Day two in Shanghai started with breakfast as usual, the little ticket being passed unceremoniously to the cook and our requested items appearing swiftly on our table.
Karen had discovered a rather amazing museum not too far from the B&B. Not advertised in any tourist book or website, especially any of the Chinese ones, and not Internet searchable within China, the Propaganda Art Museum was a true gem. Tucked away in a basement of a nearby residential tower block, you have to ask the guard on the gate for directions and he promptly but discretely gives you a little printed map of how to find it. Housed within the confines of a few basement rooms behind the public toilet is the last remaining Chinese propaganda posters from the Great Leap Forward of chairman Mao. Totally captivating and such an amazing sight to see. Well worth tracking down.
Taking the tube back down to the Nanjing Road East metro station again, now a lot quieter than the previous evening, we started to walk along the shops in search of a few gifts and also the Gongdelin Restaurant that I visited a few years before. Our journey also took us through the People’s Park, once the home of the Shanghai Race Course, before gambling was banned during Mao’s reign. The park was lovely, but very busy. Again, very well used by the locals, playing cards, reading papers, playing mahjong and even groups of men debating around a group of benches or more like arguing very loudly. Finding a space on a bench by the lake we spotted a couple of old guys fishing in the murky lake, assuming for their dinner. Also, a young couple, apparently in a loving embrace sat by the lake, but on closer inspection, the girl was catching up on some much needed sleep.
From the park we finally found the restaurant we’d been looking for and my memory of it being opposite a Costa Coffee shop was spot on. We dined, but not as well as in its sister restaurant near the B&B, but still really good vegetarian fare. Fed and watered we continued our walk down the Nanjing Road. Bargains were found in a branch of Uniqlo, but most of the shops were very high end, and with Shanghai Fashion Week in full flow were totally out of our price range. Picking up a box of Dunkin Donuts, we detoured through Jing’an Park rather the skirt around it as usual and discovered a little oasis of calm in the craziness that is Shanghai. What an oasis it was too.
Sadly, with an early start in the morning, we had to pack our suitcases and ensure that once again we could squeeze everything back in it. With cases successfully stuffed we headed out one last time for a walk around the recently discovered Jing’an Park, enjoying a fresh fruit juice whilst watching bats flitting around the lake, birds roosting in the trees and just taking in for the very last time the illuminated park and surrounding tower blocks. This was a delightful end to our stay in bustling Shanghai.
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