Shanghai is a city with tremendous energy. Crowds fill the sidewalks and often the streets, fighting for space with mopeds and taxis. Horns honk, subways roar and street vendors hawk their wares. At night, the skyscrapers and pulsing neon lights make the city glow and almost seem alive.
In the middle of this hubbub, I explored the peaceful haven of Jade Temple, a Buddhist temple. Nestled in between skyscrapers, the city seemed to disappear in the haze of incense and calming presence of respectful worshippers. People knelt on red pillows in front of enormous Buddha statues, incredibly ornate in their carving details. After learning the proper way to kneel, I joined them for a few moments; I didn't pray, or even think really, but simply found myself relaxing into a peaceful state of awareness through the repetative motions.
At the temple, we were privileged to experience a tea tasting. Our instructor explained the various functions of the different teas, including backpain relief, detoxification, relaxation, and energy infusion. My sister and I bought a package of our favourite, an infusion that promises to balance our metabolism, sooth indigestion, prevent skin allergies (important for our allergic-prone family!), and promote relaxation.
The whole atmosphere of the temple invited me to walk a little slower and breath a little deeper, a welcome respite from the fast-paced cities I spent the past few days in. It wasn't a religous experience, but rather a brief glimpse into a way of life that inspires men to become monks.
After emerging from the temple onto another busy road, my group made our way to The People's Square. There, we broke into different directions to explore individual interests. My hunt for theatres was disappointing; the Yifu Theater was locked and the Grand Theater turned out to be a cinema. After wandering through the square, I found a quiet bench in the adjacent People's Park. After befriending a 5-year-old whose parents wanted her to practice English (Lien-hua has one brother and her favourite animal is the panda), I was approached by three people slightly older than myself who greeted me in English. Ling Ling (female) teaches English to preschoolers, Lisa studies English and Japanese at university, and Wu Mei (male) is an engineer. All three live in Harbin (north of Qingdao) and were in Shanghai on holiday.
After having a wonderful conversation, my new friends invited me to join them in a traditional tea ceremony. While the previous tea ceremony had been focused on taste, the second ceremony focused on the proper way to participate in a ceremony. I learned what the organization of seating means, how to hold my cup respectfully, the traditional motions that precede drinking (circling, swirling, sniffing), how many sips to take, what each tea means (whether it is a "male" tea or "female" tea), and much more. Ling Ling gifted me a package of flower tea, which is actually a flower that blooms in hot water and infuses its flavour into the liquid. In addition, my friends gave me another gift: a Chinese name.
Choosing a Chinese name is an important task, for it involves selecting syllables that both sound like your English name and have a corresponding character with a positive meaning; it is considered a honor to have a Chinese name given to you because it has been selected with care. After learning about my interest in theater and the arts, I was pronounced an artistic dreamer and given the name Meng Li Sha, meaning Dream-Beautiful-Pretty.
I bid my friends farewell and promised to write them if I ever make it to Harbin. I then made my way to the Shanghai Museum, considered one of the best museums in the world. It certainly lived up to its expectations, delivering fascinating exhibits on Chinese calligraphy, ceramics, seals, bronze, currency and more. Dual signs in Chinese and English allowed me to fully appreciate the relics I saw.
The evening ended with a stroll down Nanjing Street, the heart of Shanghai's shopping district. While some tourists passed us on tiny trains (including one advertising Kewpie Mayonnaise!), we made our way through the crowd on foot, stopping into stores to investigate Chinese fashion, which is very remiscint of the 80s. One of the biggest highlights on our walk was successfully ordering a hot fudge sundae at the local McDonalds. Yes, McDonalds has invaded China; it was actually the only place to find ice cream other than Haagen-daaz! The guidebook from my parents (thanks, Mom and Dad) contained the words for both "ice cream" and "chocolate," which got me what I wanted. It was a good end to a wonderful day.
Yours truly,
MengLiSha
In the middle of this hubbub, I explored the peaceful haven of Jade Temple, a Buddhist temple. Nestled in between skyscrapers, the city seemed to disappear in the haze of incense and calming presence of respectful worshippers. People knelt on red pillows in front of enormous Buddha statues, incredibly ornate in their carving details. After learning the proper way to kneel, I joined them for a few moments; I didn't pray, or even think really, but simply found myself relaxing into a peaceful state of awareness through the repetative motions.
At the temple, we were privileged to experience a tea tasting. Our instructor explained the various functions of the different teas, including backpain relief, detoxification, relaxation, and energy infusion. My sister and I bought a package of our favourite, an infusion that promises to balance our metabolism, sooth indigestion, prevent skin allergies (important for our allergic-prone family!), and promote relaxation.
The whole atmosphere of the temple invited me to walk a little slower and breath a little deeper, a welcome respite from the fast-paced cities I spent the past few days in. It wasn't a religous experience, but rather a brief glimpse into a way of life that inspires men to become monks.
After emerging from the temple onto another busy road, my group made our way to The People's Square. There, we broke into different directions to explore individual interests. My hunt for theatres was disappointing; the Yifu Theater was locked and the Grand Theater turned out to be a cinema. After wandering through the square, I found a quiet bench in the adjacent People's Park. After befriending a 5-year-old whose parents wanted her to practice English (Lien-hua has one brother and her favourite animal is the panda), I was approached by three people slightly older than myself who greeted me in English. Ling Ling (female) teaches English to preschoolers, Lisa studies English and Japanese at university, and Wu Mei (male) is an engineer. All three live in Harbin (north of Qingdao) and were in Shanghai on holiday.
After having a wonderful conversation, my new friends invited me to join them in a traditional tea ceremony. While the previous tea ceremony had been focused on taste, the second ceremony focused on the proper way to participate in a ceremony. I learned what the organization of seating means, how to hold my cup respectfully, the traditional motions that precede drinking (circling, swirling, sniffing), how many sips to take, what each tea means (whether it is a "male" tea or "female" tea), and much more. Ling Ling gifted me a package of flower tea, which is actually a flower that blooms in hot water and infuses its flavour into the liquid. In addition, my friends gave me another gift: a Chinese name.
Choosing a Chinese name is an important task, for it involves selecting syllables that both sound like your English name and have a corresponding character with a positive meaning; it is considered a honor to have a Chinese name given to you because it has been selected with care. After learning about my interest in theater and the arts, I was pronounced an artistic dreamer and given the name Meng Li Sha, meaning Dream-Beautiful-Pretty.
I bid my friends farewell and promised to write them if I ever make it to Harbin. I then made my way to the Shanghai Museum, considered one of the best museums in the world. It certainly lived up to its expectations, delivering fascinating exhibits on Chinese calligraphy, ceramics, seals, bronze, currency and more. Dual signs in Chinese and English allowed me to fully appreciate the relics I saw.
The evening ended with a stroll down Nanjing Street, the heart of Shanghai's shopping district. While some tourists passed us on tiny trains (including one advertising Kewpie Mayonnaise!), we made our way through the crowd on foot, stopping into stores to investigate Chinese fashion, which is very remiscint of the 80s. One of the biggest highlights on our walk was successfully ordering a hot fudge sundae at the local McDonalds. Yes, McDonalds has invaded China; it was actually the only place to find ice cream other than Haagen-daaz! The guidebook from my parents (thanks, Mom and Dad) contained the words for both "ice cream" and "chocolate," which got me what I wanted. It was a good end to a wonderful day.
Yours truly,
MengLiSha
What a great name and what a fabulous beginning! I'm going to enjoy keeping up with your travels, MengLiSha!
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