Our first morning in Shanghai brought us to the Bund, where we took a walk down the historical street to check out the old buildings (more on the bund here). Once near the end of the block, we were approached by a young Chinese lady who was fluent in English and asked us to take her picture. My friend Jessica took the photo and after, the lady started to chat. She seemed friendly, telling us she worked in Northern China and was visiting a friend. She asked where we were from and told us she had a Canadian co-worker, knew about Toronto and had been to Korea as well. She asked us what our plans were for the afternoon and we told her we wanted to find Old Shanghai street and look around.

Beautiful architecture in the Old Shanghai district.

Taking a rest: Busy streets be damned.

Enjoying fresh coconut water in Old Shanghai.

She told us that a friend of hers was going to be performing a traditional Chinese tea ceremony soon and asked if we would like to join her while pointing down an alleyway that had no sign of life. We told her no thanks and tried to part ways. She became aggressive and insisted we join her and tried to take my elbow and lead me to the alley. I immediately pulled away and we took off at a hearty pace. We both thought it was weird how pushy she got all of a sudden and chalked it up to her just being a psycho.

We also found what may possibly be THE best dumplings ever known to man.

The next day we ended up going further into Old Shanghai street, into a big shopping area absolutely packed with tourists from China and all over. The place was so crowded we had to deke left and right every few seconds just to stay together. At one point, we stepped up to a raised walking pathway where more shops stood but fewer people walked. I stopped to take a picture and some guy popped out of a doorway asking what I was looking for and if he could help me. I told him I wasn’t looking for anything and he responded by asking where I was from. Without looking at him (as I was still trying to take a picture,) I replied “Canada.”

The busy shopping area in Old Shanghai.

More crowds. This is what I was trying to snap a picture of when the “apprentice” approached us.

He reacted enthusiastically that he knew Toronto and Vancouver then immediately asked if we liked art. Quite tired of street vendors pushing us to buy things by this point, I replied with a terse “no.” Undeterred, he pointed to a poster on the wall and said that he was apprenticing with a famous Chinese artist and his showroom was upstairs if we’d like to see. We just walked away and soon left the entire marketplace as the pushy sales people were too much.

This was the view from the front door of our hotel. Rarely a quiet moment on this street.

Another busy street not far from our hotel.

Later that night we met up with an old friend of mine whom I had met during my first time in Korea nine years ago. Coman now lives in China, in the north-eastern city of Dalian in Liaoning province, but he used to live in Shanghai. While in a cab heading to dinner, he asked us if we’d been scammed yet. I asked what he meant by that and he said that there are many ways to be scammed in China but there are two that are most notorious, especially around Shanghai.

A short walk at night makes it easy to see how Shanghai is often called the Las Vegas of Asia.

The first one is the tea ceremony scam and the second is the art room scam. Jessica and I shot each other a look of dread and exclaimed that both things had almost happened to us.

“Both? Already?” He laughed. Considering we had not even been there for 48 hours yet, he found this impressive and went on to explain:

In the tea ceremony scam, they get you to come in and enjoy the traditional brewing and serving of Chinese tea in a tea house. This is a real and beautiful tradition: you can check it out here:

In the scam version of this ceremony, they chat you up while you enjoy the show and the tea, then present you with a bill of around a thousand dollars (CAD). There is often some sort of riffraff blocking your exit and threats of violence police-calling ensue if you refuse to pay.

In the art room scam, a similar situation occurs. They bring you in and show you around but when it’s time leave you’ll have some big burly ne’er-do-well once more blocking your exit at which time the jig is up. You’re pressured (bullied) into purchasing something before you can leave the shop. Upon hearing these tales of horror, Jessica and I clasped hands as our faces drained of colour. Then, as quick as our fear arose, anger replaced it.

“I would’ve hapkido-ed the crap outta those fools!” I swore.

“I would’ve gone crazy, started biting people and just tearing the room up!” I declared.

“I would’ve just ran as fast as I could and met you at the hotel later,” Jessica added.

“Well, it’s a good thing you two don’t trust people too easily,” said Coman, assuring us that we would be fine for the rest of our stay now that we knew the score.

L-R: Jessica, Coman’s former boss and friend, Coman and myself.

The thing I found most shocking is that no travel articles really touched on this in all of our research leading up to this trip. My friend who is studying to be a travel agent advised me not to wear a lot of jewelry when shopping in Shanghai as it would make us a target, since many Chinese already think all white people are rich compared to their monthly wages. She learned that in her travel course though, not from the net. The lack of information (in English anyway) is what prompted me to write this article. It’s possible that we weren’t looking in the right places, but regardless I wanted to make this information more available for those who may need it.

Nanjing road, Shanghai’s widest walking path filled with tourists day and night.

Another friend of mine who lived in China for two years and met many foreign teachers in her time there said the same thing. She had several co-workers and acquaintances that went traveling around China on their time off and found similar results. Some even returned early from their travels because they were sick of being scammed for money at every turn.

Night strolling by the Huangpu river.

Advice from my future travel agent Jodie is to keep your accessories low-key when shopping and if you want to go on organized tours, make sure you book with a big, reputable company that you’ve researched or at least seen around beforehand. She also advised never to take the offer of someone who is willing to take you on a “private tour” in their car or van because it will lead to bad news almost definitely. This isn’t to say that China is not safe, so please don’t get it twisted. I’m just advising my Dear Readers to be wise when treading through unknown waters. Especially for those of us who have lived in Korea for a while, we have gotten used to the relative safeness of Korea and may not be thinking on our feet when seeing other parts of Asia.

The Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival is held in October for ten days and draws thousands of tourists every year. Jinju is a beautiful city in the southern province of Gyeongnam and my friends and I were excited to explore one of the most popular festivals in South Korea.

The gang at the fortress gates. Light-up ears were used as tracking devices to find each other in the big crowds :)      Back row: Mairi and Jon. Front row L-R: Myself, Sarah, Ryan and June.

Many lanterns like this one depict Korean folk tales. This story is called “The Silver Axe and the Gold Axe.”

The history of the lantern festival is heavy, but also awesome because it honours an amazing woman in a country were the strength of women has not always been valued. The story behind the festival begins with the six year war that took place in Gyeongnam province in Korea, against Japanese insurgents from 1592-1598. Over the six years of battle, 70,000 Korean soldiers and government officials died protecting the city of Jinju from the Japanese army. Along with those 70,000 men, a woman named Ju Non-Gae also died and I will share her story with you now.

Some lantern artwork showcased at the festival. This one holds a portrait of the famous gisaeng, Non-Gae.

More lantern artwork.

Non-Gae was a beautiful and famous gisaeng (a professional entertainer trained in the art of song, dance and story-telling, much like the Japanese geisha). During the second invasion of the Japanese troops, Non-Gae’s husband, general Choe Gyeong-Hoe was killed in battle. Already patriotic at heart, Non-Gae became even more determined to avenge her country once her spouse was slain. Non-Gae was often requested to attend dinners and entertain the Japanese generals during the time they occupied the fortress of Jinju. One of the top commanders of the Japanese army, Keyamura Rokusuke, took a liking to Non-Gae and she feigned interest to get her revenge.

Lantern soldiers guard Jinjuseong fortress.

Lantern guards torturing bad guys in a recreation of the old days.

One night she called him out to a cliff overlooking the Nam River and turned on her charm. After embracing him tightly, she locked her hands behind his back and fell backwards, throwing them both into the river to their deaths. The assassination was a big blow to the army and her suicide made her a martyr for sacrificing her life for her country.

The rock where Non-Gae jumped, seen jutting out of the cliff’s edge.

A monument to Non-Gae, just across from her plaque leading down to the rock.

During the war, lanterns were used as signals for the military to communicate with remote troops outside the fortress. After the war, the people of Jinju continued sending lanterns down the river every year to remember those who were lost in battle. Today, this tradition has evolved into the annual festival where lanterns are beautifully sculpted to honour their cultural history and the 70,000 men who fought for Jinju and for Non-Gae who did the same. You can still see the rock where she jumped to her death when walking the grounds of the Jinjuseong fortress. There is also a shrine to the memory of Non-Gae, called Uigisa (의기사), which means “the shrine of the righteous gisaeng.” Not far from the shrine is the rock  where she jumped, which has come to be known as Uiam (의암), “the rock of righteousness.”

Non-Gae’s plaque. The “righteous rock” ledge below can be seen between the tree branches.

Some lanterns during the day. The character in the yellow and green jacket is a real person, getting his photo taken with the lantern men enjoying a lantern drinking party.

Lantern guards line the path to the fortress gates.

As my friends and I sat on the giant rock cliff enjoying the sunshine and wind off the river, I saw dozens of families walking down to the rock where Non-Gae leapt. As they passed her plaque, they retold the story to their young ones while the children stared down at the famous slab of stone. Every time I heard a mother tell her daughter that story, I felt proud to be a woman and honoured to have gotten the chance to meet Non-Gae, even if she was long gone. Not because she jumped and not just because she’s a woman; but because she was a strong woman who stood up for what she believed in, in a time where women’s thoughts had little value in matters of politics and war. Now she is a legend and I’m glad because I know that for every strong woman in any country’s history, there are hundreds more who we’ll never know but fought just as hard.

For those who are considering travel to Jinju for the festival next October, take note that it goes on for ten days, which covers two weekends. The second weekend of the festival has fireworks but both weekends host traditional music performances, a huge array of food tents, carnival-type games and the lit-up lanterns each night on the water and on land.

Carnival games at the festival.

Roasted pig anyone?

Pajeon, an egg and flour omelette-type dish. It’s one of my favourite foods.

You can catch the bus to Jinju from the Express Bus Terminal subway stop which can be accessed through line 3, line 7 or line 9.  One-way bus fare to Jinju will cost around 23,000 won (approx. $23 CAD). There are ample motels to stay in quite close to the festival grounds, but be sure to book in advance as it’s the busiest time of year for Jinju tourism.

Lanterns on the water at night.

All the chingus together under a canopy of lantern wishes.
Back row from L-R: Mairi, Jon and Sarah.
Front row L-R: Ryan, June and myself.

Last week’s adventure took us on a historical stroll through Shanghai’s old International Settlement, now a famous tourist destination called the Bund. This week we’re going across the Huangpu River to the Pudong district, also known as “New Shanghai.”

A view of the skyline from the Bund, looking across the Huangpu River to “New Shanghai.”

A quick ride through the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel for 70 CNY ( round-trip ticket, approx. $13 CAD) will shoot you under the the Huangpu River on the west, and land you in Pudong on the east, right next to the Oriental Pearl Tower. A word to the wise though, it’s not a sightseeing tunnel ride in the sense that you get to look out into the river like an underwater wonderland. It’s a darkened cement tunnel, illuminated with a series of images and lights flashing on the walls as you pass through as seen below. Still cool, but not “sightseeing” as most people know the term.

The escalator going down to the tunnel.

Inside a mostly glass car on rails inside the tunnel.

Once on the east side in New Shanghai, you’re a stone’s throw from the beautiful Pearl Tower, seen below. The ride up was almost $30 CAD and the line up was long so we passed, but it was still amazing to see the tower from the ground. The tower is 468 meters high and is a beacon for many on both sides of the river (in comparison, Toronto’s CN Tower stands a little shorter at 453 meters). The design features fifteen spheres of different sizes placed at different levels within the tower’s structure. The concept was to symbolize pearls dropping onto a jade plate, perhaps a metaphor for Shanghai’s lavish past and flourishing present.

Moving along, we were wandering the Pudong district in awe of the modern architecture and majestic presence of the downtown core. The two photos below show a circular walkway built above the traffic with several exit and entry points jutting off the footpath. Most exits lead you to a huge shopping mall with 9 floors of designer shops, restaurants and movie theatres. With the Shanghai heat and humidity, it’s not surprising that many tourists and locals choose to spend their days inside these gigantic malls.

Below is a shot of Shanghai’s World Financial Center.

While inside one of those monster malls, we stopped into a restaurant for some authentic Chinese lunch and we were not disappointed. Here is the view of the Huangpu River from our seats at the restaurant. You can see the old relics of the Bund looming on the west side of the river bank.

What was for lunch, you ask? I’ll show you! It may look simple to the naked eye, but I assure you Dear Reader, it was delicious.

Squid and sausage balls on a stick, dipped in a spicy sauce.

Hand-made Chinese dumplings, similar to mandu in Korea or pierogis in Poland.

Sauteed bok choy, garlic and mushrooms, mixed with diced dried red chillies.

Whatever magical herb they used to infuse that oil in my bok choy had me sold on the first bite. It had a smoked taste with a hint of sesame seed oil and mixed with the hot chilies, I was in heaven. While cruising through the mall we came across a candy shop where they make their own candy in the store! It was pretty cool to watch.

Dude on the right is on break – or supervising – you choose.

Eyeballs and skulls. Of course I bought those ones.

Grape and cherry flavoured, with mini fruit images made in the middle.

Once it got dark we ventured back towards the west end of the river and back to our hotel. Below is a view of Pudong from the Bund at night.

This concludes our stroll through modern day Shanghai. We would’ve walked farther into the downtown area to check out more buildings, but the sun was relentless and I was weak against its ultraviolet rays of doom. Stay tuned next week for some more adventures!