In absolute awe of China
SHANGHAI
If there’s one thing I learned from my week and a half in China, it’s that this country is massive. It sounds trite, but almost every aspect of China’s culture, economy, and society can be attributed to its size. Growing up as an American, I was always vaguely aware of the slightly-mysterious country across the globe that had 1 billion people and produced basically every household item (thanks “Made in China” tags.) But visiting the Motherland was such a cultural, eye-opening experience and privilege. It was fascinating to see how digitally advanced the cities were — anything and everything could be ordered via an app and delivered in minutes.
A true metropolis:
Though I was only in Shanghai and Chengdu, each city was its own pulsing metropolis with an endless skyline of skyscrapers. There was an outpouring of people on the streets at every minute day and night, everyone scurrying to their destinations while busy on their phones. Shanghai’s skyline trumped any I had ever seen before. It was as if I had time-traveled and witnessed uniquely designed buildings with an almost alien-like mystique that belonged in the future. I half-expected personal spaceships to whiz by (probably something not too far off from the near future.)
The Shanghai Tower is the second-tallest building in the world (after the Burj Al-Khalifa) at 632m (2,073 ft). From the Google Office in the Shanghai Financial Center (the 8th tallest in the world), I still had to crane my neck to see the top of the building.
And when the Shanghai skyscrapers sent my head into a tizzy, I could always retreat to the cozier neighborhoods scattered around the city. In the Jinghaxincuan area, cobblestone streets and tight alleys lined with boutique shops and cafes transported me to Europe in the 1800s. A work scavenger hunt led us in and around the district, from the Communist Party Museum to adorable stationary cafes to, of course, a Starbucks (Fun fact: a new franchise opens in China every 14 hours.) We grabbed a beer at The Brewery (Chinese people aren’t known for their creatively named eateries), and enjoyed people-watching outside in perfect 26 degree C weather (79 degree F.) Side note: I suck at any non-American metric system, but I am getting used to Celsius!)
At home with my “cousins”
And everyone looked like me! I felt extremely comfortable, blending into the sea of people, with wave after wave of people passing me. For once, people weren’t staring, which is what I’m more accustomed to when traveling to a new country. And I still had a knee-jerk reaction to every friendly “Ni hao” greeting I received. The only times I heard Ni hao back in the States (and defensively ignored) were when someone hurled the greeting as an ignorant racial slur.
But this comfort level had its drawbacks as well. Whenever a local spoke to me in Mandarin, I stared blankly back at them and sheepishly asked, “English?” My vocabulary of 20 words was enough to get me in and out of China, but I was supremely embarrassed at my complete lack of Mandarin (I’m Cantonese!) 2019 goal: learn basic Mandarin.
Bars: the bar scene is off the chain in Shanghai. It has three of Asia’s Top 50 bars, and I was able to hit up two. (You always have to have a reason to come back to a city, right?)
Sober Company: It’s an unassuming bar atop the sister restaurant “Sober Kitchen” with roughly 16 seats, which felt exclusive without being pretentious. The neon pink “Sober Company” sign near the entrance sent a shocking splash of color in an otherwise dimly lit bar that felt more like New York during prohibition era than Shanghai. The all wooden furniture and bar with warm brown tones created an incredibly intimate and cozy ambience.
The menu had an assortment of drinks, with the highlights named after the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. Though I’m loyal to my dragon sign, I strayed and ordered the mezcal and bitters drink. It did not disappoint. The drink was a performance, which started with a charcoal plate that held assorted spices include cinnamon and clove plus a sidedish of bitter chocolate covered peanuts. The waiter then gently lit the spices on fire to create a smoky plume. He subsequently placed my glass over the spices to perfume the glass with all the flavors. Then came the alcoholic beverage. Coupled with the chocolate-covered nuts, the drink was a complex masterpiece. I don’t pretend to be an alcohol connoisseur, but this drink was one for the books.
My coworker loyally ordered the Ox drink, his zodiac sign. The waiter got straight to the point, bringing out a leather skin bag, which contained a small quantity of the mezcal plus tequila drink. The leather bag was intended to infuse the drink with leather nodes (you can’t make this stuff up.) Whether it was the leather bag or not, this drink’s flavor profile was pure magic. It hit all the right notes, not too strong, not too sweet, not too bitter, to create the top 3 drinks I’ve ever had in my life. It had a rich caramel flavor but without the saccharine taste.
As if the delicious drinks weren’t enough, my other coworker knew the owner of the bar, so the waiter broke a few rules and let us into the secret bar within the bar. We didn’t have to collect the necessary tokens to redeem entrance into the hidden bar “Tipsy.” The waiter scanned a card upon a secret spot on a wall, only to have us press upon a specific spot to swing open the wall door. Tipsy had barely enough seating for six and no menu. Instead, the bartender would whip up drinks based on the person’s mood. Every detail of the bar, from the chair carvings to the embossed flowers on the wallpaper, was thoughtfully selected. Chinese relics from the past sat proudly in a display case adjacent to the bar. The bar left me on a high, and it wasn’t just the buzz from the alcohol.
Union Trading Company: The bar’s drinks and ambience were good, but not much to write home about. I ordered the Miso Caliente, which was exactly as it sounded- mezcal with a splash of miso soup with cayenne pepper. Weird, but pretty good.
Unico: head to this rooftop bar for the most breathtaking view of The Bund and city skyline. Bonus points if you can snap a photo of the skyline with the China flag waving just right. Drinks were alright — I ordered one that tasted like a musty breathmint.
Speak low: My coworkers hit up this speakeasy behind a hidden bookstore. I had major FOMO, so I guess I’ll just have to make another trip to Shanghai soon!
Eats:
Fancy, old-school restaurants:
- Shanghai Old Mansion- this used to be the mansion of the mistress of an old mafia boss. Whatever illicit activities happened there is none of my business — the food was great!
Quick lunch:
- Lamb restaurant- meat, meat, meat, meat, meat! Oh man, the Californian in me was very ashamed at how much red meat we consumed. From lamb skewers to lamb chops to minced lamb lettuce wraps, this place was meat heaven. Oh, and we ordered a fish dish. For drinks, I ordered “corn milk”, which tasted like lukewarm corn chowder — not worth ordering.
- Jesse restaurant- make a reservation at this small (but loud!) restaurant. The street has a French feel to it with cobblestone streets and pastel-colored coffee shops. The seafood dishes are quite expensive — nearly 3x as much as the meat and veggie dishes, so we opted for these instead, and they were quite tasty.
Tea drinks:
- Hey-T, this is the super popular tea drink chain, which had a queue that was way too long for us to wait.
- Coco is another popular chain with locations everywhere
CHENDGU
Ahh, Chengdu, the land of pandas and spicy Sichuan food. Here are some highlights:
The Chengdu Panda Research Center is the largest in the world and is home to nearly 100 pandas, more than 5% of the world’s panda population. Words can’t describe how adorable these cuddly creatures are. I wanted to jump the wall and cuddle with the little bears. They’re definitely my spirit animal. All they do is eat, sleep, eat, sleep, then eat some more…
Unfortunately it wasn’t the time of year to hold them. Pandas mate the same time every year (around June), and the ideal cuteness age is three months. So the best time to visit would be early October. No matter — I was squealing with glee watching the pandas perform such mundane tasks such as stretching their limbs and playing with each other. Never mind when they climbed up a tree or fell over trying to eat more bamboo!
Wide and Narrow Alley (Kuanzhai Xiangzi)
Harry Potter fans, this alley had the same charm as Diagon Alley. But replace wizards with Chinese people and good food. Every stand seemed to offer some delicious concoction, or people performing odd acts or services.
For example, you could chillax in a chair while an earnest man cleaned out your ears. I love me a good q-tip cleansing, but this hygiene regimen should remain in the bathroom, just my personal opinion.
Then another woman was playing an instrument I had never seen before. The song was so melancholy that she resembled a songbird trapped in a cage.
And of course there were the bizarrely costumed, face-painted men who made a living suckering tourists into taking photos with them. After we oogled at the various oddities and stands, we settled upon food at — what else — a hot pot restaurant. You might as well close your eyes, spin around, and point at any hot pot restaurant because they all looked the same, and delicious.
Food: A Chinese, an Indonesian, an Indian, and an American walk into a hotpot restaurant… and leave without tastebuds on their tongues. If you eat anywhere in Chengdu, be prepared to have any sensation scorched off your tongue. Based in the Sichuan region, Chengdu is famous for its hotter-than-hot foods. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of this city. The food here is not for the faint of heart. Every meal, your tongue goes numb not just from the heat, but from the spicy peppercorns that destroy all feeling on your tastebuds.
You can also measure your accomplishments by counting the number of skewers you have at the end of every meal. I’d say our team did pretty well.
I only have positive things to say about Chengdu, except for the STINKY. TOFU. I have eaten some pretty gnarly things in my life. But this was the foulest, most disgusting “food” I have ever tasted. Take rotting garbage, allow it to mold for a few weeks, and that’s what stinky tofu tastes like. Avoid this at all costs.
Leshan Mountain Buddha: China labels all its tourist attractions from 5A (highest) to 1A (lowest). Don’t ask how they came up with this system. The Mountain Buddha boasted a 5A rating, as the largest carved Buddha statue in the world at 71m (233 ft) tall. It was definitely impressive, especially as we were able to get a holistic view from our boatride vs. climbing up the mountain to only be able to view Buddha from the base.
It was a two-hour drive outside of the city, so I’d only recommend this if you have time for a daytrip.
Don’t blink, or you may miss the Buddha on this 10-minute boat ride.
Beer Nest: This place brewed their own craft beer, so I naturally had to taste it for myself. The IPA was nice, not as hoppy as I normally like. But it was the perfect accompaniment to the Argentina-Iceland FIFA match (how on earth did Iceland manage to tie the mighty Argentina team 1–1?) The bar is right next to several others that looked equally appetizing with extensive cocktail menus (Nico’s, Grumpy Moose, etc.)
Thank goodness for the multi-year Visa, because I’m definitely coming back. China’s sheer dominance is both frightening, exciting, and fascinating. It’s an unfolding drama that I can’t tear my eyes from.
