Our visit to the Garden of Peace over we meandered our way back through the street vendors to the coach with the prices dropping with every step! We very soon discovered that the best prices are to be had as you step on to the bus or are even seated with the vendor squawking at you through the window!!
The morning continued with a visit to the iconic financial centre and skyline of Shanghai the Bund adjacent to the Huangpu River ("Yellow Bank River" is 70 miles long) and the last significant tributary of the Yangtze before the East China Sea) but first let me give you a wider introduction to Shanghai. For those of you that want more depth thenvisit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population of the People's Republic of China and according to Wikipedia the largest city proper by population in the world. The city is a province in its own right with a total population of over 23 million (2010). It is a truly global city, with influence in commerce, culture, finance, media, fashion, technology, and transport and the busiest container port in the world.
Located in the Yangtze River Delta in eastern China, Shanghai sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River in the middle portion of the Chinese coast. Once a fishing and textiles town, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to European recognition of its favourable port location and economic potential. The city was one of several opened to foreign trade following the British victory over China in the first opium war and the subsequent 1842 Treaty of Nanking that allowed the establishment of the Shanghai International Settlement. The city then flourished as a centre of commerce between east and west, and became the undisputed financial hub of the Asia Pacific in the 1930s. With the Communist Party takeover of the mainland in 1949, the city's international influence declined but were revived in the 1990s by the economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping (The much respected President of China for 1982 – 1987 and credited with the opening up of China) resulted in an intense re-development of the city as a major centre of finance and foreign investment and the "showpiece" of the booming economy of China.
The Bund contains a rich collection of early 20th-century architecture, ranging in style from neoclassical HSBC Building to the art deco Sassoon House. The Bunds revitalization began in 1986 with a new promenade by the Dutch Architect Paulus Snoeren and which we had the pleasure of walking along today in the sunshine although sadly the iconic skyline was still shrouded in mist. The Pudong district has a wide range of skyscrapers, many of which rank among the tallest in the world. The most prominent examples include the ShanghaiWorld Financial Centre, which at 492 metres tall is the tallest skyscraper in China and ranks third in the world. The distinctive Oriental Pearl Tower, at 468 metres, is located nearby, and its lower sphere is now available for housing and the Shanghai Tower, due for completion in 2014 (See the tower cranes on the left of the photo) will be the tallest building in China with a height of 632 metres (2074 feet) and 127 floors!
Having enjoyed the promenade along the Bund we made our way back down to the highway below passing huge lengths of colourful walls of flowers for a much needed lunch and beer!
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