Last week, Bill and I spent our date night at Danieli's, a very quiet Italian restaurant, with fabulous food. It resides on the 39th floor of a hotel, on the PuDong side of Shanghai, and has a beautiful view of our side of the city, all the way to the Pearl Tower and the HuangPu River.
As we sat at a table for two beside the window, we enjoyed looking down at the sea of blue-roofed apartment building below us, seeming to stretch farther than we could see. These buildings, which we expect are government housing, are occasionally disrupted by a new skyscraper or two, and were probably built 15 or so years ago, as was all of PuDong.
We enjoy watching the sunset from these locations, followed by the colorful lights which brighten the city after dark. It is the big city part of Shanghai that we like, and never would have thought we would be a part of. It is much like New York, over a wider expanse. This night was perfect for this view, peaceful and serene.
This week, we again went to Danieli's, but this time we took our Mandarin teacher, to celebrate her 25th birthday. We enjoyed the view so much last week, we squeezed three of us, into one of those window-side tables for two. Towards the end of our meal, it began to storm. It was a completely different height than Bill and I have seen a storm from before, and we watched as it raged on, visible to us from the window on the other side of the restaurant as well.
Most of the time we merely saw the sky light up from a lightning bolt we could not see, but twice it was very clear. Both streaking across the sky from different directions, one right after the other, hitting the top of the Pearl Tower. I am used to the lights of the Pearl Tower, but not of this kind. I wondered if the tourist and such in the tower could feel it when it hit?! It was quite a sight to see, and I am glad to have experienced this very different view from the sky.
At the crack of dawn this morning, we experienced another kind of Shanghai housing. Much different from the sea of blue, it is housing that was built in the late 19th and early 20th century, and is called "Shikumen"(stone gate) housing. It was created for local people to live in around western communities, to provide a sense of security and community, and is quickly disappearing in Shanghai.
We were in this area by means of a very well-known photographer, who grew up in these houses, and uses them as a backdrop for his subjects. They are quaint and beautiful, with a mix of Asian and western architecture, and very much a part of the history in Shanghai.
Our appointment was at 7am, which meant we had to leave the house at 6:15am to get to the other side of the river, which meant I had to wake the kids up a few minutes before 6am. Once we managed to drag Ethan out of bed (yes, the one that is usually up at 5am anyway) and out the door, we were on our way, as the other two had decided to oblige me without arguement.
When we got to our meeting location, the photographer walked us in to the Shikumen housing lanes. The neighborhood was coming to life. An older gentleman was walking around in his boxers, another was brushing his teeth in the street. The street corner vendor was cooking up some breakfast for his patrons, and a small group of individuals were preparing fish for cooking. The day's laundry was getting hung to dry and long green beans were being prepared for a meal.
Gangfeng, the photographer, sets us up for the first shot. Suddenly, Ethan starts getting visibly upset, and Carleigh crumples into ball and decides she doesn't want her picture taken. Mom starts sweating. This could be due to the humidity, but is most likely due to the stress, and exasperated by the weather. Bribery begins, I am not beyond bribery when it comes to these situations. I may be slightly poorer, and my kids richer, but it saves my sanity. We will see how my money paid off in regards to the photos in a few days.
Such is a day in the life.....
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