A new year approaching...

It hasn't been the merriest of Christmases this year. The death of my father-in-law has dampened everyone's enthusiasm for the holiday, and his passing away meant we couldn't go away this weekend as planned. With nothing else to do, I went to the office on Saturday hoping to wade through some of the backlog of cases that has accumulated in my bin due to an increase in visa applications combined with staffing shortfalls, computer issues and badly-timed high-level visitors from Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the combination lock to open despite repeated efforts, and gave up, cursing both a wasted trip and the overtime I'm going to have to do in the days leading up to New Year's. And to top it all off, the power was out all this morning and afternoon as part of some preplanned electronic surveillance routine maintenance work. And all this while the ongoing electronic surveillance sewer pipe replacement project has left our driveway looking like a First World War No Man's Land. 

But while the management of our housing compound taketh away (electricity and vehicular access to our house),  they also giveth in the form of putting us up for the day in the five-star hotel across the street. And by "day", I mean literally - we had a room booked for our use from 6 am to 6 pm this Sunday, which included free rein of the hotel and its facilities. Considering all that has happened over the last few days, this was the best gift this family received this Christmas.

Looking down at the swimming pool and the garden terrace from the elevator on our way up to our room after checking in this morning:

The view from the garden terrace looking up at the glass elevator. A whole lotta pink goin' on...:

A whole lot of lobbyin' going on...:

While  Pamela took Amber to her Go 围棋/圍棋/囲碁 lesson, I kicked back with a vanilla latte in the Costa cafe next door, then took a walk around the outside of the building:

The view from the sixth floor-corridor:

And the view from our fourth-floor room:

We may have been staying in a five-star hotel, but our lunch bill only came to just over five dollars total for the three of us. The reason? We ate at one of the cheap Chinese joints opposite the west side of the hotel. Afterward, we returned to the hotel and made use of the indoor swimming pool:

After the pool, I partook of the hot tub and sauna before retiring to the sports bar downstairs for a post-swim drink. At 90 RMB (including the 15% service charge; about $14.50 in total), it quickly became apparent why I was the only customer there:

We checked out just before 6 in the evening and headed downstairs to dinner. A last look out the window before leaving the room:

By coincidence, the same housing compound management who had paid for our day at the hotel had a week earlier given us complimentary vouchers for the same hotel's dinner buffet as a Christmas present to all the residents. So not only was our room paid for today, dinner this evening was also gratis. My daughter made repeated visits to the chocolate fountain while my wife stuffed herself with as much crab as she could get her hands on. Considering all she's been through the past few days, whatever made her happy...:

It's going to be extremely busy again at work this week, and the girls will be leaving for Taiwan at the end of the week to take part in the funeral, but at least for one day everyone could forget their troubles and end the Christmas break on a positive note:

Boxing Day on the heights of Shanghai - return to Sheshan

Christmas this year has certainly been a time of mixed emotions. Yesterday's present openings went well, with our eight year-old satisfied with the gifts she received. However, we learned later in the morning of a death in the family, the news of which has struck particularly close to home for my wife. As a result, we canceled our planned overnight visit to Xītáng 西塘 for this weekend as no one is in the mood for traveling. 

Life goes on, however, and with the weather having warmed up a little and the skies staying relatively clear, we paid a return visit this afternoon to Shéshān 佘山, the highest "mountain" within the Shànghăi 上海 city limits, protruding from the surrounding countryside to a staggering height of 100 meters (328 feet)...an elevation dwarfed by the highrises in the city's Pŭdōng 浦东 district.

Amber in a typical Christmas scene:

Compared with our first time on Sheshan, the air quality today was much improved, meaning we could actually make out shapes in the distance from the top of the hill...er, mountain:

The last time we were here, the Shanghai Astronomical Museum, housed in a former Jesuit observatory, was closed for renovations. Today, it was open again for business and my daughter and I went inside to have a look:

Of all the gifts she received yesterday, this dragon appears to be her favorite:

Amber takes a look at an armillary, a device used to measure the position of celestial bodies:

Amber was also impressed with the massive old telescope on display inside the old observatory:

On the roof of the observatory:

Next door is the Sheshan Basilica:

Back inside, where the small museum gives an overview of the history of Chinese astronomy, acknowledging the contributions of the Jesuits in this field. At the height of Chinese imperial power, the only things the West could offer that impressed the rulers of the Middle Kingdom were clocks and the knowledge gleaned from celestial observations (others found themselves hooked on opium, but that's another story):

One more look at the surrounding countryside before exiting the astronomical museum:

My daughter and I then popped in for another look at the basilica. Though hardly devout myself, I was still bemused by the reactions of the Chinese visitors who looked thoroughly confused at what the building represented and how they should behave while inside it. Amber, meanwhile, was relieved to see that, other than the usual crucifixion depictions, this church didn't contain any gruesome images of saints being tortured, unlike the cathedrals we visited on our recent trip to Belgium. On the way out, we followed in reverse order the Stations of the Cross as we made our downhill:

Though hardly a "hike" (despite what my wife may think), the trails on Sheshan do make for a nice change of pace from Shanghai's usual concrete and asphalt pathways:

From Catholicism to Buddhism as we passed by the Xiùdàozhě Pagoda 秀道者塔, standing 20 meters (66 feet) high, on our way back to the parking lot. It was reassuring the see the graffiti that had defaced the base of the ancient tower (supposedly dating from the 10th century, though it doesn't appear to be that old), and which had bothered me on our previous visit, has since been whitewashed (much like a lot of events in postwar Chinese history):

This hasn't been the most joyous of holidays, but considering what has happened, Pamela is coping well. The rest of this weekend will no doubt be spent quietly, and I may even go into the office over the weekend in an attempt to catch up on some of the work that has piled up in the last couple of weeks. Hopefully your holidays have been happier ones.

  

Just another Shanghai Saturday...

With Christmas just five days away, this morning saw my daughter engage in intense negotiations with a representative from the North Pole. Amber assured Father Christmas that she had been, and will continue to be, "good", while Santa Claus pledged to seriously consider her request for a certain present. Both parties described the talks as "productive" and resolved to meet again a year from now to review progress, though some observers present at the negotiations expressed skepticism that the eight year-old girl would still believe in Old St. Nick in a year's time.

Lunch this afternoon was at the Captain Bar, located on the 6th floor of the Captain Hostel on Fúzhōu Lù 福州路, close to Shànghăi's 上海's iconic Bund 外滩. The food wasn't bad, though the prices were somewhat high (especially for mediocre beers like Tiger), but all sins were forgiven for the excellent view of Pŭdōng 浦东.

The Art Deco Hamilton House, formerly an apartment building, constructed in the 1920's. Its twin across the street, the Metropole Hotel, was covered up in scaffolding.

A passerby stops to check out the former American Club, built in 1924. Many of the historic buildings in Shanghai have plaques out front listing the original occupant, the year it was erected and the architectural style of its design and construction.

Amber poses in front of the Foreign Language Bookstore. Not one of the most imaginatively named business establishments in the city, but it is one of the best sources for English-language reading material, especially for books on China.

 

Fuzhou Lu, a street full of shops selling art supplies, books and stationery. And attracting a lot of people in the process.

Raffles Mall 莱福士广场 , one of Shanghai's busiest (in a city bursting at the seams with shopping centers). Despite the Christmas music playing in the background and the attempts at seasonal decorations, the festive Noel air was lacking. My daughter said it was because the tree was red, not green.

Shanghai No. 1 Department Store, another edifice whose planners didn't spend much time on naming. Once the city's most upscale shopping outlet, it still attracts Chinese visitors from out of town. My wife sneered that the fashion on offer was dated. Pamela, by the way, grew up in rural Taiwan.

Close to the department store on Nánjīng Dōng Lù 南京东路 is Taikang Foods, the place to go if you're in the market for flattened pig heads. My wife settled instead for something labeled as "Streaky Bacon" (which, I've since been informed, is actually what normal bacon is called. Forgive my ignorance).

Shanghai First Food Store is another fine purveyor of flattened pig heads. The second floor specializes in traditional food and snacks, including that most Chinese of dining establishments, Màidāngláo.

The site of the former Wing On, opened in 1918 and once considered one of the "big four" department stores in Shanghai. Walking through the first floor today, it's hard to conjure up the building's former glory.

Nanjing Dong Lu after the sun goes down and the neon comes on. Though certainly lively with all the pedestrian traffic, the shopping options are desultory for the most part, and the constant offers of crappy kids toys and knockoff watches and bags get tiring quickly (and had it not been for the presence of Amber and Pamela, I'm sure I would've been given ample opportunities for procuring the services of "girls" and/or "massages").

Gold shops proliferate along the pedestrianized street. As China's middle-class continues to grow, the demand among the nouveau riche 土豪 for tasteless jewelry to show off the new-found wealth of Wēnzhōu's 温州 prosperous factory owners shows no signs of abating.

While many of the items for sale in the shops along Nanjing Dong Lu were lacking in taste, the same couldn't be said of the food. You can't go too wrong in China in this regard.

常来常熟!

Periodically, I'm asked to go on what are known as "outreach" visits to cities located in the provinces closest to Shànghăi 上海 - Ānhuī 安徽省, Jiāngsū 江苏省 and Zhèjiāng 浙江省. The idea is to establish a presence in localities that would normally be overlooked in the usual government-to-government exchanges and frequently involve visa presentations to business and/or student groups, courtesy calls with local officials and visits to American companies or Chinese firms with strong business ties to the United States. I've been on a couple of these trips already, and have just come back from my third such outing, an overnight visit to the city of Chángshú 常熟 in Jiangsu Province. It was a typical outreach foray in that I met with officials from the local Foreign Affairs Office, gave a presentation to a business group in one of the city's two development zones and was taken on a tour of two companies doing business in Changhsu. Hopefully, the trip was a success. With one exception, the photos below were taken during my free time there.

This is the exception. It's me looking as if I'm elaborating on the finer points of American foreign policy, in particular the strategic implications of the "pivot to Asia" as it pertains to China with a local official. In reality, we were just exchanging the usual pleasantries. The officials I met on this visit were all very friendly; in many of these outlying cities, they seem appreciative that someone from the U.S. mission, even a peon as lowly as me, has taken the time and effort to reach out to them. Many thanks go out to my coworker Charlie (on the left), who did so much to make this trip happen.

Changshu is considered a "small" city. It's an indication of just how big China is when an urban area with a population of one million registered residents (and another million or so unregistered denizens), and comprised of a dozen towns as well as two economic and technological development zones, is thought of as being in the minor leagues. Traditionally, textiles and garment-making were its largest industries, but in recent decades the automotive manufacturing sector has become dominant. Compared with many Chinese cities of similar size, Changshu seemed somewhat clean and well-organized, at least in the newer part of the city where I stayed. This was the view from my hotel room:

And this was the view from one of the corridors inside. The large apartment blocks in the background are gradually replacing the older housing seen in the front. The numerous condo complexes visible as I was driven around Changshu gave the city a Pyongyang-like appearance at times.

Dusk...

...and dawn:

After breakfast and with some spare time before the first item on the day's agenda, I took a walk in the park located across the street from the hotel. It was below-freezing, but the sky was clear, which doesn't happen all that often in China.

Close-up views of the above scenes:

Examples of older houses:

Locals:

Like public parks the world over, ghastly art set the scene in Changshu:

Outside the hotel...

...and in the lobby:

Following a visit to an American company and lunch with officials from one of the development ones, Charlie and I had some time to kill before the drive back to Sūzhōu 苏州 and the train ride back to Shangahi. We were taken to see one of the local sightseeing spots, Shājiābāng 沙家浜. It's an odd tourist village, being one part propaganda, one part historic lakeside town and one part protected wetland. The propaganda element concerns a battle in the reeds there that apparently took place during the Japanese invasion of China. The battle has been celebrated in a revolutionary opera and was the subject of a popular TV series in the 1960's and '70's. Performances of "Let the Bullets Fly" are held regularly in the village:

In many tourist spots around China, signs are written in Mandarin, English and Japanese. In Shajiabang, however, Japanese has been replaced by Korean:

For some reason, we weren't taken to see the military museum:

On this very chilly Wednesday afternoon, only a few tourists were out braving the cold:

Among the things we did on our brief sojourn to Shajiabang was to visit the home of a wealthy family that once lived in the area and to take a boat ride along some of the waterways.

The local firewater, Osmanthus wine 桂花酒, has an alcohol content of 78%. I was able to finish the small cupful I had by taking small sips. The woman who served it to me finished hers in one gulp. Sorry, America.

At Suzhou Railway Station 苏州站, en route to Shanghai: