April 15, last full day in Shanghai

Had a day exploring the city, and began by going through the so-called Bund Sightseeing Tunnel, which goes under the river from just outside the Fairmont Hotel to Pudong. We weren’t sure what to expect – I actually wondered if you had to walk across – but it turns out that you climb into a driverless carriage which is dragged on rails through the tunnel while you are treated to a light show. I have the whole journey on video if you are interested!

Our hotel, the Fairmont (the one with green pyramid roof) viewed from the Pudong side of the Huangpu River.

There is a riverside walk on the Pudong side of the Huangpu River, but unfortunately a large section of it was closed because a stretch of the riverside gardens was being used for the Shanghai leg of the Archery World Cup. We spotted what must be the world's smallest McDonald's on the riverside walk, but I think it only served McFlurries!

The world's smallest McDonald's in a rare moment of sunshine.

Nevertheless, we wandered around for a bit and then found a branch of Costa Coffee where we relaxed before trying out the Shanghai Underground (Metro). We were slightly bemused by the ticket machine until a young Chinese lady helpfully showed us what to do with a kind of sign language. When we had successfully purchased our tickets, she produced a card explaining in English that she was dumb and would appreciate a little cash. We were happy to give her our change from the machine, given that she had been so helpful, and she seemed well pleased.

We travelled for three or four stops to Xintiandi, which is a cosmopolitan area with lots of bars and restaurants. It is also the area where you can find the building where the first ever People’s Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held, in 1921. It has been perfectly preserved, including the original furniture, and turned out to be a pretty interesting half-hour or so. Tickets are free, but there is a daily limit of 2000 visitors. One of the things which struck us about the exhibits was the fact that Zhou Enlai seemed to be much more revered than Mao Zedong. Reading up in the guide book later, it appears that Zhou Enlai, who was Prime Minister under Mao’s Chairmanship, was far better educated than Mao, and regarded as a sensible chap by the West – someone they could do business with. He was also responsible, apparently, for curbing some of the excesses of the Cultural Revolution. We both thought he looked like a nice chap, unlike Mao.

Next, we visited a Haagen Daz cafe and indulged ourselves with some lovely ice cream. Check this out!

We then took a slow walk back to the hotel. On the way we found ourselves in one particular street (can’t remember the name) which was jammed full of small groups of men (about 8 – 10 per group) standing in tight inward-facing circles arguing or debating in a most animated fashion. Some of these groups were centred on blokes holding laptops, but we couldn’t penetrate the outer rings to see what was going on. Later, our guide explained that these were groups of men discussing the various merits of stocks and shares (even on a Sunday) which was a very popular pastime!

Also on the way back to the hotel, we walked through People's Square (apparently every town in China has one) and found people flying kites or spinning tops. They keep the tops spinning by occasionally cracking a whip across them, which you can just about make out in this photo.

An odd way to spend the afternoon, I thought! We kept going towards the hotel, which took us through some more hutongs (back alleys and small streets where the working classes live!). This next photo is typical, with the red propaganda banner competing with the laundry!

We also got a close-up look at one of the rag and bone man bikes. Good to see that recycling is taken seriously here!

Eventually we got back to the hotel to bathe and change before returning to Xiantiandi for supper. We grabbed a taxi from the hotel and this resulted in a bit of a discussion between me and the driver because I thought he was trying to charge me 160 yuan (£16) for a short journey. In fact, he was charging 16 yuan (£1.60) which is ridiculously cheap. That’s the norm – I just hadn’t realised it! I’m bound to say, though, that most other things – especially food and drink – seem horribly expensive here.

Jenny's bit: Both last night and this afternoon we walked down the same small street where a traffic warden was being very vigilant about who could and couldn't park, or even stop for a second or so.  It was nice to see that he made himself comfortable with a padded dining chair in the middle of the pavement where he sat between berating drivers Jx