Day begins with us visiting the Jade Buddha Temple. A temple which houses Multiple Buddha Statues & is definitely one of the most interesting Buddha temples of this region! The main two Jade statues are the sitting Buddha & Reclining . Interestingly , the temple now contains a much larger reclining Buddha, which is mistaken as the original by most. Apart from this, the main attraction are the golden statues representing, Buddha , Amitabha & Bhaisajyaguru ..... also representing , the past , present & future! The large golden statue of Guanyin , with Shan Cai & sculptures representing the 53 teachers of his life , are truly astounding !
The fluttering of the Red ribbons with wishes written on them & the Red lanterns swaying in perfect rhythm to the breeze , gives this entire place a tranquil festive feel !
The gift shop is a definite visit & if you don't buy some curios , you will end up buying some Chinese tea , which have medicinal qualities! J
Next is the beautiful & lavish , Yuyuan Garden ( meaning Peace & Health) ,created by Pan Yunduan in 1559, who spent almost 20 years building this garden to please his father Pan En, a high-ranking official in the Ming Dynasty. Yuyuan's landscape is in the Suzhou style, pristine & serene. The buildings, ancient trees, zigzagging bridges, ponds glittering with the colourful goldfish, pagoda's, rock formations , dragon wall .... give this garden a different look at every turn , every angle has it own distinct chichi!
And next comes the shopping for us & Dad leaves us , takes off on his own to see the TV Tower aka The Oriental Pearl Tower, to gets a birds eye view of Shanghai from the highest point of this tower.
Shopping begins with us browsing the maze of streets & lanes of the Bazaar , around the garden , where locals outdo each other selling their handiwork. And then there are other who are showcasing various local dishes! J
China main aa kar , not to visit a single Copy Market is sacrilege. So, Copy Market it is at Chang Ning Road. Urri baba , we are taken aback. It totally the opposite of all that we have seen of the spic , span & hygienic China ! This reminds me of Crawford market ... ummm ... Crawford market is better ... and then walk through to a 3 level shopping arcade with a small mall kind structure thrown in ... filthy .. takes a while for our minds to accept we are in China. And , boy oh boy , they have every designer label out here , from clothes to shoes to bags to jewellery to what nots ! Its totally a shoppers delight, if you can handle the claustrophobic surrounding!
The Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe , entertained us in the evening with their amazing stunts , gravity defying contortionism, juggling, unicycling , chair stacking, plate spinning & other acts. After the captivating performance by this troupe , we head off towards the French Quarters for dinner .
French Quarter , associated with the Ex-Pats , known as the, Paris of the East!:-) Luwan's Huaihai Road is bussing with life when we reach. Shops & Restaurants Galore , and we head towards the Stone Grill Place , a must visit for the diehard non vegetarians! Ahem! Wish we had an extra day , and I would have spent an entire day , soaking in this multi faced part of Shanghai , with its colonial set up of mansions , tree lined avenues .......
Highlights;
During the Acrobatic show , clear announcement , that no one should use their camera or webcam, since it would distract the performers. Even so , there were people who did & most were the oh so disciplined angrez!
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