I hope to live out my life as a series of comings and goings, which are really the same things, and this week is my time of leaving and arriving. Though my decision to leave was peppered with the guilt of leaving my job, my cutie kindergartners, and my friends, it is the right one. I have not failed at China; I have captured it to take with me. The language will live in my head, the food on my tongue, the sights in my eyes, the stench in my nose.
Below is my farewell slideshow to Shanghai, featuring pictures I took over the summer. They aren’t the Definitive Iconic Shanghai photos, but they’re a few little niblets of my life here.
Bye bye, Shanghai. We’ll hardly know each other when I return.
ni zai zheli
scape
Shanghai as seen from the Jinmao Tower.
butts
Dogs mark their territory, people drop their cigarette butts.
huangpu
Huangpu river as seen from the Shangri-la Shanghai
pearl tower
Oriental Pearl Tower seen from the Jinmao tower.
crystal
Mundane opulence at the Shangri-la.
bone
The city is your trash can. This bone sat here for days.
dintaifeng
The well-known up-scale dumpling restaurant, Din Tai Feng.
xialongbao
Din Tai Feng's famous soup dumplngs (小笼包)
gluten
Cold gluten, mushrooms, and edamame at Din Tai Feng.
green beans
The Chinese know how to make green beans, like these from Din Tai Feng, though I've had better elsewhere.
macarons
Mediocre macaroons at weekend brunch at the Shangri-la.
peanut
Peanuts for sale on the the street.
the people
Smiley things for sale.
feathers
Colorful feathers for sale.
knots
Knots for sale.
er_huan
Earrings on display.
baby
Mother and baby at Jinqiao.
mugs
Mugs for the jaded.
camera
They're watching.
atrium
Atrium at the Jinmao tower.
mine
Boys plead for balloons at Jinqiao.
fun
Balloons make everyone happy, Jinqiao.
storm
Storm's a-comin'.
towrs
The city's buildings are bigger than yours.
Tags:
Shanghai
Add your comment below, or
trackback from your own site.
Subscribe to these comments.
Be nice. Keep it clean. Stay on topic. No spam.
You can use these tags:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Boy, I sure wish I could take pictures like that! Very beautiful.
gosh! i love those pictures!!! take care! keep in touch!
Hope you will still update this blog when you leave China. It has been a pleasure reading it. A great balance of personal experiences and thoughts with lots of humour. Take care:)
Hello,
Nice blog! I look forward to reading about your new adventure in a new land. But the next time your feel China calling out to you and the urge to return to it, perhaps you could consider going to Taiwan instead. Although Taiwan is not a part of China, it is too a product of the Chinese culture (which of course is not news to you) and if I know Taiwan you should find it gentler on your body and spirit in every way that China wasn’t; Taiwan should provide you with an authentic Chinese experience without making you an angrier person at the end of it.
By the way, you shall be remembered as 铁肚子 (“Iron Stomach”) to me for your great feats of gastrointestinal endurance. (-: