stuffworthshowing: I love you to China and back.

So today's post is more on the personal side of things, its all about my recent trip to China. The experience I had there was one of kind. I love to travel and have been fortunate enough to experience quite a few places around the world. For some reason, most of my travels have steered towards the East. I am not sure why, maybe it because the East is so different to what I know, maybe it's because I enjoy the cultural exchange, maybe its because of its unique beauty, maybe its the fashion or maybe it could have something to do with the exchange rate and feeling rich for once in my life..haha :) Whatever it is, I love the East and China just increased that love. I went to China with my university choir, the NMMU choir (see previous post on NMMU Choir's tribute to Nelson Mandela on his 94th birthday) and I am so thankful for the opportunity. We were invited to perform at the opening ceremony of the 11th China International Choral Festival and IFCM World Summit. What an experience. The choir members are truly a crazy, beautiful bunch of people and made the tour memorable. If you are thinking about going to China or if you would just like to have a virtual experience of China...feel free to read on and hear my stories.

Off to China we go.

Shanghai - The Paris of the East

Shanghai was beautiful!! This was my favourite city while I was in China. It was so cosmopolitan, and because the hotel we stayed in was very centrally located, we could walk or take a taxi (without paying a fortune) anywhere. I find China extremely difficult to describe, I think it's because it is so so SO different. Everytime somebody asks about China, I almost feel like saying "You really need to experience it for yourself to understand, because there is just too much to take in." However, with Shanghai, coming up with a description was easy...as one already existed, Shanghai is the Paris of the East. It is just so cosmopolitan (I think I already said that...haha) There are high rise buildings everywhere, but very planned out. Everybody is just walking everywhere. The city is busy and just bustling with people, and not just during the day but at night as well. There is even a road, that is dedicated to bars, so much so that the road's name "Hengshan Road" can be translated into "Bar Road." We made a stop there, and it was so much fun. We went to a place called Fly bar and ended up sitting and chatting to locals for ages.

Me (left) and my friend Grace (right) at Fly Bar.

Us with some locals that we met in Hengshan Road.

Our next stop was The Bund.This is a promenade that lines the Huangpu river and overlooks the ever changing and distinctive Skyline of Shanghai. As you walk along the Bund you pass plenty of historical buildings, many built in a colonial style. There are thousands of people walking around, taking pictures and if you have enough money, you can shop till you drop at various high fashion stores such as Prada and Chanel.

While walking along the Bund, Grace and I were stopped continuously for photos by tourists from Japan, Philippines and various other parts of China. We felt like celebrities! I must make mention that Grace is exceptionally tall and beautiful so she was pretty much a tourist attraction on her own. The Bund was truly stunning, and beside the hot and humid weather (which was our fault for going to China in their hottest and wettest month,) it was perfection.

Me at the Bund posing infront of the view of Shanhai's skyline

Me (left) and Grace (right) with the colonial building behind us.

One day I will buy something from this store!

Me taking photos with the locals.

After the Bund, we stopped off at Nanjing Road. The longest commercial road in Shanghai. This road is a pedestrian road, so it only has people walking through it, you don't have to worry about cars. It is said to have over 1.5million people visit the road on a public holiday in Shanghai. We did a lot of shopping here, however the prices weren't exactly as cheap as market prices. Most of the stores were famous brands such as Zara (I left my heart in Zara.) We had loads of fun here!

Me at Nanjing Road.

Beijing

We spent most of our time in Beijing. I could describe Beijing as an industrial haven. It is very different from Shanghai. It is a city that has grown very fast and as such its infrastructure is not very planned. Just after we departed from Beijing, they had very heavy rain that caused flooding as the city's infrastructure could not handle the vast amount of water. I am glad we got out of there before then. I would have freaked out! Anyway, we had a fabulous time in Beijing and fabulous weather. It is a lot less humid that Shanghai, and thus a lot more pleasant. Still very hot though. Our first stop was the Forbidden City. This is basically a walled off city or complex, that the emperor once lived in. It is truly beautiful!! The architecture is just phenomenal. There is a moat (man made lake for protection) around the forbidden city, with huge beautiful gates at the entrance and exits. There is an outer court, which has three amazing halls, that were used for ceremonies. And then there is an inner court which consists of the residence for the emperor and his family, which also has breathtaking botanical gardens. Everything is the Forbidden city is so symbolic, for example, each building has statues at the tips of their roofs. The more statues a building boasts, the more important it is. The Forbidden City is the only place in China to have buildings with 10 statues on the ends of their roof (Wikipedia, 2012). Seeing this historical place was so memorable and so informative. And I know I have said this beofre, but so so so beautiful!!

Me at the Forbidden City

The Hall of Supreme Harmony

The statues of the roof of the halls.

Next up, was the Great Wall of China!!!! I cannot believe I actually stood on the Great Wall of China! It was one of those, "Am I really here at this time in my life" moments. It was amazzzing. I cant even describe the feeling. But wow....I definitely CAN describe the stiffness in my legs for 4 days after climbing the wall. Haha. That wall is steep...don't let the whole "seven wonder of the world" thing fool you, that wall is steep and very difficult to climb. But the photos are worth it.