My trip to China, part 1: I visit the Bund in Shanghai

Hello from China! I have recently arrived in Shanghai, the most populous city in China. Shanghai is located on the east coast of China, near the mouth of China's longest river, the Yangtze. The city is a very important port, and it is also a financial hub for the entire world. With a population of more than 14 million people (and growing), Shanghai is a booming metropolis. It's quite an intimidating place for a little bear!

Unlike many cities in China, Shanghai is not especially old. It is true that people have lived in this area for 5,000 years, but Shanghai was still a very small village well into the 19th century. It was only with the coming of Europeans to China that Shanghai really began to grow.

In the 19th century, the Chinese government was especially weak, and that meant that other, stronger countries could force the Chinese government to give them special privileges. European countries such as the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, plus Japan and sometimes the United States, took over parts of Shanghai. They tried to keep Chinese people out of the special parts of the city that they set up for themselves, which were called "concessions." The foreign imperialists did not treat the local Chinese people very well. A famous sign in one park in Shanghai even declared, "No dogs and Chinese allowed."

The Europeans constructed buildings that reminded them of home. Shanghai was built along a river called the Huangpu. Right along the shore of the Huangpu, the British built a wide boardwalk that they called "the Bund." All the architecture along the Bund looks like buildings from Europe. You can still see these buildings today.

I pose in front of some of the old buildings on the Bund.

Here I am in front of the Customs House.

Here I am in front of the headquarters of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.

Here are some other old buildings on the Bund.

Right across the river from the Bund, you can see a totally different kind of architecture. In 1993, this land was very undeveloped, and it consisted mostly of rice paddies. In that year, the Chinese government decided to make Pudong (the area east of the Huangpu) into a "Special Economic Zone" with low taxes to encourage development. Today, Pudong looks like this.

Here I am in front of Pudong.

Pudong's most recognizable building is the Oriental Pearl Tower, a futuristic building that is decorated with several purple spheres. The Oriental Pearl Tower is one of the tallest structures in the world.

I pose in front of the Oriental Pearl Tower.

A wider view of the Oriental Pearl Tower on the other side of the Huangpu.

Shanghai's building boom has led to lots of interesting new buildings all over the city. Here is a photograph of me standing in front of Shanghai's spiffy opera house.

Let's go see an opera!

Across the street from the opera house is the People's Square, a big open area right in the center of the city. In the middle of the park is the Shanghai Museum, where you can learn all about the city's history.

Here I am in front of the Shanghai Museum.

No trip to Shanghai would be complete without a shopping trip on Nanjing Road. This street is one of the most famous shopping districts in the world, and it is lined with very fancy stores. It reminded me a lot of the Ginza in Tokyo, which was one of the first places I ever visited. Like the Ginza, Nanjing Road has a lot of vertical neon signs.

I am ready to shop on Nanjing Road.

I'm really enjoying my time in Shanghai so far, and I'm looking forward to exploring the city more so that I can share it with you!

--Benny