鸡毛飞上天: First Impressions

 So at the moment I am watching episode 2 of 鸡毛飞上天. This is a very interesting TV drama because of the trade in 义乌, 浙江 known as 鸡毛换糖. I feel the need to know more about the economy in different parts of China and today I chanced upon this on Youtube. 

Episode 1 is about the young 鸡毛 who as a baby was found by a head of the 陈 clan in 义乌. Because during Mao's time peddling sugar is seen as capitalist in nature and therefore forbidden by CCP's Marxist doctrine, and the main livelihood of 义乌' s residents lies in selling candies, the men are rounded up and taken into custody. They are saved by 鸡毛 together with his young friend by causing a fire. 鸡毛 is considered a hero and is given the proper name 陈江河 but soon after the officers suspected that the fire was a deliberate to free the men, and have caused unease among the villagers until they find the culprit. 鸡毛 owns up and is taken into custody but is saved by his friend. Before leaving they found a butchered pig hanging and cut it up to pieces to gift the villagers. 鸡毛 is sent away in order to save him, and his foster father 金水 owns up to all that happened. 鸡毛  meets a youngster who lives under a bridge. This youngster turns out to be a girl named 小骆 whose mother passed away and whose stepmother arranged for her to be married off except she is actually sold off to traffickers and she escaped from them. The two bickered a lot but eventually learned to trust each other after running away from officers who crack down on candy-peddling. 

In episode 2, 鸡毛 leaves 小骆 (骆玉珠) and the latter comes to the former's village where the rattledrum left by 鸡毛 is almost broken by 陈金水 who had already prohibited anyone in the village to go out and peddle candy. The rattledrum is actually the signal for the candy peddlers in pretty much the same way that in PH, we know the dirty ice cream man is near when we hear bells. Meanwhile, 鸡毛 meets a university student named 英杰 on the train bound for Beijing. This person becomes interested in 鸡毛 for the latter's innate economic skills and he shared more about economic principles to 鸡毛. Before they part ways and promise to meet in 义乌 after three years, he tells 鸡毛: "义乌之外有中国， 中国之外还有世界。只有借着太平洋，大西洋的风，鸡毛才能真的飞上天。" In the next days he writes to his village and tells them about his trips but mainly focusing on information his village will need. He provides them with things that places in China lack, as well as places that produce excellent goods like 西北's wool and beef but needs toothpaste and soap as well as porcelain bowls and glass cups. 英杰 returns to 义乌 and is close to 谢书记. By this time, 陈金水 has taken 180 degree change and is totally against marketing efforts. In one meeting, 英杰 shares his many learnings from meeting 鸡毛/陈江河. 谢书记 expresses his wish to break the generational poverty in 义乌 by reviving its traditions. 

In episode 3, 鸡毛 finally returns to his village and meets 骆玉珠 again. He starts a company with fellow young adult villagers to gather cloth scraps from a company and to turn these into mops to be sold cheaply for steady income.

This drama is something that is perfect for the Holy Week. The acting is excellent. The cinematography is excellent. There is something in the characters that say that the storyline will never be boring. It tells the story of a process and this process spans 30 years, turning a poor village's simple way of life and leveraging it to enter the global market. I should have watched this along with so many TV dramas and movies that capture the impact of China's market reforms to the lives of ordinary citizens.

红高粱 (1988)

This week I continued to watch a Chinese action film about the poet 李白 who is made into a vigilant reminiscent of Batman, and yet still did not finish the film. Today instead of working on my thesis, I watched a movie I have always been curious about.  I finally found a copy in Youtube except it does not have English nor Chinese subtitles (save for some folk songs in the movie) which is fine since I leveled up a lot after I vowed to be better at Mandarin upon seeing my low score in HSK level 6 exam. I did pass, but my heart is not happy with what I achieved. 

The film is about a woman named 九儿 (九 is homophone of 酒 which is also central to the story) who is being sent off to be married to an old man. Along the way, the entourage was blocked by a bandit who almost raped 九儿 had it not been for a worker who is referred to by the Main Narrator as "My Grandpa". This grandpa pounced on the bandit and initiated the attack that was eventually joined by his coworkers leading to the bandit's death. Later  on, grandpa will himself rape 九儿 although it is more like carrying her off in the fields of sorghum and it seems that whatever happened between them is consensual. The old man died suddenly and 九儿 assumes the role of boss of  the wine distillery with the help of an old worker Luohan. The men had a feast and folk songs are shown alongside rituals expressing pride of their own made red sorghum wine. Later on, 九儿 is kidnapped by a man named Sanpao who owns a butcher shop. He demands ransom and when 九儿 is freed, grandpa goes to Sanpao seeking revenge and calms down when Sanpao tells him he did not touch 九儿.

For a while, the distillery people lived in peace and 九儿 is seen to be happy with her young son who plays among the wine jars. Luohan leaves the distillery without a word and disappears as 九儿 chases after him. It turns out that he joined an anti-Japanese resistance and is later revealed to be caught alongside the bandit Sanpao. The Japanese round up the people of the distillery and cause terror, bringing with them the two prisoners. A butcher who works for Sanpao is praised and given money for his good work on skinning an animal and is later ordered to skin Sanpao alive which he refused and stabbed Sanpao instead to give his boss a quick death. Luohan is not as lucky as the other skinner obeyed the Japanese order because his life is under threat. The skinning alive of Luohan is witnessed by 九儿 and everyone. They vowed to avenge his death and in the end everyone dies except for the narrator's father (九儿's son) and grandpa.

This movie by Zhang Yimou seems to me to be an allegory of the struggles of the Chinese people. First is the emancipation from capitalism (death of the old leper). Then, the internal conflict seen in the bandit kidnapping 九儿, as well as the narrator's grandpa raping 九儿 (Chinese victimizing fellow Chinese). Third, is the terror wrought by the Japanese which made some Chinese turn to their own kind, but which also shows the nobility of the Chinese spirit to rise against foreign aggression. In all three, it is interesting that the female is seen as the ultimate victim who can temporarily achieve success but who will still ultimately die. There are so many things one can discuss with regards to this movie and it pretty much reminds me of the Filipino classic Oro Plata Mata which is disturbing to say the least. It should also be noted that Zhang Yimou is also the one behind another favorite wartime movie of mine: The Flowers of War.

微微一笑很倾城/ Love 020 (First Impressions)

So I have been crying while watching Godzilla (yes, I cried buckets of tears but don’t judge me!) and 四月わ君の噓 (which I can totally relate to and which is about music so I really am bound to cry!) and every Saturday I go to the municipal library to use their free WIFI and watch Youtube videos.

the virtual wedding of Yixiao Naihe and Luwei Weiwei

I stumbled upon Love 020 (a.k.a. A Smile is Beautiful/ 微微一笑很倾城) one day while randomly watching videos on Youtube. It kept appearing in my feeds and so out of curiosity I clicked episode 1, thinking it’s another one of those wuxia or fantasy dramas. (My sister also said she often sees it on Youtube… Hmmmm…) It turned out to be a good mix of both, except that the period stuff is limited to the virtual world of gaming while the characters are actually university students. It’s hard to believe that Mainland China has made this series. Previous attempts were a flop, like the Mainland version of Meteor Garden, which I never bothered to watch even an episode. So maybe what they say about China finally being serious with strengthening soft power is true. Also, what a fine way to finally showcase how well-off Chinese citizens are now. Love 020 is, in my opinion, a successful project because of the following elements:

1. good-looking actors and actresses so one can’t help but go KYAAAAAAAAAA~ (Compared to previous drama series where they fielded in common-looking actors… ugh!)

2. Excessive use of computer graphics which is sending out a message that China is now technologically advanced (After all, they now have the four modern precious inventions which are very relevant in today's digital age as the four precious ones were in the past. Indeed, we are seeing the revival of China in this century.)

3. The cutesy plot is similar to J-Dramas which feed on female fantasies of the ideal man (KYAAAAA~ again… My Domjouji ideal will soon be overshadowed because… Yangyang, why look so hot either as 肖奈/Xiaonai or as his virtual alter ego Yixiao Naihe 一笑奈何!!! *insert smiley with hearty eyes) Xiaonai is not just the top player in the online game, he is also a basketball player, a swimmer, a budding technopreneur, a go player, and a heartthrob to boot. (They should have added that he is a talented pianist or violinist, too! *sarcasm) If a person is that kind of a package, he will surely have large eyebags, but no, they packaged him as everything you can look for in a man, except he’s not a musician. BOO! (Coz damn it, the Chinese have a very long musical history, why not bank on that??? Come on!)

On the romance part, I find it really superficial that Xiaonai falls in love with Weiwei upon seeing her play, because she plays calmly and with grace, her swift fingers confidently pressing keyboard keys and effortlessly defeating her virtual alter ego’s adversaries with poise. (As in many shallow TV series, the characters fall in love because of superficial things, not because of virtues and values. Ugh!) It just so happens that Weiwei is an equally strong character. She is the top female player in the game, the Computer Science Department Beauty Queen, a brilliant techie who knows how to fix her own laptop, and is a loving friend. So in a way, it is refreshing to see a strong independent woman in this series unlike the those we usually encounter in K-Drama (Goblin anyone?). Her only “flaw” is just she “was an old shoe”, having “married” in the game to complete a quest and getting divorced by the asshole so he can “marry” a different female player. So when the super popular top player 一笑奈何 proposed to her, we see people’s double standards who think 芦苇微微 is not good enough for him but nobody condemned her previous “husband” for requesting “divorce” in the game. But 一笑奈何 acts as the perfect gentleman when he ensured that there will be a lavish wedding ceremony and that those who badmouth his wife are horribly punished. KYAAAAA~. And they really are a perfect couple because they both are so well-composed and sensible, both are well-respected and looked up to in school, and both are good-looking.

Luwei weiwei on her second wedding day--- this time to someone who will become his real lover

Yixiao Naihe on horsebck leading the wedding procession

First date as husband and wife... KYAAAA~~~

Notes:

1. The characters study in one of China’s prestigious universities, Tsinghua. I am astounded at how different the dormitories look compared to the ones I visited in Xiamen (not Xiamen University). I don’t know if these are just edited but I find Tsinghua University a beautiful place and the dormitories are very clean, tidy, and full of cute stuffs, like the ones you usually in Taiwan or Japan. So is this China’s way of luring international students to one of their best schools? If that’s the case, I WANT TO GO (and perhaps find my Xiaonai there KYAAAAAA)!!!

2. Is this China’s way of encouraging its youth, especially women, to take up Computer Science? I’ve watched one interview after Xi Jinping’s super lengthy speech during the last National People’s Congress and the Party openly says that science and technology are top priorities for the country’s continuous development. After that, a female scientist was interviewed about the pros and cons of working in the science sector because apparently female scientists are only allowed to work up to a certain age, a limiting factor indeed for women who have brilliant minds (and needless to say, an unnecessary loss to China’s booming tech industry.) So maybe they are lifting constraints for women after all?

So anyway, I will have to watch all 30 episodes to know. But this early, after watching two episodes, I already formed some observations and hypotheses. LOL. It’s the month of love (except I am lonely in a faraway country IN WINTER season) so I am allowing myself to partake in kilig moments in this series… while trying to shut my hyperactive mind up coz my overthinking often overshadows my [frail and fragile] heart. 

****************************

Trivia: Yangyang played the role of Jia Baoyu in the 2007 remake of Dream of Red Mansions. *hearts in eyes.

Beauty and the Beast (2016)

I was never a Disney fan for the simple reason that I find the modified fairy tales to be unappealing. Perhaps it is because I first encountered the fairy tales in the [almost] original version. (There are still a lot of work to be done in determining which is the original but my point is that I read the non-Disney versions first.) As a child I grew up loving the story of the Little Mermaid because of her adventurousness, her courage and compassion which definitely stand out from the other characters that inspired the creation of the Disney princesses. Aside from her, I also like the feisty Jasmine whose frustrations from her situation motivate her to go out and seek knowledge of the outside world. While I like Belle because she's the only booklover in the lot, her story is not as convincingly good given the many Deux-ex-machina-like elements in the story without which Belle is doomed to fail. (An example is having a really smart and very strong horse who can remember the way to the Beast's castle and who can go back and forth without even resting or replenishing itself. Another is the presence of magical items, the magic mirror in particular, that make it convenient for the Beast to act as savior to his soon-to-be lady love.)

Last week, A and I watched Beauty and the Beast, one of the 2016's most awaited films primarily because of two things: 1) Emma Watson plays the role of Belle, 2) it's a live version of the Disney animated movie. I am only interested because of Emma Watson whom everyone loves as the bright and spunky HP heroine Hermione. (But how fast she as grown!!!)

While I know the stories, I must confess that I haven't really found the time to watch the Disney movies so I remain ignorant about the songs (except for the main themes) and other theatrical tidbits. As a child, I loved more to read than to watch anything on TV, unless it's anime. And of course I have read the Disney stories so I know that the movie has done a great job in being faithful to the animated films. And one bonus is that it also explores what happened to Belle's mother which also answers how come a liberal-minded Maurice would end up raising a willful daughter in a sleepy town where girls are not encouraged to pursue education. Kudos also to the production team for making non-living things come out very much alive, in both figurative and literal sense, as they gave a spectacular performance welcoming Belle into the castle while performing "Be Our Guest", easily one of the most anticipated scenes.

Another scene which a lot of people must be looking forward to is Belle and Beast's first dance. I cried the whole time as the main theme plays in the background. "(...) Barely even friends when somebody bends unexpectedly..." got me thinking about the relationship I am in. Beast in all his selfishness and well, beastly looks, enjoyed the love of an intelligent girl who knows the importance of being true to one's heart than minding the opinion of others. I think that is a form of courage that is hardly replicated in real life when people would rather stay in their comfort zones and give up at the slightest difficulty. A strong will, anchored on authenticity, is very rare these days. That's one, and the other is that I loved how they were able to mimic Belle's gown. It's very close to the one in the animated film!!! More tears, this time because of the production team's efforts.

A just laughed when he noticed the tears that silently flowed from my eyes and pulled me close to him. It's not the first time that I cried while watching a movie with him. Last year, I cried [silently] while we watched Snowden  because I could very well relate with Snowden's girlfriend who clearly loved him but who grew anxious and uncertain about the relationship because of her boyfriend's exploits though in the end [at least in the movie] it was revealed that they are still together.

Methinks though that the Beauty and the Beast could have also explored more about the enchantress and maybe put more emphasis on social injustice, that is, the palace seems to regularly hold parties while the people in the towns looked more like peasants. Maybe we can expect a steampunk version next time, like what they did with Van Helsing (2004). You know, insert French Revolution elements into the story without ending up like Les Miserables of course. (But then LM is more about the events that preceeded the FR.) Then agan, I do not know how the film people will work on it without the audience ending up hating the Beast for his extravagance. What the film did was create an explanation for why the Beast became such a narcissistic person. Maybe in another remake they can do a Maleficent kind of thing, shifting perspectives but still staying true to the story outline. Well, almost, anyway.

So there, I am looking forward to watching Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. I wonder if they will feature Uighurs since there are speculations that Aladdin is actually a Chinese Muslim. Sounds very interesting especially today when the Chinese Communist Party is imposing a lot of restrictions on religious practices and expressions on the Muslims in Xinjiang. I hear that TLM will be out soon but then again, I wonder if it will have a sad ending, the first story that made me cry. A also mentioned about possible remake of Mulan and I also look forward to that although I told him there already was a live version made by Chinese producers, the latest of which was in 2009.

The Last Emperor (1987)

Boarding Korean Airlines has been fun for me. They have a nice albeit few selection of movies both new and classic ones. One of these is the 1987 film The Last Emperor by Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci. The movie poster was familiar though I cannot recall where I saw it. I did remember visiting a museum in Xiamen back in 2008 where I first took an interest in Pu Yi. Last night, on our flight back to Manila, I chose that almost three-hour film and it doesn't disappoint.

The Last Emperor is a biographic film on the tragic life of Pu Yi who mostly lived his life in prison. The film opens with a grown Pu Yi being detained by the Russians. He tried to kill himself but was not not successful. Then came flashbacks of his life.

As an infant he was called to the Forbidden Palace after the death of the emperor. Empress Dowager Cixi proclaimed him as new emperor right then and there just before her own death. He was very pampered, with attendants around him ready to do his bidding. The people around him all assured him that he will be emperor forever. He was allowed to do everything he wished except to step outside the palace. The first time he questioned his power was when his brother visited him in the palace and told him that he is not the emperor, that the one who truly rules is the president who rides in a car. From then on, the young Pu Yi has a strong admiration for anything western, more so under the tutelage of a Scotsman named Reginald Johnston who later authored Twilight in the Forbidden City.

His first sorrow is perhaps having lost his wet nurse, his only friend inside a cold huge palace filled with rules. He chased after the carriage where his wet nurse was. When told he was already at an age where he no longer needs a wet nurse, he replied, "She's not a wet nurse. She's my butterfly." This scene is replicated later on in the film when his wife the Empress Wanrong leaves him in a car and he runs after the car but is unsuccessful.

Seemingly obsessed with being an emperor and unable to accept that he is merely a puppet, he agreed to collaborate with the Japanese and for a short period of time, ruled as puppet emperor of Manchuria which was in reality under Japanese control. It was there where his life crumbles away when he ignores his wife Wanrong who then gave birth to an illegitimate child. Her lover was the chauffeur. Her child was killed after birth by the Japanese.

When Japan announced surrender, Wanrong eventually returns a very changed person due to her addiction to opium. She spits at the Japanese, for whom she showed only contempt even before Pu Yi accepted their offer to rule over Manchuria.

Later on, Pu Yi undergoes the reeducation program under Communist rule where he begins to fend for his own. He later learns of the damage wrought by the Japanese especially in Nanking. Driven by guilt and feeling responsible for the sufferings of his country, he desires to just live in peace. He is eventually granted pardon and lives now as a gardener.

One day while in the streets, he witnesses a parade of "traitors" to the Communist cause. He sees the prison commander, his only friend in the reeducation program, and tries to persuade the soldiers that the man is good and does not deserve punishment, but in vain. Years later, he visits the Forbidden Palace as a tourist and climbs up the throne. A boy stops him and he says he used to be the emperor. Unbelieving, the boy asks him to produce an evidence and Pu Yi gets the wooden cricket house from under the throne. He received this as a gift on his coronation day.

The film ends showing tourists flocking to the Forbidden Palace, now no longer the home of the monarchs but an artifact of dynastic Imperial China.

__________________________________________________________

Watching this movie and seeing Pu Yi's struggles due to his status change from emperor to a commoner, I cannot help but think of the many little emperors in China today what with the sudden increase in number of the nouveau riche. Ill-mannered and self-centered, they will one day be at the helms of Chinese companies. It cannot be denied that China is a global power and its role in global affairs will be of importance. It is however very scary to see that the future leaders are those used to being spoiled and pampered. I wonder where the world is headed to?

Fujian Winter Trip 2012

Last year I participated in a week-long winter youth camp in Xiamen and its immediate neighboring city Quanzhou. Since it was an organized tour and everything happened so fast, I wasn't able to take down notes. Besides, we had a bus which took us to the places we visited and most of the time we were asleep. That's what I don't like about tours, everything is well-planned and you don't get to choose your destinations. However, it saves one from stress in commuting and struggling in an unfamiliar territory. I may speak their language but I am not at all confident in navigating through the area because I don't know about their transport system and I'm a bit afraid of the people. I've been to Xiamen and Beijing, my first time in China, in 2008, but like my 2012 trip, it was an organized tour. So I really wasn't motivated to learn about how things work there, a big mistake I learned later on. (I did redeem myself when I went to Shanghai early this year with my highschool friends.)

This post will not be helpful at all to anyone who is searching for a travel itinerary to Xiamen but I hope that whoever drops by this blog post will at least consider visiting the places I've been to. This post shall contain very few texts and will consist mostly of photos.

Departure from Manila

Arrival at Xiamen Airport in December

view from the top of a school in Xiamen

treats offered to guest: tea and mandarin oranges

carved wall depicting the history of Xiamen

sculptures in the park

九日山

Diamond Hotel's exotic seaworm in jelly and cucumber
(surprisingly, it tastes clean!)

鳳山寺 one of the highlights of the trip, for me

KFC-like restaurants are ubiquitous in Xiamen

bear in a park

artifacts in a musuem in Xiamen

Shrine of Koxinga (鄭成功廟)
Koxinga is widely venerated in Southern China as well as in Taiwan for  his military skills and his anti-invasion stance.

sculpture we saw while walking in the streets of Xiamen one fine night. It reads "war and peace"

cultural performance at a school

in 鼓浪嶼, one of Xiamen's top tourist destination

window shopping at night in Xiamen

 We went to many other places but most of these are schools where we interacted with some students. Missing Xiamen.
--------------------------------------
composed this while listening to Baek Ah Yeon's "Introduction to Love", the theme song in the Korean drama series "When a Man Falls in Love". I don't watch the series though.

Jewish Refugees Museum, Shanghai 04072013

Our last stop was the Jewish Refugees Museum. We had a hard time looking for it because suddenly we got disoriented for some reason when we came out of the subway.

The Jewish Refugees Museum has an entrance fee of CNY 50. My friends and I think that's expensive considering that there isn't much to see in this museum. Even a historian would be bored with it though the last part may be of interest to scholars who want to research on how Jews who sought refuge in Shanghai fared after the war.

The coming of Jews to Shanghai was made possible by Consul General 何鳳山 (Ho Feng Shan) in Vienna, Austria. He issued visas to Jews, risking his career. 

The museum is building a database of all Jews who went to Shanghai to escape the Holocaust.

Jewish altar inside the second exhibit hall

 The Holocaust is one of the most horrible human invention in the history of mankind as it sought to eradicate a race by means of torture. The exhibit narrates the events that led to the Holocaust and describes adequately how the Jewish people suffered under the Nazi regime. Jewish children were used as guinea pigs in scientific experiment, a clear dehumanization and objectification of fellow humans which can lead one to ponder on morality, ethics, and humanity at large.

The second part of the exhibit is about the life of the Jews in Shanghai during the World War 2. The Jews were very grateful for the refuge in those trying times.  

The third part, on the other hand, is about the Jews who stayed even after the war. Many started a new life in Shanghai. 

message of grateful Jews to Shanghai

The building is easily seen due to its unique architecture, the only one with red bricks. On the right are flags of nations which supported the Jewish cause during the WW2. I'm proud to see the Philippine flag.

Read more about my 2013 Shanghai Adventure

This is written while listening to Linkin Park's "Minutes to Midnight". "Shadow of the Day" playing as I was making the final touch.

龍華寺 (Longhua Temple), Shanghai 04072013

After Qibao, we went to Longhua Temple. J said that she has not been here so it was included in our list of important places to visit. Longhua means "luster of the dragon". The temple is dedicated to Maitreya Buddha, a Messianic entity in Buddhist cosmology who is said to come to teach enlightenment when dharma (right way) is forgotten in the human world. This belief runs somewhat parallel to the eschatological beliefs in the Judeo-Christian tradition. (While this is an interesting study to pursue, I will have to stick to my present goals lest I be led astray again, but this will be a cool project if ever I have the time.)

this pagoda has been around since the 10th century and can be seen from far away

two of the four Heavenly Kings. I think these four are a mainstay in all temples...

The entrance fee of Longhua Temple is only CNY 10 and yet one can see many things. The area occupied by the temple is very big and Jade Temple pales in comparison. And since we went there in the afternoon, I couldn't remember how many times I asked myself if I had come to the end already. There's just way too many entrances and one courtyard to the other takes you to different praying stations.

Buddha with swastika.

 While looking at the Buddha sculptures, I chanced upon one with a swastika sign on his chest. While I know that swastika was originally associated with Buddhism before it became a Nazi symbol of tyranny and oppression, I don't think I have ever seen the sign in any Buddhist temple I have been to. The swastika actually symbolizes being with the higher self, a main thought in Buddhism.

Guanyin... I can tell by the number of hands!

Another familiar deity is the Guanyin Pusa, or more popularly known in the West as the Goddess of Mercy. The many hands of this deity signifies her willingness to uplift the lives of many people.

Read more about my 2013 Shanghai Adventure

七寶 (Qibao town), Shanghai 04072013

We had breakfast at the hotel, having bought food the night before. I love the [starch] potato chips which are very cheap and taste almost like pringles though these are thicker and mildly flavored. These potato chips are sold on the street near the hotel we stayed in. Aside from this, we had cakes and the dark green thingies which were made of glutinous rice which we bought near Jade Temple. Last night we saw lots of people flocking to the stall and we got curious so we bought some for ourselves. And they're not bad, considering I used to not like Chinese pastries (except hopia and mooncake). The two instant noodles were bought by V. We all agreed that the sour fish flavor is more delicious. (And now I miss those noodles!)

breakfast of junk food on our last day

Our last day in Shanghai was a Sunday. 七寶 (Qibao town) was already crowded by the time we got there in the morning and as time passes by, more and more visitors flocked to the famous ancient town which is more than a thousand years old now.

On the way to Qibao, one can see the town's history on the walls

The town, which literally means "seven treasures", (and is also the kanji name of Shippo the small fox in the animé Inu Yasha for a bit of trivia) derives its name from the presence of Qibao Temple. To regress further, the temple got its name because it housed seven treasures in the form of the Iron Buddha, a bronze bell, a Lotus Sutra scripted in gold, a thousand year old Catalpa tree, a jade axe, a gold cockerel, and a pair of jade chopsticks.

Qibao is a water town... reminds me of Water 7 in the animé "One Piece"

Like 豫園 (Yuyuan), Qibao is famous for many small shops selling assorted crafts and snacks. There are many things to do in this ancient town and it's very popular with tourists. I think the best part of this town aside from the cheap and delicious food is that there's a shop here that sells real swords! If only I had the resources and the means, I would have certainly bought one. My only worry is that it might just get confiscated at the airport. Sigh! If only I could pay for shipping.

perfect for cosplay... on second thought, they are REAL swords!

 V and I shared a bowl of goat meat ramen in this town. I was disappointed though to find it has less spices compared to the ramen houses to frequent in Manila. Still at least I got to try goat meat. It's not everyday that I get to eat goat meh heh!

Done with shopping, we headed to the subway and as we were waiting for the train, I caught a glimpse of an ad across the platform: ONE PIECE!!! I almost cried! It's true then that this animé is well-loved in this country. I should know since I used to watch random episodes on CTV when I was still a student.

Read more about my 2013 Shanghai Adventure

陸家嘴 (Lujiazui), Shanghai 04062013

Our last stop on our second day was the new financial district in Shanghai, Lujiazui, which is located on the eastern side of the 黃浦江 (Huangpu River). As such it is just across the famous The Bund which is located in the river's western side. The district boasts of the world's second tallest building, the Shanghai Tower the construction of which is nearing completion.

We got there at dusk and so we savored the sights in the busy district. Since we were all tired we just went up the wide overpass next to the subway exit and took photos. We were not interested in walking in the area anyway.

Now, isn't this a pretty and refreshing sight?

dragons in a road island: I'm thinking of having a sarimanok along Ayala Avenue and/ or EDSA...

colorful garden at the rotuna: I wish we have many of these in Manila

Oriental Pearl TV Tower: Luijiazui's most famous landmark

We didn't wait for the night to fall and left some thirty minutes after arrival. I cannot stress enough our need to sleep and rest after a whole day of walking!

Read more about my 2013 Shanghai Adventure

玉佛禅寺 (Jade Buddha Temple), Shanghai 04062013

Weary and tired from walking too much the whole day and after a huge disappointment at going to Shanghai Railway Station for nothing (V said there was a wig shop there but we didn't find it), we headed to Jade Buddha Temple where two very famous jade buddha statues can be found.

Entrance fee is 20 CNY and visitors have the option to pay another 10 CNY to go to the temple's interiors.

Jade Reclining Buddha

We spent less than an hour inside the temple because it was about to close when we got there. Still I think an  hour would suffice since there isn't much to see. My friends and I agreed that 龍華寺 (Longhua Temple) with entrance fee of just 10 CNY is better.

Read more about my 2013 Shanghai Adventure

豫園 (Yuyuan), Shanghai 04062013

Yuyuan (Garden of Contentment) is another one of those listed as Shanghai's tourist spot. The classical garden dates back to the Ming Dynasty. Since then, it has undergone countless restoration and renovation and now houses different restaurants and shops.

Entering Yuyuan

A line of crafts shop. Skilled craftsmen take to work upon order.  It makes one jealous to see them having those skills. Most products are related to carving and painting.

well-maintained garden lake

Who wouldn't love to live here? Sigh.

Also inside Yuyuan is the famed Kobayashi Cookie House where my friends and I bought some for our families back home. It's such a pity that I scrimped on food sold in stalls there. Next time, I'll be sure to spend the whole day eating at Yuyuan. Hope by then I'm not travelling on a meager budget!

Read more about my 2013 Shanghai Adventure