I don't know whether I should love, or really hate Old Town.
I went last weekend because I heard that it was a "must-do" in Shanghai and thought, why not? Seeing as the City was tearing down everything old to replace it with anything new, I really wanted to see something authentic before it would be torn down. Oh, and heard the shopping was interesting too.
The Old Chinese City was the first part of Shanghai to be settled in. During the colonial era when Westerners had their own concessions, (The French concession, for example) it was the main Chinese district where foreigners almost never ventured.
Unfortunately, it's more frequented by foreigners these days and Nanshi District; with its narrow winding streets and old houses, is apparently still one of the least explored areas in town. I visited the Old Town Bazaar with all its tourist attractions, hoping to get from it a sense of traditional life around the old Chinese streets. Entire sections of the district are being torn down and replaced with new developments as quickly as this is being written, so I really wanted to take advantage of it still being around and took a quick look see.
Upon first seeing the place I really liked how ‘Chinese’ looking it was. And don't get me wrong, Shanghai is so Chinese, but sometimes I wonder about its authenticity; new and old are almost indistinguishable. Even Grand View Gardens, which I really loved, was only 20 years old. Chinese history (cultural as well as architectural) goes back thousands of years but there seems to be no remnants of it other than a few leftover bad habits.
Unfortunately, the more time I spent there the more it felt fake and commercial. Of course I wasn’t expecting anything that was outstanding but maybe something with more character. I was mesmerized by the lights and the buildings and the crowds, but soon those lights looked tacky, the buildings looked generic, and the crowds suffocating.
I looked to my travel book for advice and soon found myself following one of the many tours within its pages. An hour later I was still running circles and the sites it brought me to were just as generic as the last, so I stuffed the book back into my purse and just followed my gut. I can see how a travel book may be of some help to others but I would just rather be plunked somewhere and discover it myself instead of being told how to enjoy it. I was soon enchanted by all of the small streets that slowly exposed themselves to me.
The real streets of Shanghai showed me how the other half of the city lives. Buildings with 4 foot by 2 foot doorways, no plumbing whatsoever, communal kitchens, clothing hanging from any and every possible line. The colours are brighter, the smells stronger, and the very best part: it’s so so quiet. There are moments where I have to remind myself that I am in a city of over 20 million because I find myself in these little quiet nooks where there seems to be an invisible glass bubble built around the neighbourhood. Sound is sometimes a friend AND a foe here and it’s nice to know that there is often a quick escape by just turning down a single street.
Here are a few pictures from Old Town:
I went last weekend because I heard that it was a "must-do" in Shanghai and thought, why not? Seeing as the City was tearing down everything old to replace it with anything new, I really wanted to see something authentic before it would be torn down. Oh, and heard the shopping was interesting too.
The Old Chinese City was the first part of Shanghai to be settled in. During the colonial era when Westerners had their own concessions, (The French concession, for example) it was the main Chinese district where foreigners almost never ventured.
Unfortunately, it's more frequented by foreigners these days and Nanshi District; with its narrow winding streets and old houses, is apparently still one of the least explored areas in town. I visited the Old Town Bazaar with all its tourist attractions, hoping to get from it a sense of traditional life around the old Chinese streets. Entire sections of the district are being torn down and replaced with new developments as quickly as this is being written, so I really wanted to take advantage of it still being around and took a quick look see.
Upon first seeing the place I really liked how ‘Chinese’ looking it was. And don't get me wrong, Shanghai is so Chinese, but sometimes I wonder about its authenticity; new and old are almost indistinguishable. Even Grand View Gardens, which I really loved, was only 20 years old. Chinese history (cultural as well as architectural) goes back thousands of years but there seems to be no remnants of it other than a few leftover bad habits.
Unfortunately, the more time I spent there the more it felt fake and commercial. Of course I wasn’t expecting anything that was outstanding but maybe something with more character. I was mesmerized by the lights and the buildings and the crowds, but soon those lights looked tacky, the buildings looked generic, and the crowds suffocating.
I looked to my travel book for advice and soon found myself following one of the many tours within its pages. An hour later I was still running circles and the sites it brought me to were just as generic as the last, so I stuffed the book back into my purse and just followed my gut. I can see how a travel book may be of some help to others but I would just rather be plunked somewhere and discover it myself instead of being told how to enjoy it. I was soon enchanted by all of the small streets that slowly exposed themselves to me.
The real streets of Shanghai showed me how the other half of the city lives. Buildings with 4 foot by 2 foot doorways, no plumbing whatsoever, communal kitchens, clothing hanging from any and every possible line. The colours are brighter, the smells stronger, and the very best part: it’s so so quiet. There are moments where I have to remind myself that I am in a city of over 20 million because I find myself in these little quiet nooks where there seems to be an invisible glass bubble built around the neighbourhood. Sound is sometimes a friend AND a foe here and it’s nice to know that there is often a quick escape by just turning down a single street.
Here are a few pictures from Old Town:
One of the first streets I saw in Old Town.
Inside the Bazaar... ie: Chinese Disney Land.
The Bazaar by day.
Crazy Markets
Just outside the walls of the Bazaar... real Old Shanghai
A gorgeous old doorframe
Anyways, I'm still deciding whether I loved it or hated it. There are definately aspects that I loved more over others, especially the REAL streets of Shanghai. But the commerciality and generic fakeness of the Bazaar, once seen for more than 5 minutes, can loose it's shine very quickly.
Will add pictures of my finds later on.
xox
