Shaghai - Day 5

On our final morning in Shanghai I walked through an area parallel to 'Oxford Street' (Nanjing Road) known for book shops, art supplies and stationery and picked up a few presents for friends.

After my morning's browsing I met up with Bridget for lunch at a local restaurant around the corner from our hotel. For our after dinner coffee we went to the Raddison. This hotel was a couple of doors down from ours and considerably taller. On the top of the hotel is a large round 'spaceship'. This houses a restaurant and bar. As we arrived after the lunch service had finished we had the lower floor of the spaceship to ourselves for a cup of coffee and a 360 degree view of Shanghai. (If we'd been there for lunch the restaurant would have been gently revolving) We were so impressed by the view that once we'd met up with Laura we went back so that she could have a look too.

You can see how the older areas are being overshadowed by the high rise developments.

This is the People's Square, the Shanghai equivalent of Tiananmen Square. You can't see it in the picture but in the top left hand corner is Marks and Spencers!

A birds eye view along Nanjing Road to Pudong.

It really does seem as though everything can and will be carried by bike. I've seen dogs, brick a brac, a lady on a garden lounger, cages of rabbits and ducks and here a ladder. I'd love to see someone doing this in London!

After our visit to the space ship the three of us went to visit the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre. This was an amazing collection of propaganda posters and art housed in a basement of a block of flats - which in itself made it interesting to find, despite helpful directions from other members of the company who had already visited! It started as a personal collection by the owner before he created the museum. It was fascinating to see the development of these kind of posters and I would recommend a visit to anyone travelling to Shanghai. 

Off to the metro and the theatre for our final show.

After the get out a quick stop at the Raddison bar - in the top half of the spaceship - for a nightcap and a farewell to Shanghai and our Chinese adventure. 

Shanghai - Day 3

Toady Bridget, Laura and I went off to explore in the French Concession, the area that the theatre is in. We started by taking the underground to Damuqiao Road. Here you can see the modern high rises.

You just can't escape! Janine trumped us though - she spotted a Tesco Express!

In the older area of the French Concession the housing becomes more low rise. The streets have lots of trees lining them, for which we were very grateful to the French settlers!

We stopped for coffee in this rather swanky cafe. This area had been redeveloped recently. The former knitting factory was now some nice shops and flats with excellent green credentials (at least according to the guide book). Good coffee and cake though.

Russian Orthodox Mission Church.

Laura's guide book recommended a visit to the lobby of this hotel. The Mansion Hotel has a beautiful Art Deco and most importantly nicely air conditioned lobby. We had a little look inside and tried out the sofa's which were very comfy, and that air con was deliciously cool. We reluctantly left before someone realised we weren't meant to be there and got thrown out

We walked down more leafy streets, had a nose in a few shops heading in the general direction of the theatre.

We saw this sign on the entrance to an apartment block close to the Conservatory of Music. Having lived in a Halls of Residence with musicians I love it! After the show we were taken to Lost Heaven Lounge by the British Council (one of our sponsors) for drinks.

This was an amazing bar on the roof top of a building just off the Bund.

Shanghai - Lyceum Theatre

The Lyceum Theatre, Shanghai.

This theatre was built in 1931 and is Deco in style. It was built by a group of ex-pats who used it for amateur performances. Margot Fonteyn performed here as a child, whilst her father working in Shanghai for the British Tobacco Company.

There was not prompt desk and no cans system here. I sat out at the back of the auditorium with David and Tom and cued the show with arms signals!

The whole gang. Cast, crew, our producer Caro and our Chinese colleagues Flora and Regina. 

Shanghai -Day 1

I went to the theatre to meet Bridget and as per my usual impeccable sense of direction walked down the wrong road when I came out of the underground. Half an hour later having found Grandma's Kitchen, a nice looking Italian cafe and C and A I made my way to the theatre and caught up with Bridget.

Lyceum Theatre, Shanghai.

Bridget and I walked from the hotel down to the river. There was a man playing a sax on the balcony of a department store - no idea why I'm afraid.

The Peace Hotel in the foreground and the Oriental TV tower in the back ground.

Chen Yi Monument.

Pudong. This area of Shanghai has been developed since 1990 when it was paddy fields and market gardens.

Huangpu River.

Shanghai Gold Exchange.

Whilst Bridget and I were on the Bund with all the old buildings some of the others were in Pudong. In the Shanghai World Financial Centre, on the observation deck. That's the tallest building in the picture, the one that looks like a bottle opener and the observation deck is the lower part of the top span (if that makes sense). And not only is it very high up but it also has a glass floor, so I was really glad that Bridget and I were on the Bund, on the ground!

Shanghai Pudong Development Bank.

After our walk along the Bund Bridget and I met up with those who had been to the Shanghai World Financial Tower a little closer to the ground, at Cloud 9 the cocktail bar of the Jinmao Tower - a mere 84 floors high! (The Jinmao Tower is to the left of the Shanghai World Finance Tower in the earlier photo and second tallest building in the photo). Cocktails in the sky - I could get used to this!

Back at our hotel we had planned on a quiet nightcap but were persuaded to try the Karaoke bar, which was very camp fun!