My first visit to Shanghai in 2014 was rather brief with just a week of stay there. I was working in Bangkok at the time and the business trip ended too soon before I could make the best use of the time. However my second trip in September the same year was rather long and I got a good opportunity to explore the city and neighboring places.
I enjoyed the short flight to Shanghai from Bangkok, with small naps, watching random movies, and enjoying the in-flight service. The immigration process was long with the unfriendly officers looking like they had been trained not to smile at people. I recollect that my Project Manager, who belonged to a country in South Asia, being taken apart from the queues and thoroughly inspected including opening up his whole luggage. This did cause some initial discomfort to our group and left us gloomy imagining even worse to happen in the days ahead.
Touch down Shanghai!
We were picked up from the airport by a van arranged by the office. The trip to the hotel was not a short one. I remember looking out of the window and seeing long highways, covered at a few places to shield the noise from pouring out into the thriving neighborhood around with tall multi-storied apartments. After spending about an hour in the van we checked into the Sheraton Shanghai Hotel, our place of stay for the next two weeks.
It was already dark by the time we checked in. After freshening up we went for a stroll to explore the neighborhood. Our main mission that evening was to find a ‘halal’ hotel as my project manager had been fasting for Ramadan at that time. We chanced upon a restaurant run by a Chinese Muslim, who was an extremely jovial fellow. We had our supper that evening at his place and this continued in the coming days. Needless to say, the communication was the hardest part as neither of us knew each other’s language. But we managed every day with hand gestures and our disarming smiles!
Exploring Chinese cuisines
Growing up in India where the formula for making Chinese food has been all about adding tomato sauce, soy sauce, and Ajinomoto aplenty, tasting the real Chinese food was a shock. I remember that the first impression was definitely not good. The food appeared to be bland but I soon began to appreciate the subtleties of Chinese cuisines.
One memorable dinner was the one at ‘Lost Heaven’ with its variety of Yunnan cuisine and friendly ambiance. We spent a couple of hours enjoying the food, sipping beer, and engaging in friendly debates till late evening before calling it a day.
The daily lunch at the office canteen was also mostly Chinese and a mix of continental dishes which we soon got used to. Our regular dinner at the Muslim shop tasted different from the rest of the Chinese cuisine but I’m guilty of not exploring this further. I also happened to taste a few ‘exotic’ dishes such as the toad curry during one of our dinners.
The Bund: Witnessing Past and Future
Evenings after a long workday were typically spent at The Bund. Here we took in the magnificent skyline proudly proclaiming the growth story of Shanghai set against the Huangpu River. The crowd there made us feel alive and we could get glimpses of the fast-paced life of the city dwellers.
On the other side of the road stood the majestic buildings that remind the viewer of the colonial past of this old city. The neo-classical architecture of namely the HSBC building, Sasson house, and The Custom House is a treat to watch, especially when lighted up in the evenings.
Considered together, the buildings on either side of The Bund represent the past and future of this fast-developing city with the river constantly reminding one of the flow – of the present!
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Mahesh MS 