SHANGHAI 6 YEARS LATER

After leaving Wuhan, we headed to Shanghai for a quick 1 day business trip. I had been looking forward to this trip for weeks. It had been 6 years since I first visited the city (and fell in love with it).

When we visited 2006, I felt we were visiting a city in 2050. The city was filled with so many new, modern buildings. The architecture was incredible. We also loved the city because it had so much history. We immediately felt the impact of the opium trade, when the British and the French occupied parts of the city. In the French Concession area, you felt like you were in a little Parisian neighborhood. And when we visited the Bund, which is famous for its colonial architecture, you truly felt like you were in London. There were even red phone booths on the corners of each street! The city was filled with so much character.

On my way to Shanghai this time, I had heard from so many people how much the city had changed since I had been there. And it was true... It had changed.

Shanghai is becoming very westernized, thick with western brands. I even spotted a Cold Stone Creamery and a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, a famous coffee chain on the West Coast of the US. A chain that hasn't even reached Chicago. But it can be found in Shanghai. The French Concession looks completely different. It is now one of the premier shopping strips in town filled with every Western, luxury brand.

Below are some pictures from my trip.

A red phone booth near the Bund

The French Concession Area

Hong Kong Plaza in the French Concession

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf from LA

Views from my hotel room

The Bund on a rainy day

A side street near the Bund

Shanghai Needle

 
Just before heading back to Hong Kong, we were able to stop by the Bvlgari exhibition at the Aurora Museum, which is on display until April 17th. The exhibit features around 600 pieces of jewelry, watches and objects which are showcased in chronological order. If you are in Shanghai and have a chance to check it out, I highly recommend it. It was truly stunning.

I hope to make it back to Shanghai soon with M. I need to time to explore the city and fall in love with it all over again.