Mediterranean lifestyle for the rich and poor

It’s my last full day in Shanghai. The hotel breakfast is becoming monotonous. Noodles and dim sum at 8am are no longer a novelty and I would pay many Yen for a bowl of Coco Pops. I’m on an enforced egg diet. For breakfast the options are eggs boiled, fried or baked. At lunch most soups seem to have either a preserved, picked or boiled egg. For supper any rice dish that is not just plain boiled has an egg thrown in for good measure.

Today has been the first day of rain since I’ve been in Asia. The temperature has been an unseasonably high at around 14C. The metro station Shanxi Road on Metro Line 1 is a few yards from my hotel yet I still get asked 5 times if I want to buy ‘Rolex, Gucci, Lady? Just look?. The aggressive street hawkers might be because the infamous Xlanggyang Market near Central Huaihai Road has been demolished. On my hunt for North Fakes, the Chinese equivalent of North Face clothing, I asked where the market was. A passerby pointed at a huge vacant building plot.

The Shanghai Metro carries 1.9 million people everyday, yes that figure is correct as of 2006! A policy of no food and drink certainly seems to help keep the system clean and a rather German/Swiss feel to the stations. Trains seem to be frequent and single metro tickets get recycled which is a fantastic idea. The issuing machine charges them with you chosen fare/destination and then the barrier machine keeps them on exit. It makes me wonder what happens to the thousands of pink paper tickets that get issued on the London Underground system everyday. How green is our transport system? Something for the new or existing major to consider.

As I crossed over the Wusong River today’s daily bizarre bike was a man carrying a big basket of racing pigeons which he released across the Creek.

Creek Art an art centre and (expensive) restaurant sits on the banks of Suzhou Creek. Their website is not shy to describe the location set amongst the slums and abandoned factories of downtown Shanghai. Inside this former flour factory can be found uber contemporary installations and art. The current exhibition is Deep Breath: Explore the Female Strength in Chinese Contemporary Art. 19 participating artists born between 1950’s and 70’s use various materials and media. The staff are very protective about any pictures being taken which I can understand regarding the art work but not the building. Check out their website for official pictures www.creekart.org

To try to show the contrast between rich and poor yet how closely they rub next to each other I photographed this al fresco kitchen for one of the slum houses. This was within yards of the entrance to Creek Art with its elegant top floor restaurant were diners sip imported wines to accompany their Italian cuisine.

As I was still in the north of the city I thought I would head to Duolun Road also known as Cultural Street. In the early 20th century many of the buildings were home to famous Chinese writers and political figure heads. Today the street has reemrged from a major restoration project and is a popular tourist attraction. Duolun MOMA stands as a large contemporary black building at the beginning of the road. There are numerous antique shops and teahouses along the pedestrian area. At #123 is The Old Film Café. From the outside it looks like a haunted house and the interior has the same feeling not helped by the creeking staircase and dimly lit rooms. Sitting having a cup of tea you feel like you are in your grandma’s best room on your best behaviour. Movie buffs will enjoy the photos of the vintage Chinese movie stars and the screenings of classic films from the '30s.