Shanghai...The Bund

National Day Holiday! 1 week off...I don't have my passport so I couldn't travel outside China

So I decided to meet some friends from Shenzhen in Shanghai. I managed to get a fast train ticket on October 1st, which is supposed to be the worst day to travel because of the crowds. I didn't book a ticket back, I figured I could do that in Shanghai (bad decision on my part...!) 

The Jinan train station--so crowded!

The Shanghai HongQiao Train station...even more crowded! 

Reports in China said there were 8-10 million people visiting Shanghai this past week. 

As much as I HATE crowds, I absolutely loved Shanghai. The city actually has some history, the landscaping is gorgeous, and the architecture is absolutely beautiful. You can actually see the imprint of imperialism and the development of the city. 

I can see why it is considered the Paris of the East...the city had a charming romantic feel to it.

Not to mention I felt right at home again. Theres a metro, many different western food places, a large amount of foreigners, lots of clubs and bars to meet other people, the city is clean, lots of places to shop...

My favorite part of the trip was just walking along the Bund

The Bund is the waterfront area in central Shanghai. The river divides the city into the West side (Puxi) and the East side (Pudong) 

The West side is the old city side...you can see the European buildings and the imprint of imperialism in early Shanghai.

The Eastern side is the new modern part of Shanghai, which has recently developed and is continuing to develop 

The East side of the Bund during the day

And the photos begin...even though i was with 3 other foreign people, many chinese people wanted to take a picture with me. 

The West side of the Bund: 

Most of these buildings were built in the early 1900's 

Most are banks or hotels. 

I love the landscaping!

This was my favorite building with the clock tower. During the cultural revolution, the bell was removed from the top to put in speakers to play propaganda songs and slogans. 

The Meteorological Signal Tower (the end of the Bund on the West Side) 

Of course the view of the Bund at night was spectacular, but getting a good picture was like survival of the fittest.

So many people. 

Hundreds of guards formed a human barricade

I'll post more about the rest of the trip later, this is such a long post! Just walking along the Bund was probably my favorite part of Shanghai. (Next to the shopping and going out of course ;))