China

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This year’s visit to China was spent in six cities. Either explore them in order and begin with Guangzhou below or click on a city name below to go directly to that location.
Hefei Shenzhen Fuzhou Ningbo Shanghai

Guangzhou – 15 March through 19 March: We arrived in Guangzhou, China after several days in transit through Dallas, Narita and Hong Kong. We enjoyed another great stay at the Holiday Inn City Centre Guangzhou. Highlights of our touring include:

Chigang Pagoda/Canton Tower: We walked to the metro near the hotel and then went to see the Chigang Pagoda as well as the modern Canton Tower. The ride only took about 15 minutes (including one line change) and we were in a totally different part of town just south of the Pearl River.

Chigang Pagoda along with its sister building, Pazhou Pagoda, served as a guide for merchants travelling on the Marine Silk Road along the Pearl River. At that time, the two pagodas were Guangzhou's world coordinates. Chigang Pagoda was built during the Ming Dynasty. It is a nine story building which is shaped like a Buddhist stupa and it is constructed of red sandstone bricks. It also is surrounded by a sandstone brick wall and beautiful gardens. It was truly impressive.

Afterwards, we returned to the nearby Pearl River and visited Canton Tower (also known as Guangzhou Tower or the TV Tower). It is a 2,000 feet multi-purpose building which is subdivided into different zones with various functions, including TV and radio transmission, observatory decks, revolving restaurants, exhibition spaces, conference rooms, etc.

We used the outdoor escalators to reach a lower observation area to get great views of the Pearl River and also a large island housing the Xinghai Concert Hall and the Guangdong Museum of Art. A St. Patrick’s Day celebration was just beginning. There were lots of individuals wearing green and sporting large green/white hats. Green balloons and a large green shamrock made of balloons were affixed to all the railings. Also, a troupe of dancers was warming up for some “Riverdance” style Irish dancing. After finishing our photographs, we decided to leave before the crowds got too large.

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Yuexiu Park: Yuexiu Park is accessible via the metro so it only took about 20 minutes from our hotel. When we got to the entry, we were surprised at how many individuals were there, especially since it was a work day. We soon realized that many people were retirees and also there were school children there on outings and, as expected, some of the retirees were the primary caregivers for their grandchildren (seems like this is the case in so many places).

As soon as we entered the park (which was free) we heard traditional Chinese music being played. So, we worked our way to the area where the sound was coming from and found two women singing and they were accompanied by three stringed instruments, keyboard and a percussionist. It was really fun listening to these individuals (retirees) play their traditional Chinese opera music.

Although the weather was overcast, it was a bit hot and humid. However, that meant Spring was in full throw and the park was absolutely beautiful. There were lots of flowers and many, many flowering trees – most of the latter of which we weren’t familiar with. So, we took our time and shot lots of photographs. We also came across individuals practicing dancing (they brought along their own music players). Some were doing ballroom dancing while others were doing Spanish tangos. It was great to see everyone enjoying the park. Also, badminton was very popular – even without a net. So, the place was popping!

We learned that Yuexiu Park is the largest park in downtown Guangzhou. It is over 200 acres in size and encompasses the seven hills known as Yuexiu Mountain (hence the name, Yuexiu Park). In the park are several historical sites including some of Guangzhou’s original city walls.

The main highlight of the park is the sculpture of the Five Rams which has become the emblem of Guangzhou. According to legend, more than 2,000 years ago the city was a barren land where people were suffering from famine. One day five immortals came riding into the city on five rams while playing music. The rams held sheaves of rice in their mouths. The immortals left the sheaves of rice for the local people, gave blessings to the city and left. The rams turned into stone and the city became a rich and prosperous place. So, we made sure to ask someone to take our picture there for “good luck.” As you can imagine, the statute is huge and is surrounded by beautiful gardens.

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HEFEI - 20 March through 22 March: Our primary reason to visit Hefei again this year was to spend time with our friend, Yuanyuan, an individual we originally met through her job at the Executive Club at the Holiday Inn Hefei. It was great to be able to spend time together! Our key excursion was going to San He, an ancient village about two hours from Hefei.

San He: With Yuanyuan acting as our “guide,” our adventure began by taking a long distance bus from Hefei to San He. When we arrived at the San He bus station, it was a very quick walk to the old city center. The town’s name refers to the conflux of three rivers (San = Three; He = River). We immediately came across beautiful bridges crossing the rivers and/or canals of the city. A bit farther along we came across the beautiful Wangyue Pavillion. We took turns taking pictures of one another at this classic setting. Afterwards, we walked along the waterway enjoying the beautiful flowering trees and amazing setting. Then, we were able to find the remains of the original city wall.

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We next visited the Taintai Buddhist temple complex. We bought two candles and a bundle of incense. Before entering the temple, we lit our candles (Ed & Lindy shared one) and, after making a wish, we left them burning at an offering stand. Next, we divided the incense into three smaller bundles. We each lit our bundle from our candle, and then took it over to the offering place for incense. Obviously, we enjoyed the wonderful aroma before leaving the incense to continue to burn.

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We entered the temple and it was quite beautiful. There was a happy Buddha in the center and he was surrounded by various guardians. Behind the main temple, a circular pagoda was being newly constructed. We laughed in that in a few weeks time individuals who came to visit would think that it was some ancient structure.

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We returned back to Hefei late in the day. We enjoyed a fabulous day with Yuanyuan and really appreciated that she had used one of her rest days to take us to a special place that we could not have gone to alone because of our inability to speak Chinese. Yuanyuan is truly a special friend!

Shenzhen – 23 March through 25 March: Originally we had planned to stay in Shenzhen for a week but we shortened our time here so that we could again return to Hefei. Therefore, while we enjoyed several nights at the Crowne Plaza Landmark Shenzhen, we only enjoyed one full day of touring and we decided to spend it at the Shenzhen Museum.

Shenzhen Museum: We used the metro to reach the Shenzhen Museum (with only one line change). The Museum is excellent and amazingly it’s free. We choose to concentrate our visit on the 2^nd and 3^rd floors of the Museum (the first floor is dedicated to a collection of taxidermy donated to the museum). Here we learned a great deal about the history of Shenzhen through exhibits highlighting its culture and artifacts. It was a great way to spend the day!

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Fuzhou – 26 March through 29 March: We arrived in Fuzhou at about 1:10PM in a pouring rain storm. However, due to taking an airport bus and then having problems in getting a cab afterwards, we did not arrive at the Shangri-La Hotel until about 4:00PM. We were soaking wet so we had to take some time to clean up before enjoying our first evening in this lovely city. Our touring highlights in Fuzhou included:

Lin Zexu Memorial Hall: Lin Zexu Memorial Hall is dedicated to a Chinese national hero, Lin Zexu (1785-1850) who was a native of Fuzhou. He served 40 years as a career official during which he took up such projects as the reduction of crop taxes, build-up of coastal defenses and reclamation of wastelands. His most outstanding deed was the elimination of the opium-smoking and the opium trade in 1939. The Memorial Hall has beautiful gardens as well as various rooms featuring recreations of historical scenes, collectors’ items and memorabilia. It was a very worthwhile to spend several hours wandering through the complex.

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Three Lanes and Seven Alleys Area: A short distance from Lin Zexu Memorial Hall there is a bridge crossing a tiny canal which provides access to the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys area. This area is under national protection as one of the Top 10 Historical and Cultural Streets in China. The basic layout of the streets/alleys patterns those used in the Tang and Song Dynasties (618-1279) with 159 buildings in the area built in the style of the later Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911). So, the area preserves the original layout and building style of ancient Fuzhou. Now it primarily is a shopping area with tiny shops occupying the lower levels of most buildings. There also are numerous restaurants. We enjoyed walking the main streets and the narrow lanes. We also took some time to contribute to the local economy (yes, we did some shopping).

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Wu Shan Scenic Spot: We walked a short distance to Wu Shan (Wu Mountain) which is just across a major street from the hotel. The area is a scenic spot right in the heart of Fuzhou. We spent the majority of our time exploring Bai Ta Temple and its beautiful Ding Guang Pagoda (or the White Pagoda). The Buddhist temple was beautiful! It had incredible roof lines and amazing tile work. There were virtually no other individuals there so we had a wonderful time exploring this calm and unique place.

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Ninbgo – 30 March through 5 April: We traveled by rail from Fuzhou South TrainStation to the Ningbo East Train Station. From there, we took a taxi to the Crowne Plaza Ningbo, our home for the next seven nights. The Crowne Plaza is ideally for tourists. Highlights of our touring included:

Tianfeng Tower/Chenghuang Temple Commercial Area: The Tower originally was built during the Tang Dynasty (695-696) and then it was rebuilt during the Song Dynasty (1144). The Tower is seven stories tall with four more stories supposedly buried underground. It’s quite an iconic symbol in the center of the city. Nearby Tianfeng Tower is the thriving Chenghuang Temple Commercial Area. The area is a few blocks square and retains most its original architecture. One huge part of the complex houses various small restaurants and vendors selling all types of Chinese fast foods and soups. As it was about 11:30AM, the place was packed! Everything looked and smelled delicious. As Ningbo is a port city, there were lots of seafood offerings. In the area where we believe the actual temple once stood there is now a multi-level shopping area. Again, the sellers occupy tiny shops and most were selling clothing and/or house wares. As is typical in China, if one store sells shirt, it’s likely the shops on either side of it will sell shirts as well. The shops selling similar goods tend to cluster together. Again, the place was jammed. We enjoyed walking through the area and, yes, we were once again off the beaten path as no other Westerners were to be found.

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Drum Tower/Moon Lake Park: We reached the Drum Tower (also know as the Clock Tower) by catching bus no. 12 from Tianyi Square. We came equipped with the destination in Chinese characters so we could show it to the bus driver. When the driver indicated we should get off, we headed into a beautiful park where we mistakenly thought the Drum Tower would be located.

Well, by accident, we went into Moon Lake Park. It was absolutely beautiful, especially since the Cherry Trees were in bloom. We later learned that Moon Lake originally was excavated in 636. In 833, canals were built and water from nearby Lunshan Mountain was used to ensure the lake remained full. Ultimately several canals were dredged in the nearby area with Moon Lake being at the heart of the water network. Afterwards, Ningbo became known as the city “with three rivers plus six canals with a lake at its core.”

We spent our time wandering through the park. Afterwards, since we hadn’t found the Drum Tower, we decided to consult the map (a novel idea!). Once we did, we realized that we could reach the Drum Tower if we walked along side Moon Lake Park back to the road on which the bus had originally dropped us off. Success! A few minutes as we began the walk back we could see the Drum Tower.

Ningbo’s Drum Tower (or Gu Lou) was built on top of the city wall during the Tang Dynasty in 821. At one point it was totally destroyed by Mongol leaders but eventually rebuilt in 1434. In 1935, a clock was placed on the structure. The doors leading through the Tower are very tall and the tower itself is amazingly thick. Just beyond the Tower is a shopping area which is built in the traditional style of the period. It too offered some great shots.

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Qita Temple: To reach the temple, we choose to take a walk in the opposite direction of our prior explorations and cross the Fenghua River to reach Qita Temple (or Seven Pagoda Temple). Qita Temple was first built in 858. It has had various names and gone through numerous renovations. When rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty, seven small pagodas were added outside the temple’s front wall and it was then referred to as Seven Pagoda Temple (these pagodas now are gone). We enjoyed walking through the large complex. We saw both the Drum Tower and Bell Tower which are on either side of the Heavenly Hall. Further into the complex we saw the Three Buddhas Hall, a library and a beautiful pond. It was a great respite from the large city of Ningbo.

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Tianyi Library Pavilion: The Library was constructed in 1516 and is the one of the oldest libraries in Asia. It originally was founded and maintained by a single family. They took steps necessary to preserve handwritten texts as well as stone inscriptions. The property now belongs to the State. In addition to preserving an amazing number of texts, the family built beautiful gardens within the complex. So, it too is a great place to escape from the city. Given it was a holiday – Tomb Sweeping Holiday – the place was pretty jammed with tourists, many of whom we learned were not from Ningbo but tourists like us. However, the complex is so large it easily handled the crowds.

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Baogou Temple: Baogou Temple is located about 12 miles outside of Ningbo. It was a bit of an adventure, but we made it! First, we left the hotel and walked to the area where the Yuyao River and Yong River meet. It used to be “The Bund” – where ships came in to dock and/or arrive for repairs. Now, it is an up and coming area for coffee shops and clubs, obviously the latter being open for business in the evening hours. Once we crossed the Yuyao River, we took a few moments out to take pictures of a Portuguese Church built in the 1800’s.

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Afterwards, our quest was to find the no. 332 bus and take it to the end of the line to Baoguo Temple. It took a bit of walking and some asking and we finally took a city bus to a small city bus center. It was there that we found that the 332 (and other buses to the suburbs) started and ended their routes. We had to wait about 25 minutes and, at last, the no. 332 pulled into the area where passengers were allowed to board. Although there was a queue, we were actually able to find a seat for the 30 minute ride. As we approached a small village, we were finally able to see the Temple. Through sign language, we learned that we would need to get off the bus and then walk through the village until we reached the Temple.

Thankfully there were some sidewalks so we didn’t have to wander on the edge of the mud by the rice paddy fields. Yes, we definitely were off the beaten path once again. We had a long, long walk but it was worth it! The Temple was beautiful! It was built up the side of the hill with some buildings actually being built on stilts. Unfortunately, some of the key buildings were closed as the Temple was undergoing renovation. However, we did manage to get some great pictures of Buddha in the Main Hall. We wandered around the Temple for about an hour before deciding it was time to head back into town.

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[Continue reading below about our visit to Shanghai, our final destination after our visit
to Taiwan OR go directly to Taiwan by clicking here]

Shanghai – 22 April – 1 May: The balance of our time in China was spent in the lovely town of Shanghai. Getting to Shanghai on 22 April took us the entire day. We began our day by walking to the metro in Kaohsiung, Taiwan to ride it to the High Speed Rail Station. From there, we caught the train to Taoyuan, the city closest to Taipei’s international airport. Next, we took a 20 minute bus ride the airport. At the airport, we caught our flight to Shanghai. Upon arriving at Shanghai’s Pudong Airport, we cleared Customs & Immigration and then made our way to the metro. We rode the metro (making a transfer at People’s Square) to reach the metro closest to our hotel, the Shanghai Railway Station. Due to a late departure from Taipei’s Airport, we didn’t arrive at the Holiday Inn Downtown Shanghai until about 7:45PM so it definitely was a full day!

Afterwards, we spent our days enjoying the city. Highlights of our touring include:

Jade Buddha Temple: The Temple is famous because it houses two white jade Buddha statutes. The Jade Buddha statutes originally were brought from Burma (Myanmar) to China by a monk named Huigen (this occurred in the early 1880’s and we’re not quite sure why these statues were moved). In addition to these famed Buddha statutes, the complex has numerous Halls (temple buildings) also containing other statutes of Buddha. We were told there are more than 7,000 statues of Buddha within this huge complex. It was a great place to spend an afternoon exploring the various buildings and their contents.

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Shanghai Auto Show: When we made our original booking in Shanghai, we had no idea that we would be in town during the Shanghai Auto Show or more specifically “The 15th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition.” The event was held at the Exhibition Center and it was huge! There were exhibits both indoors and outdoors. In addition to featuring ~1,300 vehicles, there were numerous vendors highlighting their specific components and/or products. We spent an entire day at the Show and realized we couldn’t possibly see it all. So, we choose to focus on our favorites – the fast and sleek vehicles such as Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and Porsche to name a few. It was a great day as the photographs attest!

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Qibao Old Town: Qibao is an ancient town with a history of more than 1000 years which is only about 12 miles from the center of downtown Shanghai. The town was built in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1126) and grew into a prosperous business center during the subsequent Ming and Qing Dynasties. Qibao means “Seven Treasures” and the name is believed to have evolved from Qibao Temple. The Temple is said to have contained seven treasures of which only two – a golden scripture and a bronze bell – remain in the temple.

The area features many tiny streets and water canals, some of which even have locks to control the water flow. There are numerous stores and restaurants and the area is very popular with both tourists and locals. Many of the lower levels of the buildings are built on stilts and overhang the canals. The classical architecture is very beautiful and makes for some great photographic opportunities.

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Yuyuan Garden: Yuyuan Garden (literally "Garden of Peace" is a famous classical garden located in Shanghai. It was finished in 1577 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). During the Opium War of the 19th century, it was severely damaged. Today's garden was the result of a five year restoration project which began in 1956. It was open to the public in September 1961. Yuyuan garden is about five acres in size. It has many lovely attractions including pavilions, halls, ponds and, of course, gardens. It's a great place to enjoy a lovely day.

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	Welcome to Yuyuan Garden
	Ed and a bronze friend
	One of the lovely water settings
	A different and equally lovely water setting
	Us relaxing in Yuyuan Garden
	Passing from one area into another via many of the walled areas
	Lindy underneath a Dragon
	The interior or Wan Hu Tower
	Beautiful stone furnishings in He Xu Hall
	Ornate roof lines
	Hui Jing Pavilion
	The interior of Hui Jing Pavilion
	More lovely roof lines in this luscious garden

[ T O P ]

People's Square and The Bund: People’s Square is a large park adjacent to the famous Nanjing Road shopping area. The park isn’t huge but it does offer beautiful flowers and decorative sculptures. It also is home to the Shanghai Museum. On its fringes are many important buildings such as the Municipal Government Building, Shanghai Grand Theatre and the Urban Planning & Development Building.

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From People’s Square it’s an easy walk to The Bund either using busy Nanjing Road or one of its parallel streets (if you want to avoid the crowds). The Bund (or Waitan in Chinese) is a busy area on the Huangpu River. It offers great views of the river and its many nearby coffee shops, hotels, restaurants, etc. One of the key features is the Old Customs House in contract to the new Oriental Pearl Tower on the opposite side of the city. The area is very nice in the evenings due to the many light shows on the highrise buildings.

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Century Park: We spent a day enjoying Century Park, the largest park in Shanghai. We visited the park with a friend, Michael. We originally met Michael while we were touring in Ningbo (he was a tourist there too). After spending time in the park, we enjoyed a great lunch a local spot where no English was spoken. It’s so nice to have a friend who also speaks Mandarin! Thank you, Michael, for a great day!

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Again, we enjoyed another wonderful experience throughout our time in China. We’ll be looking forward to another visit in the not-too-distant future!

	Cherry Trees in bloom along one of Guangzhou's streets
	Chigang Pagoda
	Canton Tower
	The old (Chigang Pagoda) with the new (Canton Tower)
	A view across the Pearl River
	Ed by the St. Patrick's Day Decorations

	The performers we encountered upon entering Yuexiu Park
	A closer view of the men playing traditional instruments
	A beautiful flowering tree
	With Lindy holding the flower from the tree, you can see how large the bloom is
	The Mariner's Pagoda
	Tree roots covering part of the ancient city wall
	Us in front of the sculpture of The Five Rams

	Our bus
	Yuanyuan and Lindy relaxing in transit
	The San He city gate
	Lindy and Yuanyuan with a beautiful canal and bridge in the background along with Wangyue Pavilion
	Another view on one of San He's many canals
	Yuanyuan and Ed in front of Wangyue Pavilion
	Yuanyuan and Lindy exploring a narrow alleyway
	A beautiful setting (and reflection)
	"Ladies and Lions"
	Ed and Yuanyuan relaxing on a bench overlooking a canal
	A street lined with stores and businesses

	The ultra-modern Shenzhen Museum
	Traditional Chinese Bells used for musical performances
	An ancient bronze urn
	A diorama depicting the "Welcome to Spring Plowing Festival"
	Another setting containing beautiful silk fashions
	A diorama featuring a Chinese apothecary
	Ed among festive costumes
	A diorama featuring an offering to the seas
	A comparison - a painting of Shenzhen centering of the International Trade Building in 1984 and 2005; wow, what growth!

	The decorative exterior walls of the Lin Zexu Memorial Hall
	The interior gate into this beautiful complex
	Lindy at the base of a huge tree covered with vines
	A collection of bonsai trees
	A memorial statute of Lin Zuxe
	Us seated in the beautiful gardens
	A diorama featuring traditional costumes worn during the life of Lin Zexu
	An amazing stone carving
	Another beautiful exhibit featuring a golden screen and decorative objects

	The beautiful Taintain Temple complex
	Yuanyuan and Ed lighting candles
	Yuanyuan making an incense offering

	A happy Buddha inside the Temple
	Protectors by Buddha's side
	Another Protector who guards Buddha's back

	The tiny canal which runs along the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys area
	Traditional wooden buildings along a main pedestrian way
	An interesting bronze
	Us at the entry to Gong Xiang (or Temple Street)
	This is Wenru Fang (originally called Shanyin (shady slope) Xiang (street) because it lies to the north of Mt. Min where the sun never shines
	The entry to Anmim Xiang
	Colorful roof decorations found on many of the old buildings
	Ed along with some bronze friends - one older and one younger

	The entry to the Bai Ta Temple complex
	A decorative dragon on the roof
	A beautiful Buddha in the main hall
	Two of Buddha's four protectors
	The Hall of the Magnificent within the Bai Ta Temple complex
	A beautiful display inside the Hall of the Magnificent
	FaYu Hall with the White Pagoda in the background
	A close-up of the beautiful roof decorations on FaYu Hall
	Inside FaYu Hall
	Ed sitting in the garden at FaYu Hall
	An entry with a wooden fish gong and beautiful roof lines everywhere
	A full view of Ding Guang or White Pagoda

	Tianfeng Tower
	The entry to the Chenghuang Temple Commercial Area
	A few pack to Tianfeng Tower from the Commercial Area
	A very busy seafood restaurant stall
	Another food stall (obviously, not too busy)
	Definitely a very busy area

	A bridge entering into Moon Lake Park
	A friendly local woman
	Lindy in a beautiful setting
	Ed in a doorway to another section of Moon Lake Park
	Beautiful buildings are part of the park
	Us underneath a walkway of flowering Cherry trees
	A close-up of the beautiful blossoms
	At last.... we found the Drum Tower!
	The shopping area immediately after you enter through the Drum Tower
	The very festive and decorative streets
	Another view looking down and beyond this shopping area to the modern city

	The entry gate into the Qita Temple complex
	The Hall of Heaven
	Lindy inside the Hall of Heaven beside one of Buddha's protectors
	The Drum Tower which contains a bronze bell weighing over 4,000KG
	A statute of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy
	Two monks within the complex
	The Three Buddha Hall
	The Three Buddhas each of which stands over 8 meters tall
	A beautiful elephant statute outside the library building
	A wooden fish gong

	Entry into the Tianyi Pavilion complex
	A beautiful building in the complex
	Another collection of beautiful buildings and roof lines
	A display of ancient text
	The elevated stage in Qin's Anchestral Hall
	The setting of gardens and ponds amidst the buildings
	Lindy in a corridor of lanterns
	Ed at another pond
	Shuibei Pavilion
	Typical collection items
	Collection items also include paintings and sketchings
	A scholar's desk
	Us inside the Tianyi Pavilion complex
	Ed says he's winning

	On the horizon across the Yuyao River, you can see the profile of the Portuguese Church
	The beautiful Portuguese Church

	The Baoguo Temple complex
	A closer view of the Temple complex
	One of the beautiful corner buildings
	Entering the complex (a long walk up hill)
	Going through another gate to access the main temple building
	Beautiful roof lines
	One of the temple buildings with prayer flags blowing in the wind
	Ed before the long trek up to the main temple building
	The beautiful Buddhas in the main hall of the temple
	Incense burners and candle offerings

	The Lotus Formula 1 car
	This display is for KUHMO tires but the photograph is of the gorgeous model
	The lovely Maserati
	This Maserati features another lovely model
	The models for this Lamborghini are "imported" too (i.e., non-Chinese)
	The amazing Ferrari
	A vintage Rolls Royce
	Today's Rolls Royce
	A D85 Aston Martin
	The always lovely Porsche
	A Formula 1 Audi

	The entry to the Jade Buddha Temple
	The Temple area for burning incense and candles
	This same area - now in an "incense inferno"
	One of the porcelain Buddhas
	The second porcelain Buddha
	A quiet and beautiful interior courtyard at the Jade Buddha Temple
	The Jade Buddha
	Looking down from the Jade Buddha Hall
	The reclining Jade Buddha
	Another Hall with another beautiful statute of Buddha
	Statutes of Buddha in the Grand Hall
	Ornate roof decorations
	A beautifully decorated walkway

	Approaching Qibao Old Town
	The Old Town City Gate
	A Pagoda just beyond the Gate
	One of the busy streets
	A tiny alleyway
	The canal and bridge (you can see how one of the lower floors of a building is on stilts over the canal)
	A lock and lots of laundry drying
	A nearby Temple complex

	Shanghai Grand Theater
	The Municipal Government Building with the beautiful landscape of People's Square in the foreground
	The Shanghai Museum
	A closer look at the lovely flowers in People's Square

	The HSBC Bank on The Bund
	The Shanghai Customs House
	A view of the Oriental Pearl Tower (and other high-rise buildings) across the river
	A close-up view of the Oriental Pearl Tower
	The Peace Hotel and Old Bank of China

	Welcome to Century Park
	The park and its lake are surrounded by high-rise buildings
	Tents were a common site for this day-use only park; a way to have some private space
	Lindy among the flowers
	Ed, Lindy & Michael
	Enjoying noodle soup after our outing in Century Park