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One of the things you realize when in China, even in a modern city like Shanghai, is that to understand this vast country you have understand something of its equally vast history. I have been listening to a lecture series in my free time called “5,000 years of Chinese History”. (Sigh.  Yes, this is true.) And though there is debate among historians for how exact “5,000” years is, let me tell you what isn’t argued, Chinese history goes back a LONG, LONG time. That may be literally true of anywhere, but China’s history, more than most other countries, is a continuous, culturally-unified progression. Sure, dynasties came and went. Even Genghis Khan and the Mongols came and went. But through it all the Chinese people and their culture remained unbroken. This is remarkable.

Though we’ve shared a fair number of photos detailing the quaintly historic, or quintessentially Chinese looking elements in this city, we can’t forget that Shanghai is one of the largest and most modern cities in the world.

Shanghai is a city of everything. Stores and markets on every corner sell all kinds of things. The city has markets dedicated to specific items; items like the Fabric Market, the Fake Market, the Crafts Market, and so-on. There is an actual store in our neighborhood that we refer to as the “Everything Store”.  This store (and others like it) are packed full of a wide variety of items you need as well as those you had no idea you needed, or even existed. (Eyeball massager anyone?) Along with these stores, Shanghai offers a truly astounding plethora of ways to get around. You can choose from cars, private drivers, taxis, buses, metros, electric mopeds, rickshaws, bicycles for rent, or even your own two feet.

There is a legend of how gardens came to be such a prized part of Chinese culture. As the legend goes, 2,500 years ago there was a fabled mountain that lay on the eastern shores of China. This mountain top was the home of the 8 Immortals. Gold and riches were abundant in this land of immortals. Here, glasses were overflowing with wine and there was never an empty rice bowl. An emperor of the time fervently sought to find this fabled land, but to…Continue Reading “Yu Garden” →

I’m sure to write many posts on the experiences of shopping for and eating food here in China. Food is everywhere. Food is available on almost every street corner from vendors selling dumplings and noodles. Food is in grocery stores, it is in malls, it is in farmers markets. There is always someplace within half a block of wherever you are in this city to get food. So, the question is not where, but what? The process of finding what is familiar to us is probably the most culture shocking experience we’ve had in this country. Now I didn’t come to China expecting to find the same food experiences and the same options that we have in the United States.  However, I probably, in typical fashion, underestimated the challenge. They say experience is the best teacher. So let me share a few of our neighborhood grocery shopping experiences.

In every drop of water, there is a story of life. Leena Arif Shanghai is a water town. It is situated on the eastern coast of China on the Yangtze River Delta which flows into the East China Sea. The word Shanghai in Chinese literally means “Upon the Water”. You realize the importance of water here as you see the canals, rivers, and tributaries channeling their way through the city. As part of our first established weekend in the country, we wanted to get out…Continue Reading “A Day on the Water” →

“Home is the nicest word there is.” ― Laura Ingalls Wilder By Chinese standards our apartment is huge. That’s what everyone keeps telling us. I’m quick to admit that by American standards our apartment is huge. We have an ample 4 bedrooms situated on two stories with a kitchen (OK that’s small), a dining room, living room, and 4 patios that take up altogether about 180m2. For comparison, Hong Kong living space averages around 45m2 and the rest of China around 60m2 meters. The US living space average is approximately 201m2. ….Continue Reading “Apartment 502” →

If you saw a heat wave, would you wave back?– Steven Wright It’s been a week since our plane, the famed Dreamliner, landed in Shanghai. Looking back on the months of preparation and the frustrations and fears that were part of that, the move probably warrants a book of its own. The planning and preparation to move a family of 4 with stuff from 15 years of marriage across the planet was an astounding feat. But as I say, that’s another story. As for Shanghai,…Continue Reading “Getting Settled” →