I am not posting my usual Monday recipe, so that I can share my sister-in-law's photos from her trip to Shanghai last week. Her husband was on a five-day business trip and she accompanied him. She kept in touch by texting when she could.
First of all, an Afternoon Tea at the one of the hotels.
Another meal, not sure what everything is but it all looked excellent. I thought the dry ice effect underneath the dish of shrimp made a wonderful presentation.
In the photo below, the large globe was a dessert. We were told it was fried dough with air inside. Not overly sweet.
Here are photos she took while sight-seeing.
A few facts I read about. Shanghai has a population of 24 million people as of 2014. It is the most populated city in all of China.
It has the longest metro system in the world and beneath the city of Shanghai there are 365 miles of tunnels and track. There are 364 stations spread throughout the city, connecting major attractions, making it easy for international visitors to navigate.
The dialect of Shanghai is known for its distinct pronunciation, which differs greatly from the standard Mandarin spoken in and around Beijing. The Shanghai dialect or Shanghainese, is only 70 percent intelligible for standard Mandarin speakers. However, Shanghai is such an international city, a large proportion of the locals will have a strong command of the English language.
In 2016 Shanghai was named the most attractive city for expats for the fourth time in six years by International Talent Magazine. 48,000 expats were polled and asked to rank their city on categories such as living environment and policies for foreign professionals. Shanghai is home to over 170,000 expats as of 2015.
Tourist attractions that can be seen in Shanghai are The Bund, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, The Shanghai Tower, Yu Garden, Jade Buddha Temple, City God Temple, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, Shanghai Municpal History, Shanghai Disney Land, Shanghai Happy Valley, Shanghai Circus World
The best time to visit Shanghai is in the spring and Autumn. Summers have temperatures in the 100 range, along with high humidity levels. Winter temperatures hover around freezing and it is very damp.
If you are interested in souvenirs, Shanghai is famous for its Silk, Antiques, Porcelain, Chinese Painting and Calligraphy.
Through an online search I learned that the name of Shanghai means "Above/Upon the Sea", which alludes to the city's location along the Yangtze River Delta near the South China Sea.
Early in its history, Shanghai was a fishing village. In AD 1292 Yuan Dynasty established it as a country. Presently it is the largest city in China and eighth largest in the world.
Shanghai cooking is sweeter than other areas in China, and they consume more sugar than any other part of China.
In 1986 the White Magnolia was adopted as the city flower. The White Magnolia is among the few spring flowers in the Shanghai area.
It sounded like a great trip. The following photos she was almost back home.
I hope you have enjoyed my sister-in-law's latest travels. She always has my thanks for letting me share them.
What a wonderful, unusual, and beautiful post! Her sky photos on the way home are glorious! And the food!!! I have never seen food like it. Like the huge globe, the dry ice, too artistic to even eat. The foggy pictures are beautiful. I feel like I have been on a short and wonderful exotic trip!
ReplyDeleteI am very happy you enjoyed them Ginny. It is always fun to see another part of the world.
DeleteWow.
ReplyDeleteAs my partner is currently in China, though nowhere near Shanghai, I found these particularly interesting.
Shudder at the air quality.
Big thanks to both you and your sister-in-law.
Me too, very interested to see these photos also your husbands.
Deleteyum and so elegantly displayed food
ReplyDeleteHi Linda, I agree.
DeleteHi Denise,
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoyable to see other lucky peoples trips, Shangai looks a really modern city and my what an underground system. Air quality looks somewhat dubious however.
All the best, John
Yes I wondered about that. Last year the city unveiled its plans to battle the escalating air pollution crisis, which is good to hear as the World Health Organization named air pollution the world’s single biggest environmental health threat.
DeleteIt's a place I always wanted to visit but we never got round to it. Sad! Thanks for sharing, Denise.
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome Valerie. I don’t think I will get there either, but I have enjoyed my sister-in-law’s photos tremendously.
DeleteYou make it sound a great city to visit. Amazing stats.
ReplyDeleteHi Diane, It does sound an amazing city and I look forward to finding out more from my s-in-l.
DeleteUm belo passeio e a refeição estava com muito bom aspecto.
ReplyDeleteUma boa semana.
Andarilhar
Dedais de Francisco e Idalisa
O prazer dos livros
Thank you Francisco, happy you enjoyed. A good week to you too :)
DeleteInteresting post Denise .... I'm drawn to the large dough ball....who would have thought of that.....perhaps an accident in the kitchen! Thanks to your sister-in-law.
ReplyDeleteHappy November Denise,
Ruby
Hi Ruby, some of these culinary delights are happy accidents in the kitchen, so I have heard :) Happy November to you too :)
DeleteLoved this post a part of the world we have never been to. The closest is probably Hong Kong and that is a long way from Shanghai. All great photos, please thank your sister for giving us a virtual tour of such an interesting place.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a good week, Diane
Thank you Diane, Gregg told her about all these lovely comments, so your thanks will be passed on. I do love my armchair traveling :) You have a good week also.
DeleteHello, what a interesting and exotic place to visit. The food looks delicious, love the views of the city and sky captures. Thanks for sharing! Happy Monday, enjoy your day and new week!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it Eileen, and you are very welcome. Hope your day was a great one.
DeleteThe photos were interesting to view, Denise, especially the food dishes and that unusual dessert. Shanghai has never been on my list of places to visit anytime in the near future.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see other parts of the world, even if it is only virtually :)
Deletethanks to you and your SIL for the trip to China by chair... it is beautiful and the food is so pretty.. I love the dry ice shot. that is a lot of people to change countries and move to China.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sandra, it is always nice to see other parts of the world, even when we don't leave our own house.
DeleteA fascinating place to visit.
ReplyDeleteIt looks it doesn't it? Thanks Red!
DeleteBeautiful shots! I doubt I will ever get there, but who knows?
ReplyDeleteThanks William, I know what you mean, but as a wise person once said to me, never say never, you just never know :)
DeleteInteresting post, had no idea it was that big.
ReplyDeleteOne reason I love blogging and family and friends sending me photos when they travel, I always love learning about these places.
DeleteI love her photos. I visited Hong Kong and Macau in 2010, but never made it to Shanghai.
ReplyDeleteHong Kong was Gregg's favorite overseas visit. He has always wanted to take me. I'm glad you got to see these exotic places.
DeleteOh, my that would be a trip of a lifetime! So much to see and feel and do.
ReplyDeleteI agree Rose.
DeleteSo nice to see this selection of photographs.
ReplyDeleteIt looks an amazing place.
All the best Jan