(Flag of the People's Republic of China)


(China Map)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009:

Thursday morning we sailed up the Huangpu River and docked in Shanghai, China for the day.

Six minute video of my arrival in Shanghai, China aboard the Diamond Princess.

All of the images below are thumbnails and can be clicked on for a larger image.

The first place I visited was the Jin Mao Tower.
The Jin Mao Tower is an 88-story landmark supertall skyscraper in the Lujiazui area of
the Pudong district of Shanghai. It contains offices and the Shanghai Grand Hyatt hotel.
Until 2007 it was the tallest building in China. Its height was surpassed on
September 14, 2007 by the Shanghai World Financial Center which is next to the building.
The Shanghai Tower, a 128-story building located next to these buildings is under construction.
The tower in the center picture below is the Oriental Pearl Tower.
At 1,535 feet high, it's the tallest completed tower in Asia.


The Jin Mao Tower was designed by the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
Its postmodern form, whose complexity rises as it ascends, draws on traditional Chinese architecture
such as the tiered pagoda, gently stepping back to create a rhythmic pattern as it rises.
Like the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, the building's proportions revolve around the number 8,
associated with prosperity in Chinese culture. The 88 floors (93 if the spire floors are counted)
are divided into 16 segments, each of which is 1/8th shorter than the 16-story base.

The eight minute video begins outside Shanghai's 88-story Jin Mao Tower. The video then continues on the top floor with a spectacular view of the city.

Next I visited Yuyuan Garden, a famous classical garden located in Anren Jie, Shanghai.
The garden was finished in 1577 by a government officer named Pan Yunduan.
Yu in Chinese means pleasing and satisfying, and this garden was specially built for
Pan's parents as a place for them to enjoy a tranquil and happy time in their old age.


In the picture below on the left you can see the double dragon above an archway in the Yuyuan Garden.
On the lower right you can see the modern skyscrapers rising behind the historical older section of the city.


On the second half of my day in Shanghai I walked all around the Huangpu district of Shanghai.
In the picture on the lower left you can see the Oriental Pearl Tower in the Pudong district.
Lower middle picture is the Bund which centers on a section of Zhongshan Road which runs along
the western bank of the Huangpu River, facing Pudong, in the eastern part of Huangpu District.
The Bund is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai.
This area is undergoing major renovation for the World Expo which will be heald here next year.
The pedestrian mall on the lower right runs for several blocks in the center of the Huangpu district.

Ten minute video begins as I walk through the old section of Shanghai, China. Next I visit the Bund along the Huangpu River. The video concludes as I walk down a pedestrian mall.

People's Square is a large public square adjacent to
Nanjing Road in the Huangpu District of Shanghai, China.


People's Square is the site of Shanghai's municipal government headquarter building,
and is used as the standard reference point for measurement of distance in the Shanghai municipality.

The five minute video below was shot from People's Square in Shanghai.

Late in the afternoon I returned to the ship which was docked at a container terminal
30 minutes from downtown. You can watch the sail away in the video below.

Six minute video of my sailaway from Shanghai, China on the Diamond Princess.

MY DAILY EMAIL SENT ON OCTOBER 8, 2009

Ni hao, Yesterday was the second of two sea days as we made our way down the Yellow Sea toward Shanghai. Weather continues to be great. The seas did get a little rocky late yesterday. The tail end of one of the three typhoons in the area stirred up a little wind. We sailed up the Huangpu River early this morning and were docked by just after 7:00. Our ship is too large to dock very close to Shanghai so it was about a 45 minute ride into town. Shanghai is a small little village of only 21 million people. Two million people larger than Beijing. The first thing I did was go up the Jinmao Tower. It's an 88 story building shaped like a giant pagoda. This was the tallest building in China until the 101 story World Trade Center across the street opened this year. Also across the street they have broken ground on a building that will be 138 floors high. In the picture below you can see both the Jinmao Tower and world trade center building off to the right. There were great views of Shanghai from the top. In the picture below you can see the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Haungpu River and other buildings. After leaving the tower it was over to the other side of the river where I walked around old town. No shortage of people here, you could hardly move. In Old Town I toured Yu Gardens and walked around the busy streets a bit. It was then over to the People Square, which is pictured below. From People's Square I walked down to the Bund along the river. Unfortunately the riverwalk along the Bund is closed as they are turning it in to a pedestrian mall for the world expo which will be held here next year. A lot of the walk down to the Bund was along a pedestrian mall which went on for about a dozen blocks. It was a fun day. Shanghai is a beautiful city. As I am writing this we have just set sail. Tomorrow is another sea day. On Saturday we have an all day call in Okinawa, Japan. Zaijian (Goodbye), Tim

Click on email photos for the large full-size photograph.

The video below is 40 minutes long of my entire day in Shanghai.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2009:

On Friday we sailed across the East China Sea toward Okinawa.



Click on the arrow above to continue to my next adventure, OKINAWA, JAPAN.

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