China Trip Report Day 15: Shanghai Jade Temple, People's Park, the Bund; Day 16: Departure

Day 15, March 30, 018, Friday:

Shanghai:

We had an early morning flight from Shanghai Hongqiao airport the next day. So we were staying the night at the airport hotel which is right inside Terminal 2. We did not want to schlep bags through crowds, so decided to drop the bags at the airport hotel in the morning. We were out of our hotel at 6 am with our bags. As said, no lift/escalator at the metro entrance. So we lifted the bags thru the stairs and got into line 2 subway. Reached the airport station. None of the signs or big maps showed our hotel. We showed the address in Chinese to security guards, and followed their instructions to the hotel. Room was not ready, so we left the bags with the reception 

and went back to our Bund hotel.

We napped for an hour and then checked out of the hotel. We decided to go to the Jade Buddha temple and Shanghai museum nearby, reserving the Bund for the evening.

We had to take Metro Line 13 and get off at Jiangning Road Station. Leave from exit 4 and then walk southward for about five minutes to the temple.

When we reached the transfer station, signs were so confusing on how to take the line 13. I got out of an exit stile by mistake and the ticket I had put in did not come out. I approached an attendant but she refused to give me another ticket, shouted, you have to buy another ticket!

We bought another set of tickets and again no exits were leading to line 13. We went up to the highest floor and asked for help. The attendant showed a laminated board with the message that line 13 is a private line and we can't transfer using our metro ticket bought on the general machine. We had to get out of the station and buy a new ticket from line 13 machine!!

Had read up on Shanghai metro as part of research, nowhere has this showed up. Also why does the general machine allow tickets for line 13 to be bought when it's not valid is beyond me! I really wanted to drop going to the jade temple. Anyway after wasting money and time, we got the new tickets from the line 13 machine outside and got into that line. Reached our station and walked to the Jade Temple

玉佛寺 Yu fo si Jade Buddha Temple:

 8-16.30, CNY 20

In Shanghai, a very modern and flourishing city, there is a venerable and famous Buddhist temple, Jade Buddha Temple. In 1882, an old temple was built to keep two jade Buddha statues which had been brought from Burma by a monk named Huigen. The temple was destroyed during the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911. Fortunately the statues were saved and a new temple was built on the present site in 1928.

The Sitting Buddha is 190 centimeters high and encrusted by the agate and the emerald, portraying the Buddha at the moment of his meditation and enlightenment.

Sorry a lot of glare in the picture

The Recumbent Buddha is 96 centimeters long, lying on the right side with the right hand supporting the head and the left hand placing on the left leg, this shape is called the 'lucky repose'. The sedate face shows the peaceful mood of Sakyamuni when he left this world.

 

In the temple there is also another Recumbent Buddha four meters long brought from Singapore by the tenth abbot of the temple in 1989. 

More than 7,000 Dazang sutras are kept in the Jade Buddha Tower; these are all inestimable culture relics.

The seated Buddha, encrusted with jewels, is said to weigh 1,000 kg. A smaller, reclining Buddha from the same shipment lies on a redwood bed. 

There are three gold-plated Buddhas in the large hall and other halls house ferocious-looking deities. Artifacts abound, not all on display. This Green jade Buddha is from a closed room...

 

Both the Sitting Buddha and the Recumbent Buddha are carved with whole white jade. The sparkling and crystal-clear white jade gives the Buddhas the beauty of sanctity.

We were in time for the prayers and it was a lovely experience watching the monks walk in a procession and do their chanting at the altar. I'll post the video soon

We then tried to walk to the Shanghai museum. We landed at the People's Park.

People's Park:

Lots of peach blossoms in full bloom 

and a crowd of people smoking away.

We sat and had our sandwiches. A young man stood just in front, took our pic and was uploading it. I looked up in annoyance and he scuttled away. There were several others including some old men from all sides taking my picture, It was becoming a little tiring and scary. A girl in a costume on a photo shoot took our picture!! WOW! Ha ha!

We could not trace the museum, so got into the line 13 metro again and went back to the Bund.

We walked around. It was entertaining to see a bridal couple having a photo shoot crossing the busy street.

The Bund:

The Bund or Waitan ( 外滩 literally: "Outer Beach") is a waterfront area in central Shanghai. The Bund is a mile-long stretch of waterfront promenade along the Huangpu River. To the west of this stretch stand 52 buildings of various architectural styles, including Gothic, baroque, and neoclassical styles. It is often referred to as "the museum of buildings.

 Lupines...

 Lovely pink tulips and yellow wall flowers

Mao

The Bund lies north of the old, walled city of Shanghai. It was initially a British settlement; later the British and American settlements were combined in the International Settlement. Magnificent commercial buildings in the Beaux Arts style sprung up in the years around the turn of the 20th century

The Shanghai Bund has dozens of historical buildings, lining the Huangpu River, that once housed numerous banks and trading houses from the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, and Belgium, as well as the consulates of Russia and Britain, a newspaper, the Shanghai Club and the Masonic Club.

By the 1940s, the Bund housed the headquarters of many, if not most, of the major financial institutions operating in China, including the "big four" national banks in the Republic of China era.

However, with the Communist victory in the Chinese civil war, many of the financial institutions were moved out gradually in the 1950s, and the hotels and clubs closed or converted to other uses. The statues of colonial figures and foreign worthies which had dotted the riverside were also removed.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, with the thawing of economic policy in the People's Republic of China, buildings on the Bund were gradually returned to their former uses.

 A mist hung over the place and the famed buildings were shrouded in clouds. We had planned on a ferry ride to go over to the other side and may be go up the Oriental pearl tower observation platform.

This was what we had hoped to see

I felt it may be a waste of time with no views. The constant cigarette smoke around made me cough continuously and I had lost the will to live!!

The following had been my notes from research on the various buildings as well as the ferry.

Start: Broadway Mansions Finish: Meteorological Signal Tower

Distance: 1.3 kilometers time needed: 2½ hours

What you should not miss: a museum in Astor House Hotel; a movie poster gallery in Peace Hotel; the beautiful mosaic ceiling of Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank; Lovers' wall or the Valentine wall.

Best times to walk: It can be done either by day or night; during the evening the buildings are closed but the night view of the Bund is amazing.

Sightseeing Ferry 市轮渡

The sightseeing ferryboats of Shanghai provide a chance to experience the exciting Huangpu River cruise. The River Sightseeing Line operating from 09:00 to 21:00 sails between Nanpu Bridge and Yangpu Bridge. The Water Bus Line stops at the Bund, East Jinling Road Ferry Station, and Dongjiadu Ferry Station on the west bank of Huangpu River, and Lujiazui, Dongchang Road Ferry Station, and Nanmatou Ferry Station on the east bank of the river. The line includes most of the famous attractions along the Huangpu River. It costs CNY 12 for the whole journey or CNY 2 for each stop.

We decided to go back to our airport hotel. The metro was jam packed and we stood all the way. It stopped at Songhong road with an announcement coming that this is the terminal. We were surprised as we had to reach the next station. I pointed at the next station on the metro map in the coach and silently queried the girl standing next to me. She answered in fluent English that we have to get down and wait in the same place. Another train would come and take us to the next station. Well, the same day morning we had had a continuous uninterrupted ride on the same line!

We were very thankful to the girl. We caught the next train which came in a few minutes, reached our hotel, checked in and got into our room. 

Boyue Shanghai Hongqiao Airport Hotel:  

As soon as we entered and put the room card in the power slot, the lights came on, TV started playing soothing music, and it was such a welcome relief!

there was a coke and peanuts as welcome package..

there was heavy use of room freshener and my cough continued!

Day 16, March 31, 2018: 

Son's flight was at 9.30 and he walked off at 6.30. We had booked a flight to Beijing with adequate time to catch the onward flight to Houston. Beijing airport is huge, it takes a while to reach the terminals, so prudent not to have tight connections!

the hotel is right near the check in counters A-D and it was such a pleasure to walk 100 m from the hotel to the counter. My cough went away on boarding the flight back home.

On thinking back, I'm a little disappointed with my use of the last day at Shanghai. But no major regrets. 

VIDEO LINK:

Shanghai:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/EkRwLnpyPWZbKGZm8

Bai ma si bells;Xi'an drum tower performance; Prayer chants, Xi'an and Shanghai jade Buddha;

Prayer call Xian great mosque:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/k7rTwX97eoqbYsT38

Jade Buddha Temple chants:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/VAoyUb8yY11uuwt78

It had been an AWESOME vacation in a beautiful country filled with amazing cultural sights and warm people!

Report on our Amazing Alaskan Adventure starts here:

http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2018/09/how-to-plan-trip-to-alaska-intro-of-our.html