Shanghai

May 06-08

Day 1-3

The first and second days of our Spring Term, we were en route to Shanghai from Detroit. It was a long 12-13 hour flight, so upon our arrival, we went straight to the hotel to catch up on sleep.

Day 3, the day began with a trip to the Old City of Shanghai where we visited the Old City Temple and Yuyuan Garden. We were also given free time to explore some of the shops and markets leading into the Old City. After, we went to lunch and the Shanghai Communist Museum. Keeping up with the history of the People's Republic of China, we visited Dr. Sun Yat-sen's residence, the leader of the Nationalist Revolution in 1911. We ended our day at the Bund, a famous waterfront area of Shanghai.

Day 4

We began Day 4 with a trip to the Jade Buddha Temple, arguably one of the most famous Buddhist temples. This temple houses two Jade Buddha statues, one is sitting and one is reclining. They were brought to the temple in 1882, but the original temple was destroyed during the revolution. The site we visited was rebuilt in the late 1920's.

Next, we went to the Shanghai Museum. There, we got to see 11 different galleries of various art forms from even some of the earliest Chinese Dynasties and many relics from the Silk Road. These art forms included calligraphy, paintings, currency, ceramics, clothing, furniture, etc.

After lunch, we visited Song Qing-ling's Residence. She is known for her contributions to the Nationalist Revolution on her own, as well as her contributions serving alongside Sun Yat-sen as an advisor and wife.

Next, we added a stop to the Jewish Refugees Museum. During the second World War, Shanghai accepted more than 25,000 Jewish Refugees, and repurposed this Synagogue and area of the city to house them.

We ended the day at Nanjing Road. This is comparable to Times Square in New York City. There were many name-brand stores, hidden malls, and other places for us to explore.