Crusing through China

After the trip to the south of Germany and the United Kingdom, it was time to go in the opposite direction and head to Asia. Next stop? Shanghai China. Because when you have relatives in China, you might as well visit them.

If I can be honest, I was a bit hesitant to go to China at first because you hear a lot of anxiety-inducing facts on the news when you are in Europe or America. In China it is revolutionary but on this side, it is about government control.

So, to put it mildly, it was nerve-racking to go to a country which has hundreds of thousands of cameras on every single street corner in the whole country and has a reputation when it comes to people standing up to the government.

But let´s start from the very beginning. The plan was that China was a stopover on our way to Taiwan since summer vacation is always all about visiting family in the farthest corner of the world. A four-day stop and we followed that plan perfectly so no worries on that front.

Once you land in China and try to go through customs, you realize that China´s reputation of being overcrowded is not far from the truth. And China´s customs were rigorous. Let´s just say it took far longer than expected to get out of there.

When we were out of the airport, we sped down the highway back to my uncle´s place. Well, sped is not quite the right word. There are plenty of cars on the streets which creates a traffic jam on every road you could want to drive on. But eventually, we made it and unpacked.

For the first time in quite some time, we enjoyed a lovely dinner together. After dinner, we explored the surrounding area. Everything was so luxurious and the night markets so interesting. There was something everywhere. It was quite a nice place to explore.

However, I hate to reiterate how many people there were. It is hard to find the people you are within a huge crowd like those. For me, it was easy to find my brother since he was 180 in a sea of 160 m tall. But it is still fear-inducing to lose sight of your family even if you are a (semi) adult.

The next day after a necessary good night’s sleep after the long flight. We explored Shanghai on bike. There were plenty of rental bikes around China which makes commuting quite practical. On the way, we stopped here and there to look at some sights along the way and take some needed rest.

In that late August summer weather, it might not be quite as hot as it could have been, but it was still hot, especially for someone who is used to the European chilly weather. So a bike ride was probably not the best idea.

Nevertheless, the fun sights and interesting facts about each location were well worth it. After admiring the city for a bit, we got onto a ship to cross the river. And I cannot stress enough how many people there were. I was surprised we all managed to get on that ship without anyone falling off board.

On the other side of the riverbank, we were met with the iconic Shanghai skyline. Germany could never compare to a skyline like that. I was full and unique. Each skyscraper was different than the last and one was not like the other.

It was truly a sight to behold. After a bit more sightseeing, we went to the renewed old town. The houses were rather old but with a modern twist so to speak. We had dinner in a restaurant which served traditional dishes, you expect to find in a Chinese restaurant but 100 times better than Chinese restaurants outside of China.

After a delicious dinner, we explored the rest of the modern old town of Shanghai. With all the twinkling fairy lighting and the extraordinary decorations in front of each store, you most certainly get the sense that you are not in plain Europe anymore.

Not trying to shit-talk Europe but I am just saying the aesthetics in Asia is far different from Europe and that is not necessarily a good or bad thing, but I guess just a thing that you need to love to see when you are traveling.

The next morning, we got into a car and drove for some time to Xi Lake. There we did a bit of sightseeing at the hotel since the view of the lake was just amazing. After agreeing on what to do, we went to another sort of old town.

It was rather touristy since the prices were not the cheapest one can find. But it had a lot for the eye to see and we did spend the whole afternoon there and we also did find plenty of souvenirs to bring back so all in all rather fun afternoon, I guess.

After dinner, we went to the famous broken bridge on Xi Lake. The bridge is a hotspot for lovers in the country because of the love story of Xu Xian and the White Snake. However, since I am not retelling the story, I have a video doing that job for me.

We crossed the broken bridge, which was as the name suggests not as broken as one might think. Once you start to cross it, it just seems like you won´t be able to cross it but, on the top, you realize it was all an illusion.

On the other side of the bridge, there were plenty of traditional boats and we decided to take one. The boat took us across the lake to the other side. On the boat, the captain (I guess) turned into a tour guide for a moment and told us plenty of facts about the lake and its history.

We had plenty of fun on that boat but eventually, it turned dark, and the lights turned on which meant we should make our way back to the hotel. The mosquito situation near a lake is just brutal and I was not planning on becoming the next meal for those blood-sucking vermin.

The next morning, we had breakfast and I just loved the variety. Since in European hotels, the food offered is just so regional. In Asian hotels, you have food from Asia but also food from Europe and America. So it was a nice change of pace.

After breakfast, I played a bit of dress-up. The hotel had an offer to try out Hanfu (Traditional Chinese clothing worn during the Han dynasty. In other words, traditional silk robes). After choosing the robes I liked, the makeup artist did my makeup and hair.

In the end, I ended up looking like I was plucked out of the Han dynasty, or a Chinese drama set in the Han dynasty. The whole thing was a bit weighty since according to tradition hair must be hip length and that much hair is heavy. And the outfit was a bit warm for the hot Chinese weather.

Since it was a really fun experience, I was put through a whole photoshoot on the hotel grounds since the hotel had a traditional architectural style which fit perfectly with the outfit I was wearing. When the photoshoot was over, it felt bittersweet. No more warm outfits but it looked pretty.

After that whole dress-up, we went to Wuzhen water town. It was like a touristy living museum. There was plenty of traditional housing and some food which awakened some nostalgia in my mother, aunt and uncle. It was fun to go through the streets of the water town and admire the buildings.

Funnily enough, in the water town, there were plenty of people dressed in traditional Hanfu clothing, taking photos everywhere they went. It was a perfect photoshoot backdrop if I can be honest but if I would spend another minute in that outfit, I would practically boil to death.

In the evening the water town was a bit overcrowded, so we decided to leave and drive back to my uncle´s place. That small road trip was fun to see sights and admire… well everything. Even though everything seemed familiar, it was still really different. So, it was an experience.

The next day was the departure day again, so the whole day was just more passing time than actually doing something. For lunch, we went for Korean BBQ and as a pastime we went ice skating in the shopping mall for the heck of it.

In the evening, we zigzagged through traffic, passed security and waited to board the plane. And that was pretty much what we did in China on our four-day stopover to visit family and explore another country.

Frankly, I cannot say I agree with China´s politics at all so I am not going to talk about that or let that influence my opinion (but I am still human so we´ll see how it goes). But from a tourist perspective, a trip to China could turn into quite a pain in the arse if you don’t have a citizen helping you.

Even though payments are quite practical in China since it is just a scan of the QR code on the phone, you have to download an app and register. And if you don’t quite understand the system, you could pretty much do nothing.

Without my uncle doing all the translating and the transactions, I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have explored the country as much as I did. I wouldn’t have been able to get food since notes and coins are basically outdated and I wouldn’t have been able to get souvenirs to remember my trip by.

Another thing which bothered me was the CCTV everywhere. It felt like your every move was being watched and recorded. I don’t know why but it made me paranoid and rethink my moves three times over before doing anything. It was somewhat scary for lack of a better word.

The last thing which bothered me was the crowds everywhere. I get that China is big and has a huge population inhabiting it but numbers on a page just sell the whole thing short. There were plenty of people so if you have Claustrophobia, don’t visit China.

However, I did like how modern China was. Everything was so practical when you were a citizen living within its borders. When you understand all the apps and their functions. You will have plenty of fun in that country. 

And I thought online shopping in Europe was convenient. China was on another level when it came to online shopping. Everything was cheap but the material was quite good and delivery did not disappoint.

Speaking of deliveries, it seems as if everything is delivered these days. According to my aunt, she doesn’t go grocery shopping in a store but instead just has everything sent to the house. No need for the heavy groceries carrying and spending hours picking and choosing.

When you are in a restaurant, there is no need to talk to the host, you just scan a QR code and order everything you want. They bring it to your table without any conversation if you would so choose. After dinner, you just pay with just a tap and leave. It is every introvert’s dream.

To be honest, even though Europeans don’t like skyscrapers, I do like them very much. Just imagine the view of the city below from the 10th floor. In the evening with the glittering lights below and the people rushing. It is just such a serene sight in my opinion.

China is, fortunately, a skyscraper lover's dream. There are blocks of similar skyscrapers but when you walk further, you will find skyscrapers which completely different. Every skyscraper might not be unique in its block but unique among the rest of skyscrapers. It is just amazing.

All in all, there is something about every country, we dislike and condone but also some things we like and admire. When you travel, you can´t let a country´s bad side ruin your trip since China has a lot to offer despite its international image. So when you do decide to travel to China be sure to have a relative or friend helping you understand everything.