Shanghai

I visited the biggest bookshop in Shanghai and was a happy camper! Books in China are so cheap and well-made they're a joy to hold in your hand!



Daddy Long-Legs was one of the few Chinese books i read while growing up (though translated from English) so this edition with audio CD is a keeper for me. It looks so nice i bought another one for a friend. Price was only about 4USD!!!!!!



And the main point of this trip to Shanghai.. buying an electronic French-English-Mandarin dictionary.. Armed with instructions from Serene, I finally found it after going to a couple of bookstores and not succumbing to greedy salesmen. I'm over the moon really. It's great cos it's small and slim and cost me only 95USD! No more lugging around thick books.





Exploring the nooks and crannies of the other Shanghai.



And all these just right next door to our hotel! Each time I'm in China, this proverb always springs to mind: Necessity is the mother of invention.

And if you don't even realise what is necessary to stay ahead, then be prepared to be trampled on as the rest pass you by.

beijing again...

Some shots of Beijing's Water cube aka the National Aquatics Centre... Olympic buzz is palpable yea. But the Olympic village is still closed to public :( I really wanted to peep inside to see the pools but no entry!





And I met Daniele Massaro on my flight! He apparently was a football player in AC Milan but now is doing PR for them. I of course didn't know who he was except that he was lugging a big trophy with him. To kill time, i asked him about the trophy when he showed it to us.. the Champions' league trophy!!!! In all its shiny glory! AC Milan beat Liverpool to the title last year and I guess he's bringing it back to Europe for the upcoming finals.



I know nuts about soccer but i do know that the Champions' League is like a big thing? The cup was really heavy and had a few medals inside. And it's HUGE. Come to think of it, i may have seen it on TV a few times but i must have flipped quickly past to another more frivolous channel.

On another note, thanks for all yr sweet messages.

  
  
XOXOXOXOXO

Nanjing

Back from Nanjing.. my first time to this Chinese city so rich in cultural heritage its impossible to just eat and shop as i often do in Shanghai.
So Kyan and I decide we must at least visit Dr Sun yat-sen's Mausoleum, located in Purple gold mountain.



But to get to his tomb, u first have to enter thru a few grand gates.. typical of chinese monuments.



And then up 342 steps!!!!!!! Kyan and me debate for quite a while... but we are fit and young! Ha or so we think.



We stop to rest a few times... my thighs are aching and i dont believe why i cant do it as easily as i imagined!



View from the top... you can see the surrounding forest... its beautiful. His tomb is enclosed in a chamber, u can see a marble coffin under which lies his real copper coffin... quite spooky actually. No photos could be taken inside.



Random street scene at night - the city is alive with night hawkers and office workers milling around.. the modern city is great for shopping & entertainment too and i have no doubt it will soon be on par with shanghai.

Beijing

"Gain glory for your country.. add color to the Olympics."

Propaganda for the 2008 Olympics hits u the minute u enter Beijing. Billboards are splashed with huge messages as u enter the city.. It's not my first time to China, but somehow, Shanghai seems so boring compared to Beijing. The latter has got so much more character. Spanking new developments rise alongside old historical buildings but there is no stark contrast... just a beautiful wintry old-town feel.

After a good night's sleep, i reject offers to go shopping (i do get tired of it sometimes too) & decide to explore the city a bit. Seeing that the Great Wall is a little too far, i opt for the Forbidden City aka Imperial Palace, home to the last few emperors of China.

Walking along the walls of the palace... half the river is frozen with dead fishes... the other half has melted as spring approaches.

As i enter through the huge gates, i am quite frankly, awestruck. I have to turn myself several times to get my bearings because the place is HUGE.

My pictures fail to capture the enormity & majesty of it all... the imperial architecture & grand courtyards are simply amazing.

U can only imagine the splendour with which the emperors lived.. and the number of workers who lived alongside them.

The throne on which the emperors handled political affairs... i could almost picture a eunuch or palace maid inside!

Modern comforts bring me back to reality... i find the juxtaposition of ancient vs modern quite amusing!

On my way to Tiananmen Sq, the site of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre & a place i've always wanted to visit.

When i see it for myself finally, i can only begin to comprehend the protests that took place here many years ago and the innocent people who died... seriously the square is kickass big. Just imagine how many people..

Errant cab drivers aside, Beijing is a wonderful place to visit... it has so many monuments of historical value... definitely a place to visit if u're planning on a trip to china sometime!