Shanghai surprises

Like a beautiful woman in bloom whose strength of character from past experiences has transformed her into the courageous butterfly of steel that she is today, progres-sive Shanghai conti-nues to blossom for the world to appreciate and explore.

There has never been a more exciting time to visit this splendid city that has one foot in its elegant, antiquated past and the other in its ultra modern, cosmopolitan present. Since the early Nineties, Shanghai has experi-enced a frenzy of activity reminiscent of the eventful years of the 1930s, when the Paris of the Orient, the New York of the East, or the Paradise of Adventures came of age.

The shady French parasol tree-lined avenues of the former French concession evoke nostalgia. Crimson-roofed charming homes with manicured lawns, elegant Art Deco apartment blocks and spacious Rococo mansions boldly defy space and time. Many of the finest buildings are used as government offices. The most accessible estates have been converted into villa hotels while many other architectural gems have been transformed into bars and restaurants.

Strategically situated at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the life-giving artery of China that we cruised recently, Shanghai evolved from a fishing village to Asia’s most significant and flamboyant city after its cession to the British in 1942. Since the time of the Ming dynasty, Shanghai has enjoyed widespread popularity as a bustling port and grand metropolis in the southeast. Encouraged by the instruction of senior leader Deng Xiaoping, the city is now an international center of economy, finance, trade and navigation on the western bank of the Pacific Ocean, as well as a tourism treasure. With 13 historical relics under state protection, 113 sites under municipal protection, and hundreds of outstanding modern buildings erected over the previous years, these edifices epitomize Shanghai’s regional culture.

As a treaty port, Shanghai hosted British, French and American nationals enjoyed immunity from China and successively established their respective settlements here way back in the mid-1800s. Such international influences added a poignant character to Shanghainese food, architecture and culture. As our group – led by my sister Jaqui Boncan, her loving hubby Boom (who took our photographs), daughters Nikki and Christel, my best buddy Bum Tenorio, Clotha de la Paz, Noah Manarang and I – toured the city, our English-speaking tour guide Lawrence enthused that the former main streets of the past settlements and the French concession have changed beyond recognition. Vibrant neon lights create excitement for the modern Shanghainese while skyscrapers have arisen from the ashes. Shanghai has evolved at a pace unmatched by any other city in China, what with head offices of Fortune Top 300 corporations based here. One of the most advanced railway systems in the world, the Maglev Train, which operates at a maximum speed of 430 kilometers per hour, indicates the rate of progress of this dynamic metropolis.

There is a plethora of sights one must experience in Shanghai. Among the most unforgettable are the scenic areas of the Bund, famous shopping malls in the Nanjing area and Huaihai Road, Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial and Madam Soong Ching-Ling, the Exhibition Hall of the Urban Construction and the fantastic Chinese acrobatic show at the Grand Theater.

The early 20th-century European buildings in the Bund remain the quintessential Shanghai sight emblazoned at night with magical illuminations. The Bund, often mistaken as a German expression, is in fact an adaptation of the Hindustani word "band" meaning causeway or promenade. Each night, the elevated walkway is agog with camera-clicking locals, tourists and romantic couples.

According to the China National Tourism Administration, many of the banks, trading houses and hotels have been, in some fashion, restored to their former magnificence. The Pudong Development Bank, formerly the opulent Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank Corp. building, displays a fine Venetian mosaic under its domed hall. The former racecourse, not far from the Bund, has been converted into People’s Square, a showcase of modern architecture and civic pride. It houses the Shanghai Museum opened in 1995 at a cost of over $50million, designed by Shanghai architect Xing Tonghe. Its galleries contain premier collections of ancient arts and artifacts. Incidentally, my brother-in-law, engineer Boom Boncan, chose Shanghai as our travel destination as a treat to his winsome daughter, 20-year-old architecture-major Nikki Boncan, who will be graduating at the top of her class at the University of Santo Tomas. The gregarious father and daughter tandem enthused that Shanghai is truly an architectural marvel and a trip here is both enriching and educational.

We all toured "The Square," which also houses the spectacular crystal-like Grand Theater, the Shanghai Art Museum, the City Government building, and the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. I had never seen my niece so ecstatic about buildings and architectural structures that I coined the moniker "Shanghai Nikki."

There are a number of other house-museums dedicated to key figures in the modern history of China. Notable is the former residence of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and his wife Song Qingling on Xiangshan Road. The charming wood-paneled house contains many beautiful portraits and a facsimile of his fascinating personal library among other priceless antiques and revolutionary relics. Madame Song later lived in a 1920s mansion on Huaihai Middle Road, set amid spacious Shanghai’s Historic Legacy grounds and with an old Buick parked in the garage.

For a bargain-hunting atmosphere, the Yu Garden bazaar is a colorful attraction in its own right and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors daily. Its tightly packed "old Cathay" shops sell everything from chopsticks to fans, walking sticks and mahjong sets, jade and kitchen equipment. One of the best places for antiques and curio hunting is at the four-storey Fuyou Lu Market on Fangbang Road, just east of Henan Road. The Huaihai Road, crammed with chic boutiques, interior design shops and huge stores, is the place to be seen. The Art Deco-housed Maison Mode has attracted major fashion houses as Shanghai promises to rival Milan, Paris and London. Luxurious shopping malls, such as Times Square, appear like mirages in a desert. In Pudong, the Japanese-funded Nextage Department Store is second only in size to Macy’s in New York.

For dining pleasure, apart from the superlative cuisine available in the top hotels – including the Crowne Plaza, Grand Hyatt, the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton – the main eating areas are in the former French Concession, from Cajun-Creole to Italian on Hengshan Road, Mexican to Russian on Maoming Road, and Middle Eastern to Thai on the Dongping Road.

The city’s cultural and arts scene has been elevated with the advent of the dazzling state-of-the-art Grand Theater – the nation’s most eloquent statement of its commitment to the arts. This temple glitters like a fantastic ice palace at night. The clear walls are said to symbolize the new artistic openness that is sweeping across the country. Home to the Shanghai Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra, which hosts foreign musicians and conductors, the Grand Theater is a sell-out success. Acrobats also routinely perform at the Shanghai Center, the New Acrobatic Circus and at the graciously glided art deco Lyceum Theater. The most death-defying performance that we witnessed was the daredevil motorcycle riders who, at breakneck speed, performed their choreographed stunts inside a globe of a maze to the astonishment of the audience who watched with bated breath.

Whether we choose to portray the old fashioned damsels in distress or the modern superheroines, we, the "Shanghai Nikkis," vow to return to this "Dragon City" this August to eat, shop (in time for the summer sales) and explore. Strolling on the panoramic promenade flanked by the glorious centuries-old edifices of yesteryears on one side and the high-tech, space-age towering buildings on the other felt as though we emerged from a surrealistic sojourn. As in a time warp where things can either stand still or blast you into the future, Shanghai is surely an arresting adventure that will take you by surprise.

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Photographs courtesy of Shanghai: China Travel and Tourism Press and China Welcomes You.

For inquiries, call Golden Airy at 475-2011 and 437-8359, and Pacer Travel at 521-8880 and 525-3688.

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E-mail the author at miladay_star@yahoo.com.