The Travelling Kid: Destinations!

Shanghai is a great city to explore with kids - although I would be lying to you if I told you that I took my Travelling Kid to China.

I actually took my mother, who was born in the Shanghai of the 30’s – a thrilling metropolis filled with opium dens and the world’s movers and shakers…lovingly referred to as ‘the Paris of the East’. Yes, the Shanghai that my grandmother knew and loved was ‘THE’ place to be until the Japanese invaded and the world ignited

into World War II.

The stupefying effects of today’s Shanghai come not from its opium dens, but rather the almost frantic forward facing culture and the dizzying skyscrapers that define the ever-changing skyline. Today’s Shanghai is home to one fifth of all the world’s building cranes, toiling tirelessly day and night as they rip down the old, build state of the art ‘new’, and create the architecturally astounding and bewildering new ‘Paris of the East’.

Although I opted not to take my then 22-month old son on this trip to China, there was not a moment that I wasn’t wondering what he might think of it a few years down the line when I return with him to visit his grandmother’s birthplace. The China that he will see will never be the China that I saw through my mother’s eyes, nor will it be the China that it is today as I write this and it is certain that China will turn at least one more revolution forward before my son decides what he wants to be when he grows up.

My mother was born, but did not really grow up in Shanghai. Her father, a highly decorated Marine with the First China Marines and a recipient of the Navy Cross, was either murdered or committed suicide when my mother was exactly the age that my son is now. In 1939, when the Japanese descended upon The Paris of The East, my mother and grandmother boarded one of the last boats out of China back to the US. Unraveling the mysteries surrounding this psychic wound was the catalyst for my journey to China with my mother and as Confucius said: “ A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Our journey was first and foremost a great story…a mystery unraveled, an adventure had. I am going to share our story with you and also fill you in on all the kid-friendly options in this fascinating city. (LINKS listed at end of the article)

One morning in LA, I awoke with the gut feeling that I should take my mother back to Shanghai before she passes and before the scintillating Shanghai of old gives way to the trajectory of it’s shining new future. With very little lead-time we took flight and landed in what is possibly the most astounding city I have ever encountered. Billboards blinking, impossibly tall buildings juxtaposed against the crumbling remnants of what is left of ‘Old Shanghai’…all embracing a forward facing energy that defies description. Really, truly astounding.

Shanghai of today is bisected by the HUANGPU RIVER, which divides the ‘new’ China of PUDONG from downtown Shanghai, known as PUXI. Two of the tallest and grooviest looking buildings in the city are located in Pudong: The Oriental Pearl Tower, the tallest TV tower in Asia and the amazing Jin Mao Tower, the tallest building in China. These landmark buildings are best viewed from THE BUND, the historic waterfront area and my grandmother’s favorite place to walk. She spoke of the Bund often and nostalgically. Walking the Bund with my mother was a profound experience as I imagined my grandmother walking The Bund, carrying my mother in her belly. I also imagined that Jacob would love walking the Bund, especially in the morning when tons of people show up and do their morning Tai Chi exercises. It is a sight to behold – the studied, synchronized movements of arms and legs with the slow moving boats on the grey Huangpu as backdrop. The customs houses and other buildings of the ‘30s along The Bund have been restored and now house incredible restaurants and bars with magnificent views. The view is all the more magnificent at night when the mesmerizing lights of Pudong are almost upstaged by the intense light show of passing boats.

The best location to take in the evening light show is a building known as THREE ON THE BUND. Each floor of this architectural gem is home to amazing places that will simultaneously fill your stomach and empty your wallet, including JEAN GEORGES SHANGHAI. But for my money, NEW HEIGHTS RESTAURANT, which is on the top floor, has an even better view, is more reasonably priced and is completely family friendly. I had the great pleasure of meeting the owner who is an expat from San Francisco and the food and atmosphere are exactly what a travelling family in Shanghai would want. When I was there, several families were enjoying the excellent food, great service and astounding view. My mother and I liked it so much we went twice, once for dinner and then for lunch where we enjoyed the outdoor dining patio. After your lunch you can take your kids for a walk along The Bund where they can get a close up view of the boats and barges through one of the several telescopes that line the one-mile walkway along the river. When I take Jacob, I am going to tell him to take a moment and imagine what it was like when Gamma was there as a child, when the river was teeming

with junks and cargo boats busily bringing goods to the customs houses.

Perhaps I will take Jacob on a boat ride. From the CROSS FERRY WHARF, it’s quite easy to jump on the ferry that crosses the river from the Bund to Pudong. If I take my Dramamine I might be able to up the ante and take a one hour cruise between the Yangpu and Nanpu Bridges or perhaps go for the gold and take the 3-4 hours cruise that travels east all the way to the mouth of the Huangpu River where it meets up with the famous Yangtze. If this sounds like an exciting journey for you and your travelling kid, you can pick up tickets from one of many companies. The main one is the Shanghai Huangpu River Cruise Company (Shànghai Pujiang Yóulan), at Zhongshan Dong Èr Lù 219 (phone: 021/6374-4461), located on the southern end of the Bund Promenade. There is also another office further north at Zhongshan Dong Èr Lù 153.

Another MUST SEE for Jacob will be the crazy psychedelic BUND SIGHT-SEEING TUNNEL located under the Huángpu. The tunnel connects downtown Shànghai to Pudong and it’s like a Disneyland ride gone whacko complete with tram cars, a light show and pop-up puppets. (Wàitan Guànguang Suìdào Mon-Thurs 8am-10pm, Fri-Sun 8am-10:30pm) Enter the tunnel near Nanjing Rd. on the Bund side; when you exit you will find yourself at THE ORIENTAL PEARL TOWER on the Pudong side.

http://www.shme.com/attracti/tower/tower.htm

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower elevators climb over 1,500 feet and your travelling family can take in an incredible view (on a clear day you can see all the way to the Yangtze). If you aren’t prone to vertigo, you may want to have a bite at the revolving restaurant and take in the ever-changing scenery of Shanghai from on high. Afterwards, if you want to work off your meal, head for Riverside Park at Dongchang Road where you and your travelling kid can run around the large grassy areas. Or, skip the restaurant, pick up some food and have a picnic here.

Speaking of sustenance and running around, my mother and I really enjoyed wandering OLD TOWN (NÁNSHÌ) and its charming YÙ YUÁN GARDEN and seeing what very well may be the world’s quintessential Teahouse. This 1784 teahouse floats atop the lake at the heart of Old Town, in front of Yù Yuán and is thought to be the original model for Blue Willow tableware. You reach the teahouse via the BRIDGE OF NINE TURNINGS. For sure Jacob would love this zigzagging maze-like bridge and the story behind it. The bridge was carefully designed with twists and turns to foil ‘the demons’ who apparently have a little vertigo problem. The gardens are well touristed, but if you are not visiting gardens in another town outside of Shanghai (such as Suzhou or Zhou Zhuang) you and your travelling family are sure to enjoy the fish swimming in the Lotus Pool and the huge Dragon Wall that guards over the gardens. This Ming garden is maze-like and sure to appeal to kids of all ages. The nearby Old Town bazaar is brimming with cool stuff to buy including toys, umbrellas and little this’ and that’s’. Like much of Shanghai, it is crowded, but crazily so, and I caution you to keep your child close so you don’t lose them in the throng of tourists.

But, my journey with my mother wasn’t just a tourist jaunt and although we enjoyed the Bridge and the ancient teahouse at it’s end, we found ourselves wandering the back roads and alleys of this very interesting area uncovering the bits and pieces of the old Shanghai that still exists. Laundry hangs in the back alley-ways from balconies like so many flags flying in the breeze and the elder members of the population squat hunched over steaming bowls of rice and then look up and smile at you.

Wandering the back bits of old Shanghai was a bit of a treasure hunt for us, as we imagined what it must have been like when my mom and grandmother lived there. Every day we were wondering…is this ‘the day’? Is this the day that we will glimpse a bit of my mother’s history?

We did have some clues, though. My grandmother was a bit of a pack-rat and saved everything, simply everything from Shanghai, including copies of the gas bill, the tailor tickets and the bill from the hospital where my mother was born. These bits of paper turned out to be the map for our treasure hunt because they had the addresses of the apartment where they lived and of the hospital where my mom was born. However, the street names changed after World War II, Shanghai is under constant demolition and rebuilding and so…. the adventure began.

Jason, the concierge at The Portman Ritz Carlton (where I recommend everyone to stay http://www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/Shanghai) was amazing and set us up with a driver to search out my mother’s apartment, should it still exist. As I mentioned before, the Shanghai of old is rapidly giving way to new, shiny, modern structures. The likelihood that the apartment or the hospital still existed was slim. However, we set out on a sunny afternoon in search of these treasures from the past only to find ourselves in the middle of a violent citywide demonstration against the Japanese government. We watched helplessly from our vehicle as angry Shanghainese threw rocks at Japanese Restaurants and the Japanese Embassy. Clearly this was not going to be ‘the day’.

Now, I had done some research before I left and found that my grandmother’s apartment, which was located at 525 Seymour Road (now Shaanxi Road), was located in the very same block as the Ohel Rachel Synagogue and the Jewish school. My mother had always wondered if her father was a Jew (his last name was Schoneberger) but my grandmother never wanted to talk about it. I guess that should have been the first clue…that and the fact that my grandfather, a Gunnery Sergeant in the Marines did not live on base, but in an apartment, which was clearly in the Jewish district.

Interestingly, prior to World War II Shanghai was sharply divided. The Old Chinese City was walled and guarded and the French and the British set up their own little autonomous fiefdoms. It was a very cosmopolitan, but clearly defined city and the Europeans’ influence is still felt in today’s Shanghai. The French Concession (Luwan) is a great part of the city and the French definitely left their architectural mark in this area, which is home to Fuxing Park and lots of shops along Huaihai and Zhong Lu. A trendy, yet family friendly destination called Xin Tiandi

is also here and is a modern ‘revisiting’ of Shanghainese (stone-frame) housing that was crafted by utilizing and re-imagining the original buildings. Wander the 2 block complex and enjoy some of the city’s best restaurants, shops and entertainment facilities while getting a taste of both the Shanghai of the past and the chic 21st century Shanghai. We enjoyed it – perhaps even more that most, since we seemed to cross this time bridge over and over again during our adventures in Shanghai.

So, we were enjoying Shanghai…The Bund, The French Concession, the shops, the lights, the endless pulsing energy of the city. But were we ever going to find the apartment or the hospital? That is what we kept wondering as each moment passed.

The day after our aborted attempt to locate 525 Seymour (now Shanxii) Road we took a scheduled day excursion to the lovely town of SUZHOU and wandered it’s lovely streets and canals. Our driver, Mr. Lee was an older, experienced driver and Alex, our guide was a young Shanghainese who just happened to have majored in history and specialized in the history of Shanghai. Alex was tall, gangly and clearly of the ‘new generation’. Mr. Lee was very ‘Portman Ritz Carlton’ with white gloves and all. The two of them were as excited by our ‘treasure map’ of old receipts and photos as we were and they vowed to help us locate the past. The trip to Suzhou was amazing, but our return to the city was truly one of the most memorable events of my life.

The sun had already set, but our driver persevered and all of a sudden we found ourselves entering the gates of the hospital, which now has a different name. Oddly, the door to one of the buildings was open and we walked in, astonished to find a perfectly preserved 1930’s lobby, complete with marble floors and a giant fireplace. Just at the moment we walked in, the Chief of the hospital rounded the corner and asked us politely what we were doing there, since we seemed to have slipped by the security guard. An excited exchange in Chinese between Alex our guide and the Chief ensued and the Chief was excited. Not by our story…but by the copy of the bill from 1936. The communists had destroyed all papers and this bit of history from ‘his’ hospital meant something to him. He wanted this copy of the bill…and so we gave it to him. He also told us that the lobby was exactly as it had been and that my grandfather probably sat in one of those chairs, staring at that giant fireplace, waiting for my mother to come into the world.

Sated, and ecstatic we all piled into the car. But the adventure was not over. Moments later we found ourselves in front of a very old deco building. The address read 525. This was it!! It existed AND it was walking distance from our hotel all along. Very ‘OZ’. A very click your heels and ‘you had the power all along’ to go home kind of moment. The buildings of 525 formed a center courtyard where we encountered a very drunk and very curious group of residents. Once they had been filled in on the quest, they joined the treasure hunt and helped up uncover the biggest treasure of all. We had the actual apartment number and since our new pals were very drunk they flew up the stairs with us in tow and knocked on the unsuspecting tenants who were now living in what had been my grandparents home all those years ago. Crazy. But it gets better. The family actually opened the door, let us in and graciously showed us the apartment, which had not changed in over 70 years. Turns out that the patriarch of the family had purchased the building just after my grandmother and mother left. The stove, tile and bathtub were all original. My mother got to see the bathtub that she played in and the stove that her mother made her breakfast on and to walk the steps that she ran up and down as a child.

My son may never see this place, but he will run up and down and around somewhere in Shanghai…the birthplace of his grandmother.