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From crowded Hangzhou railway station we board the first class carriage of the train to Shanghai. On arrival Shanghai South station is even more hectic and purchasing underground tickets is a stressful experience. Surprisingly as we emerge from the underground network the city above is very quiet and we have some difficulty finding a cab to take us the short distance to our hotel.
Located on a little alleyway overhung by neon billboards and dozens of cables, Shanghai at first glance seems to exhibit a distinctly more cosmopolitan atmosphere than the other cities I have visited in China. We walk along The Bund, Shanghai's historic northern river bank. The architecture of the buildings here resembles New York more than China, and the heritage of this port city is clear to see. The southern side of the river, Pudong, however, is anything but historic. New skyscrapers are springing up here incredibly quickly transforming the skyline into something from the space age - exemplified no better than by the Oriental Pearl Tower. Other notable towers include the 'Bottle Opener', the pagoda-shaped 'Jinmao Tower' and the vivid gold 'Aurora Tower.' Together these make Shanghai's cityscape one of the world's finest.
The odd thing about Shanghai given the overt displays of wealth and prosperity along the riverbank is that literally just one block back houses are in a dilapidated state, as we wander from the river to see Shanghai's Old Town. We visit the Yu Garden famous for its Nine Zigzag Bridge and its dozens of Teahouses. Less a garden and more of an indoor market the crowds here are unbearable, and we have a brief look and turn back.
On our way to People's Square we stumble across a huge crowd gathering in a street. On closer inspection they are all gathered around a stockbroker. Six or seven 'sages' of the market are busy sharing their knowledge with the world and large crowds are listening in trying to get the top tips. Stephen talks with one man who claims that he can offer 10% returns per week, guaranteed. The only stipulation is that you must pay him 100 Yuan to tell you how. It's a little worrying to see the number of people falling for what is at best a confidence trick and more so to imagine that the market is being populated by investors such as these.
For the evening we go to Pudong. The way to cross the river is through "The Bund Tourist Tunnel" which turns out to be a rather tacky monorail with some fairy lights lighting up the tunnel. At the other end we walk toward the Jinmao Tower.
The bar on the 88th floor of the Jinmao Tower - the Cloud Nine - is the world's highest and offers truly unparalleled views over the top of my mojito glass. It has a good atmosphere, the service is excellent and it's none too crowded; a great way to round off our final night in China in some style.
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