Ai Wei Wei, or even a long lost son of his. Was Ai Weiwei really in the UK promoting his latest exhibit at the Royal Academy? We had a sneaking suspicion that this was not the case. Clearly, he moonlighted as an underground jazz saxophonist...

(Ai Weiwei taking centre stage at JZ Club)

I was also really pleased to see some art in Shanghai too. As many of my friends know, one of my favourite things to do is to visit art galleries – the Saatchi Gallery being one of my favourite places ever. We took a taxi to the m50 Art District on Moganshan Road and explored the many warehouse spaces there.

The work on show ranged from some pretty abstract pieces, the kind that you step back and wonder if it really is 'art'. Others were right up my street in terms of the type of art I like looking at. Some of my favourites, below.

(Continuous Movement collection by Song Xi) 

(#Selfie as part of the Noir Blanc exhibition at the Island6 Studio, home of the Liudao Art Collective)

For a 5 day city break, we managed to fit in a fair bit of cultural sightseeing. I can't help but feel like I merely scratched the surface though and I can imagine I'll definitely head back to Shanghai again at some point to explore even more.

Tianjin: First Impressions

Although it's already been over two months since I moved to China, my first impressions of Tianjin were pretty spot on and my opinions of this city have changed very little since my full first weekend here.

The morning we all departed from Beijing, I was incredibly glad that the train journey was only 40 minutes long. It meant that I would arrive in Tianjin by lunch time and have some time to adjust. I could even fit in some time to unpack - no more living out of a suitcase!

I was met at the train station by my 'mentor' Irwin, quickly ushered into a car and driven to the school I would be teaching and living at for the next year. I had a fair bit of contact with Irwin via email so it was nice to finally put a name to the face. One thing that he told me the first time we met was that Tianjin was well known for being a very "liveable city", and so far, I've found Irwin's words to ring true.

Unlike Beijing, Tianjin is far less intense as a city. It has a good city buzz without being overwhelming. One of the things that was most noticeable on the drive to the school was that there was less traffic, and a little less horn honking. Although this sounds like a minor issue, being driven around in China seriously feels like a life-threatening experience, but more on that another time.

One of the most distinctive things about Tianjin is its strange blend of Europeaness and Chineseness. During my first full weekend, I was determined not to let any form of homesickness get to me. The only way to ward it off was to keep myself busy, so I met up with Tom to explore Tianjin's Italian Style Town.

Truth be told, the place didn't seem very Italian, but it certainly had a European vibe. The streets are lined with European restaurants with  a range of cuisines - French, German and Italian, you name it. You can even buy Venetian masks in some of the souvenir shops. Essentially, places like the Italian Style Town exemplify the feeling of east meets west I feel in Tianjin. It feels quite trippy sometimes to think you're walking around in a European city, but knowing you're in China.

Tom and I walked along the river too. Tianjin all lit up at night is truly beautiful. There was something really comforting in it and I remember thinking in my tired, overwhelmed and borderline homesick state that living here would be A-okay.

In some ways, Tianjin kind of reminds me of London. The Haihe River runs through the middle of the city, much like the River Thames. There are lots of bridges, each with their own character and style. There's even the Tianjin Eye (Tianjin's version of the London eye) not too far from my school. 

The photo above is the view I get from the bridge I have to cross to get to my closest subway station. I'm always quite bowled over by how pretty it looks on a clear day or at sunset.

I try to make an effort to explore new areas of the city and try new places to eat. Sometimes it feels as though I've already exhausted the best that Tianjin has to offer, but every so often, I find myself pleasantly surprised. The one thing I need to keep in mind whilst I'm here is that Tianjin is a pretty big city and I hope that as I get better at speaking Chinese, I'll be able to make the most of what this city has to offer. 

More on my adventures in Tianjin so far to come!

Farewell Beijing

So things got a little messy the night we ended up at Adam’s and Vics. But, we still had one more day of sightseeing in Beijing to get through before heading to our respective cities. The day began with a visit to Beijing’s National Museum - which was huge. It was probably a good thing that we could just wander each exhibit in our own time because most of us felt quite fragile from lack of sleep. It wasn’t really anything to rave about, but nice to find out a little bit about China’s history and see some antique artefacts. Later we went to the Temple of Heaven but admittedly, I wasn't feeling up for exploring the grounds. The lack of sleep was starting to kick in, unhelped by the hot weather.

Arriving back at the hotel accommodation, we were given schedules for times we were expected to depart on coaches the following morning to catch trains to our cities. Most of us weren't too pleased by the 6am departure times but I suppose being able to say goodbye to the majority of the gang at the train station all at once was a plus.

We'd decided to have one last night together visiting some of the famous hutongs (alleyways) in Beijing and having a quiet drink. It was nice to browse some of the shops for some souvenirs. I'd even treated myself to a clip-in hair flower accessory to keep up with the latest Chinese fashion trends (more on this in later posts).

We had a bit of a nightmare hailing taxis to take us back to the accommodation. Drivers would either refuse because they insisted we were on the wrong side of the road or because they had absolutely no idea where it was. The concept of a queue is also pretty much non-existent in China too, so we'd often get close to flagging a taxi down before some other random people jumped in before us. It was frustrating to say the least that our 'quiet final night out' ended with us getting back later than intended having spent an hour trying to get taxis.

Still, I look back on the time in Beijing really fondly. Even now, two months into living in China, Mentougou training camp and the people I spent those intense first two weeks with hold a special place in my memory. I even miss it a little from time to time. It really was a great way to start this China experience. Instead of ending this post on a bum note, here's a photo of one of the leaving cards I received from students during the training camp. I think it summarises my time in Beijing well, and set the tone for what I was about to embark on as I moved onto Tianjin:

Cheers Shirley! Who doesn't love being told they have a childlike innocent heart and sweet smile?

Becoming a hero

“You’re not a hero until you’ve climbed the Great Wall”, so the famous saying goes.

It was yet another early start the day we embarked on an adventure to conquer the Great Wall. I am happy to say that, as according to the saying, I indeed became a hero! I can now check off ‘Climb the Great Wall of China’ off my bucket list, huzzah! I guess I didn’t really go in with too many expectations, but here were some surprises:

1. It should probably be renamed the Great Wall(s) of China
   It’s a common misconception that the Great Wall of China is just one long stretch of wall, but in fact, it’s split up and you can climb different sections of the wall. When we were dropped off by our coach, tour guide Dave said we had a couple of hours to climb to the top and meet back at the car park to move on to the next tourist attraction he had scheduled. To my surprise, there were two different parts of the wall to choose from. Dave pointed out that the section to the left was incredibly steep and would probably take a long time to climb to the peak and regrettably (although not that much), I chose the ‘easier’ side. It was a bit of a blue pill/ red pill choice. It’s not to say it wasn’t tiring, but part of me wishes I took on the challenge of the harder to climb wall. On the other hand, the side I did choose had varyingly steep steps which made the descent back to the car park especially nerve-racking. The last thing I wanted was to have said I got to the top of the wall, but also broke my leg on the way down (although that would have been a good one to tell the kids one day), so I can’t imagine how terrifying it must have been to walk back down on the other side. Don’t fret though! You’ll be happy to know I made it down in one piece.
2. Cats live on the Great Wall. 
   Half way up our climb, we were drawn in by a sweet little ginger cat completely content with life. Needless to say, this cat was a true hero. Here’s a photo of Fraser looking the happiest I’ve ever seen him in the company of the Great Wall cat:
   
   
   
3. You can also get ice cream on the Great Wall
   There are obviously some clever Chinese people out there looking to make the most of the thousands of tourists who visit the Great Wall every day. I for one really appreciated the fact that I could stop off for some shade and enjoy a little ice cream break. Kudos ice cream sellers!

It really was a great feeling getting to the top of the Wall and getting a panoramic shot of China. By this point, it hadn’t really felt like I was really in China yet. The first few days were such a blur. Things happened so quickly and I was half asleep most of the time fighting against jet lag. We were then whisked away into the middle of the mountains and lived isolated from the proper world. Not being able to leave the school campus made it feel like we were living in a bubble. But finally, this was it. The real China!

I was really grateful for the beautifully clear skies that day, a rarity in somewhere like China as I would soon learn. We of course had a mini photoshoot when we reached the top. We all needed proof that we had conquered the Great Wall of China to show everyone back home. Here’s me living up to my ‘Super Asian’ persona, peace sign and all. 

I managed to get a really sweet photo of the gang with my Instax. This photo now sits nicely in the middle of my photo collage above my desk as a reminder of the great people I’ve met since being in China and how grateful I feel to have shared my first few weeks in China with them having an absolute ball.

(Excuse the chipped nail varnish…)

Next up on the list on the first official day of sightseeing was the Summer Palace. 

It was a bit of a shame that our schedule was so jam packed that we couldn’t spend more time exploring the Summer Palace. We were given a short tour and speeches about the history of the palace before being given a little time to wander around for ourselves. We took a stroll down the seemingly never-ending Long Corridor, admiring some of the original painted decorations along the inside. Given more time, I would have liked to have gone inside the Incense Tower (pictured above). I’m sure the Summer Palace is the kind of place you could spend an entire day at and still not have explored all of its corners. This can only mean one thing – must go back and visit properly!

Still, my day was made by this one particular woman who had her selfie game on point. Forget your selfie sticks, this woman came with her own tripod and a sassy 'I don't need no man' attitude. 

 Good on you gurl!

That night, we decided to experience some Beijing night life. It was lucky that I had a good friend who had been living and working in Beijing for a few months already. Andrew actually very sweetly came to visit me on the day I flew into Beijing. I remember feeling so jet lagged that actually seeing him for the first time in ages felt like a dream. He recommended we check out what Sanlitun, a district in Beijing popular for bars and expat clubs, had to offer.

Our confidence was still on a high since being able to successful order food using limited Chinese, so we jumped in cabs and uttered the words ‘Sanlitun’, hoping that the taxi driver would know where we meant. Success! 

We ended up at a LGBT friendly bar called Adam’s, drawn in by the bold rainbow flags that hung either side of the bar sign. The board outside indicated we missed out on the 'Buy one get one free before 8pm' cocktail deal, but we managed to convince the owner to extend the offer for just one hour longer.

The cocktails weren't too bad. I stuck with what I knew (mojitos and the like) but Sam's inclination to order something a little different didn't go down too well. When in Beijing, it would only be fitting to order a cocktail called a Beijing Romance, right? Well, word of advice for anyone thinking of making the same mistake - that cocktail is far from romantic and you should steer well clear.

We'd also ended up in what I would describe as China's answer to Oceana, or Pryzm as I think it's now been rebranded as. I can't say it's really my scene, but the night was hilarious for many reasons. Charlotte provided endless laughs and it was great to finally let off some steam after what was an intense introduction to life in China. Perhaps though, our decision to have such a late night wouldn't bode too well the next day when day two of official sightseeing kicked off... 

Exploring Beijing: Part II

With training camp completed, we were given a few days in Beijing to do some sightseeing before departing to our respective cities as fully fledged English teachers. We were all packed up, ready to leave the mountains by 9am and arrived at the hotel complex of Beijing’s Capital Normal University later that morning. We didn’t want to waste any time in Beijing so a group of us decided to take a trip to Beijing Zoo.

We braved navigating the Beijing subway – not unlike the London Tube network - and found the Zoo with little difficulty. It was a pretty warm day, but fun to see all the animals. Of course, we bee lined for the Pandas (when in China and all that) and became well acquainted with the monkeys, bears and elephants. I’d decided to truly embrace the zoo experience and be incredibly Asian by buying some giraffe ears. This has since earnt me the nickname ‘Super Asian’. For anyone who knows me well, this nickname is for all intents and purposes highly ironic.

(Photo credit to Daisy and Charlotte)

We’d purchased combo tickets which gave us entry to the panda enclosure and a boat ride up a river. There was also a speedboat ride you could go on for about 25RMB (£2.50), which I decided to skip because we were already due a boat ride. But this was the wrong decision to make. It was –the worst- boat ride I’d ever been on. Packed onto a little boat like sardines, the heat was intense. There was nothing to see along the route, no soothing sea breeze to cool us down from the hot weather. Things got sweaty. Throughout the whole journey, I couldn’t think of anything but how much I wanted to get off. For some in the group, it was technically the first boat ride they’d ever been on and I couldn’t help but feel terribly sorry for them having to endure what we did as a first time experience. Onwards though! I guess it was a good job I had my giraffe ears to lighten my mood.

That night, we also decided to skip the buffet dinner food provided by our accommodation. By this point, we had buffet style food coming out of our ears so decided to venture to a local food street for a more authentic feeling Chinese dinner. Unlike western eating traditions, Chinese people order or make several dishes which everyone around the table share amongst themselves. So if you’re a ‘JOEY DOESN’T SHARE FOOD’ type of person, China may not be for you.  

The pictures on the menu helped, but with my limited Chinese, I was able to decipher what type of meat each dish contained and order everyone a bowl of rice (Dad, I know you must be proud). We’d actually ended up with a pretty decent range of food and fell in love with a spicy stir fried asparagus dish. Full stomachs all round, we were pretty pleased with ourselves for being able to successfully order our first Chinese meal! 

Exploring Beijing: Part I

So teaching at the English camp was intense for the most part, but we were treated to a day off one Sunday and taken to a temple older than Beijing city itself AND, wait for it... a supermarket! I cannot stress enough how happy a mere trip to the supermarket made us. It truly was a treat considering we'd been isolated in the mountains, training day in, day out. We were warned in no uncertain terms not to leave campus as there was a river nearby which would lead to certain death if we fell in. Needless to say, I didn't fancy my chances.

Tanzhe Temple 

CEAIE organised a little excursion for us to visit one of the oldest temples in Beijing. Tanzhe Temple is over 1,700 years old and is said to have been established before Beijing was known as a city.

Abuzz with tourists and locals, we were let loose to explore the temple grounds. Some of its main attractions included an emperor and empress tree over 1000 years old, a big bronze pot used by monks to cook with and a beautiful golden prayer wheel we decided to get involved with.

Of course, no cultural excursion would be complete without creating unforgettable memories. For us, the trip to Tanzhe Temple was made unforgettable by walking through a stone gate (pictured below) and embarking on what can only be described as the path with no end...



Dave, our English speaking tour guide, made no mention of this never-ending mountain climb during his speech about the unmissable attractions at the temple. Perhaps this should have been our first clue not to embark upon this journey. The walk began with a gentle stroll, but soon became a steep upward struggle up a mountain. I have to admit - I am in no way, shape or form a sporty person. It seemed we walked forever under the belief that the end must be close by. We were mistaken.

There was a local Chinese man who appeared to blitz his way up the pathway, stopping at particular intervals to scream at the top of his lungs in a monkey-like/ Tarzan manner. It was pretty hilarious to begin with, but eventually his screams became quieter and quieter. This meant only one thing - we must have a long way to go. We wondered whether we'd make it up alive. 'It can't be much further', we told ourselves. We were determined...ish.

(Sam taking a photo of the best view we could find)
It didn't take long for us all to agree none of us quite had it in us to try and get to the top. I guess the only good thing is that we managed to see a nice panoramic shot of a nearby town. The descent back to the main temple site was made with the overarching feeling that we'd wasted our time and energy, but at least my legs got a bit of a work out. I considered it a form of training for The Great Wall of China, which we'd tackle a few days later.

The coach ride to the supermarket was a sleepy one, but admittedly, our excitement at the prospect of browsing food aisles could not be contained. To give more context, the meals we ate during teacher training left much to be desired. We ate three square meals a day, served buffet style and catered to "western" ideas of what Chinese food should be. It was hard to pick out many differences between meals (noodles for breakfast, anyone?), so I can't emphasise enough how good it was to be able to buy snacks to break the monotony of our food eating routine. Hooray for Oreos and crisps! I also snuck some sweets in to my shopping basket to give out as prizes to my class in the last few days of teaching. Clearly, I was vying for teacher of the year already!

When it was time to head back to camp, our timing and luck could not be worse. We left the shopping mall and were met with what can only be described as an actual tsunami. Dave said we had to leave immediately, otherwise the roads back through the mountains could become too dangerous to drive through. We had no choice but to make a run for it to the coach.

As we ran, sheets of rain soaked us completely. Puddles became rivers but we waded on through. It was a soggy journey home. My converse went from white to an interesting shade of yellow-y beige. Needless to say, our first day off was pretty memorable.

(Rocking the drowned rat look, thanks Chinese rain storm!)