Shanghai is a super-modern city, the financial and shipping centre of China. It has a population of 23 million over an area of 6400 sq km. Hard for us to take in coming from a small country like New Zealand. Of lcourse there are plenty of skyscrapers, tower buildings and apartment blocks to accomodate everyone and the accompanying technological infrastructure to support everything, from the fastest lift (45 seconds to travel 88 floors, an ear-popping speed, I assure you) to the fastest train in the world (I forewent this pleasure).
I enjoyed my look into the past at the Shanghai Museum with its galleries featuring ceramics, furniture, jade, colourful costumes of the different ethnic groups in China , sculpture and bronze, all beautifully displayed and impressive. There was even a visiting exhibition of Maori art from Otago with beautiful tiki, kete and a dog fur cloak.
Visited the Bund area, an old economic centre along the river with colonial buildings from the 19th and early 20th century. We walked along the embankment promenade with lots of Chinese tourists, one of whom even wanted to take a photo of us with their elderly parents.
The lady in the lowest picture is separating silk worms from their silk. It is a very strong fibre and is stretched several times and made into duvet inners among other things, beautifully light and warm.
No comments:
Post a Comment