Coming out of China - Part 2

We took a morning flight from Xiamen to Shanghai and was met by Siong Po, Sifu's good friend at Pudong International Airport.  We were immediately taken to visit Shanghai's City God Temple.  At first sight, I was really impressed by the heavy cultural essence of the place but after going into the grounds which was packed full of people, locals and tourists alike, I found that it was all about commercialism at the temple.  

Firstly we had to pay to get into the temple.  In the temple amongst worshippers were people donning colourful customers chanting prayers.  We made our offerings and prayers, and I wondered around taking photos.  Unfortunately that day, I ventured to far out past the exit gate to take some pictures outside (unaware that once I made it through the gate, I was not to be allowed back in).  I walked back to the front to get back with my group but was chased by the people at the front gate, shouting at me rudely in Chinese.  Fortunately, my friends were nearby and they saved me from the ticket vendors.  The event left me rather upset.  I felt like how Jesus must have felt when he went to the temple of God and found peddlars of all kinds at the house of God.  While Jesus threw them out, all I could do was weep at the lack of respect in a place of worship.  How sad.  My friends told me that that is how it is there and we left the temple for lunch and visit the rest of the place.

That experience set aside, Siong Po brought us to the famous Shanghai Bund.  Along the way, I noted that Shanghai is a very developed metropolitan city, far more advanced than Xiamen.  The city has some 20 million population (vs Malaysia's 26 million), 10 million cars, and 4000 sky scrapers (5000 by 2010).  It is by all means the largest city in China but miraculously there was very little honking compared with Xiamen.

We visited both side of the Bund and like people on tour, we were rushed from one end to another.  The city skyline was fantastic and looked different both in day and nighttime.  It was a very tiring day for us, having walked so much from 1  to 7 pm.

Then it was off to Sungchiang to check in to a Jinjiang Inn at 10 pm.  Sungchiang is a 1000 year old city, modernised to look like a very young city with many universities.  There were young maple and ginkgo trees planted all along the streets.  After freshening up, we were brought by Siong Po to a Massage Parlour for a good foot massage.  The lady who did the massage for me Changna was very good.  She massaged all the aches away.  Then it was off to bed.