Sunday
It's sunday and we woke accordingly. About 11 o clock we all went to the fabrics market. There were hundreds of small stalls, all sold fabrics, wool, silk, cotton you name it. Mostly made in China but some imported. The stalls had no airco or even a fan. So it was like an endurance shop and drop. Most of these shops have their home tailor who can be called in and tailor you anything according to your like or catalogues, usually european. Within a week or so it would be ready. I remembered reading about an italian master tailor who continuously improved upon his product and would finish a handmade suite in a few months. Well this is definitely not in the same price range or quality (what can you do in a week). But if you can't afford or aren't even interested in an Italian job, this might be the best thing to happen to your personal attire and wallet.

We went to the Hengshan Community church at 3 in the afternoon. The international church at Hengshan Road was an old english church with a large garden with very old trees and encircled by a high wall. The main building is at some places covered with twines and foliage. It is an english styles church. Every sunday there are two services, in the morning in chinese and in the late afternoon in english for mostly expatriates. But foreign visitors didn't have to identify themselves by passport like e.g. in Beijing. The church was not unlikely a dutch evangelical church, a lot of singing and a sermon. There were also babysitting, and sunday school services as well. Banks of airco's kept the temperature bearable.

Every sunday new expats from all over the world introduced themselves or took leave. The service was always opened by a chinese pastor. One sunday the pastor told the congregation about the wonderful baptism he experienced the day before. He told us he baptised 114 persons in a tone as if this was normal business. Incredible, these chinese christians. Read also about whether there is evidence that the ancient Chinese had known the same history as recorded in Genesis. Read further…

The Heavenly Man
There is a new book titled "The Heavenly Man" by brother Yun & Paul Hattaway and is the Book of the Year 2003 at the Christian Booksellers convention in the UK. (look at the left column of this page). A remarkable book which I think every christian should read. Brother Yun is one of the leaders of the house church movement in China with an estimated membership of 58 million persons. Where did I read about 25.000 chinese in China becoming christians every month? Shanghai must be one of the most liberal cities in a China where there is no freedom of belief yet. But where can you find such numbers of dedicated christians in the free world?The book can be bought online at several bookstores like Amazon. com. You can also search in Google, just click here to go straight to the google page. You can also buy straight from the Back to Jerusalem site

Shintori
Afterwards with some friends of Ria we went to the Shintori restaurant. That was quite an experience. First you had to pass a stainless steel gate which could only be opened by prying one's hand in the cleavage of another stainless steel rock. After you "sesame open" the gate, there is a garden which has been designed very nice with bamboo and then you enter the restaurant itself. Basically it's like a bunker, keep everything in the dark and use some spotlights on some real nice decorated spots. Well that's the formula. You shouldn't be drunk when entering the toilets which are better than any mirror house in any circus. One sees oneself endlessly reflected in the mirrors around and you end doing your business against a waterfall over stainless steel slab against the wall. Prepare yourself by looking at The Matrix or anything like it. The food is to be honest rather small portioned but tastes good and is served creatively like e.g. the pork strips with salad which is just a bunch of sticks of vegetables, asparagus etc served upstanding in a paper bag with a dip sauce besides it.

Shanghai has them all, brand names like Mac Donald's, Kentucky Fried chicken, Pizza Hut, Friday's, the more upmarket Hard Rock cafe and Tony Roma's but also chique local restaurants like Zen and Jade garden at the Xintiandi complex. Both are designers restaurants. The last one has a mirror ceiling which is fun and informative to watch. The atmosphere depending a lot on the lighting and the designers clad personnel. Like that, less designers but with very excellent food is 1221 (which is the house number).

Food with a view
With so many skyscrapers the Grand Hyatt in Pudong, on the other side of the river still has one of the best views, located on the JinMao building overlooking the famous Bund (Waitan) and Huangpu river. From the 56th floor up to the 86 th. a colossal atrium, rises with the hotel rooms encircling it. Viewing from above on the 86th floor it gives you a dizzying view of the lobby on the 56th floor. if you suffer from vertigo don't do it. The view from the restaurant and the coffee shop (if you get a reserved window table) is stunning. Focus right on Shanghai's busiest shopping street, the Huaihailu as a well lit worm and of course the Bund itself.

There is even an asian food restaurant alongside a manmade lake. There must be thousands of restaurants in all sorts of guises from hawaiian woven leafs to swiss cottage houses. And for the smaller purse, almost every shopping mall complex has a "food court". Very convenient for all the personnel working at the offices nearby and lots of younger people during their holidays. First of all you buy a smart card for a certain amount of yuans and then use this card to pay for whatever fancies your taste. One can choose amongst twenty to thirty food stores. Everything is shown, real or in plastic, so all you have to do is point and handover your smart card. After finishing your culinary adventure handover your smart card to the cashier where you bought it and receive the remainder in cash. Most food are in the 10-30 yuan range.

There are also the smaller restaurants with basically the same food as in the food courts but with ordering at your table. And so you can choose whatever you want, in every price class, what view you prefer, the kind of ambience, the kind of food, chinese or western, asian or european or american.

If you're not very adventurous or can't speak or read chinese the more western hotels and restaurants would be advisable. There is Haagen Dasz ice cream which has the same steep price like in europe. Food prices are mostly far beneath european prices. Some restaurants/bars etc. charge 15% service fee. Most restaurants don't expect any tipping.

The department stores also have supermarkets usually in the basement some of them also offer "ready to eat" food. Like the Carre Four supermarkets. Parksons sell a collection of chinese sausages. On the Shangxilu we frequented a restaurant which sold five types of roasted pork, chicken and duck for 38 yuans in a takeaway box, enough for 2-4 persons. What else can you tell about eating out in a city of 18 million people? I always wondered that we still could get some place. Reserving surely helps (in chinese). New restaurants come and go like fireworks.

The grand theatre
Last but not least, Shanghai has a truly Grand Theatre with a completely motorized stage which is the largest in Asia. Regularly many foreign orchestra's perform there. We attended a performance (Tchaikovsky's 1st. piano concert by a local pianist and orchestra in a smaller room. I regret to say that in that smaller room the audience was often not disciplined enough to keep complete silence and small children were allowed in too. But the performance was as good as far as I could judge. Very much enjoyable.

Back to the top

Back to the main China 2003 page

Back to welcome to Shanghai (home)

Shanghai arrival

Shanghai the weekend