Pudong-
Shanghai Tower
At 632 meters of height (2,073 ft), the Shanghai tower is the tallest building in China and the second tallest in the world (as of 2019). The public observation deck is on the 118th floor and it was exciting to be on the world’s second fastest elevator, with my ears popping while we ascended!
Maglev Airport Rail Link
China chose the German company Siemens to build a 30 kilometer “demonstration” maglev railway line that terminates at the Pudong airport in Shanghai. The technology is impressive, and the train is rated to go as fast as 430 km/hr. As a demonstration implementation, it only runs at this high speed for a while each morning. I took the conventional metro line to the airport and then rode the maglev line back as far as it went, completing my journey on the metro again. I rode in the afternoon, at “only” 300 km/hr. It was still and exciting and different sort of experience!
The ride was smooth and it was a bit exciting the way the line “banked” into curves!
Out and about
Based on various travel guidebooks i consulted, the shopping area adjacent to Yu Gardens seemed like a must-go attraction. The gardens themselves were closed due to some remodeling activity underway, so I went straight to the shopping sector. I was fairly disappointed. Brand-new “Qing Dynasty” buildings with glitzy silk, pearl, and souvenir stores, packed with people. More than anything, the crush of tourists in the area seemed ripe for pickpocket activity. I looked around a bit and left.
Nearby was a zone more to my taste: Tiny earthy shops with aggressive haggling and an eclectic variety of goods. I was really disappointed that the kite store did not have one small enough for me to pack in my suitcase! 🙁
Night Cruise on the Huangpu River
Just for fun I took a night cruise on one of the many boats plying the Huangpu River, passing between garishly lit skyscrapers on the Pudong side and brightly lit colonial period remnants of foreign dominance on the Puxi side. As the tourist boats sailed up and down the river, darkened cargo barges slipped silently by.
