26 Oct - 30 Oct Shanghai & Huangshan
Day 1 - Singapore - Pudong Airport - Tian Zi Fang - Zhou En Lai's Former Residence - Yuyuan Garden
Day 2 - Shanghai
Day 3 - Shanghai - Huangshan
Day 4 - Huangshan - Tunxi
Day 5 - Tunxi - Hong Chun - Shanghai
Day 6 - Shanghai - Singapore
26 Oct Day 1:
We took the midnight flight from Singapore to Shanghai via China Eastern Airline as it was the cheapest. We have heard a lot of negative reviews about this airline but I am not a demanding person. As long as the flight was not canceled or delayed I was happy. This was my 4th trip in 2018 that was planned with only about one month ahead. Unlike previous long trips that took me at least six months of planning, I had only multiple short trips this year due to my study commitment.
The round-trip flight ticket was S$437 inclusive of meal and check-in luggage. To be honest, the fare was cheaper than Airasia which does not even provide in-flight meal and check-in baggage allowance. The fligt took off at 1am and it was about 7.30am after the immigration was cleared. I waited for my parents who departed from Kuala Lumpur an hour after me. After we met, we quickly wash up and headed to taking the Maglev train to Longyang, where we made transit and took metro to our accommodation at Luban station.
Yang’s Dumpling (or Xiao Yang Sheng Jian) is an expanding popular dumpling chain serving Pan-Fried Pork Bun or Sheng Jian Bao. Unlike Nan Xiang Restaurant, Yang's Dumpling was more like a fast food chain restaurant. We ordered at the counter and collected the dumplings on own. We decided to go for a set with 6 dumplings in 3 different filling which also came with a bowl of fish ball soup (￥37）. We additional ordered another bowl of bean curd soup with glass noodle (￥14). Sheng Jian Bao is pan-fried on a cast iron pan until the bottoms turn crispy brown. As water is also poured inside, there is a steaming effect which renders the top part fluffy. The real surprise came from the fillings where tasty broth was surrounding the juicy meat. The Sheng Jian Bao were super hot and juicy. The juice actually bursted out and burned my tongue for the first bite. The fish balls were springy and firm, the texture was quite similar with squid balls. The glass noodle in the bean curd soup was smooth but bland.
After our first meal, we walked to Nan Xiang Restaurant which was located a few shop away. We ordered a set meal that came with a basket of steamed buns (xiao long bao) in original meat fillings and wantan soup. We also ordered a few other vegetarian-friendly dishes for my dad, such as vegetarian xiao long bao, vegetable buns and seaweed/sesame sticks. The vegetarian dishes surprisingly were more outstanding. Last but not least, the King Size Nanxiang Crab Roe Steam Soup Bun was a winner in every way, while you first sucked up the broth through a straw, saving the best meat for last. Somehow the soup tasted a little bit like salted fish. Unlike xiao long bao where there is usually a meatball at the center, the crab roe steam soup bun on the other hand does not have the meatball. The crab roes are around the skin of the bun. A pity for the thick skin as I wondered if people do eat the skin.
Location – 73 Sinan Road, Huangpu District 上海市黄浦区思南路73号, 9am - 5pm, free admission.
After a long day, we were all drained and went back to the hotel. Right after shower I turned in for the night as we were setting off early the next morning to Zhujiajiao water village.
27 Oct Day 2:
I slept like a dog on the first night. At 7.15am, we took metro from Luban station to Zhujiajiao station. We initially planned to take bus from people's square as it takes only an hour. However, hostel staff advised that metro was a better option since the frequency was higher. Since we were transitting at HongQiao railway station, I decided to collect our high speed train tickets to Huang Shan that I purchased online earlier. I thought it was a quick collection so that I did not have to come early tomorrow to do the collection before the ride. I was actually wrong because it had taken me 20 minutes to get into the railway station due to the crowd and bag scanning. I queued for another half an hour at the counter to collect my tickets. When I came back here the next day I realized the crowd was much better, it could have been better to collect tickets on the spot.
A few units away was a shop selling fruits. We had tried soft persimmons in China before and we missed them. We bought a few pieces from the shop but only two of them were soft and sweet enough.
It is said that to visit Zhujiajiao Water Town without seeing the bridges means that you have not really been to Zhujiajiao at all! Bridges here are distinctive and old, built during Ming and Qing Dynasties. The old Zhujiajiao Town is thoroughly connected by 36 delicate spans in different shapes and styles, from wooden to stone to marble.
Fangsheng Bridge (Setting-fish-free Bridge) is the longest, largest and tallest stone bridge, with five openings both in Shanghai region. This bridge was built in 1571. On the bridge stands a stone tablet named Dragon Gate Stone, which is engraved with 8 coiling dragons encircling a shining pearl. On top of the bridge are 4 lifelike stone lions.
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shanghai/zhujiajiao.htm
The shopping streets were narrow and crowded. Most shops sell food/drinks and souvenirs. You more or less see same things. On Xihu Street there is a post office built in the Qing dynasty，said to be the best preserved of its era in China. There are many exhibits, among them old letters written on bamboo and antique post cards of old Shanghai.
The architecture along the Bund is a living museum of the colonial history of the 1800s. The Bund is a mile-long stretch of waterfront promenade that is packed with tourists, locals and street sellers along the Huangpu River with 52 beautiful buildings of various architectural styles, including Gothic, baroque, and neoclassical styles.
The tower ranks as China's tallest building and second only to the world at large, The observation deck is however the world's highest indoor observation deck. Shanghai Tower picks up 3 Guinness World Records including world's fastest elevator, tallest elevator in a building and the fastest double-deck elevator.
We took the express elevator to the 118th floor directly within only 55 seconds. From the observation deck, we enjoyed a unique panoramic view of the Huangpu River, the Bund on the west, and several other skyscrapers like the Jin Mao Tower and the World Financial Center on the east bank.
28 Oct Day 3:
It was our first experience taking express train in China. We walked to the cafeteria to grab our breakfast. The staff was busy. She advised us to make order with WeChat app and then she walked off to deliver food. Since then we did not see anyone else to serve us for the next half an hour. We were struggling to make order with our WeChat when we came to the payment page. I told the staff about my difficulty when she was back. She took the order for us and then we happily sat at the cafeteria waiting for our meal. Another half an hour was gone and our meal was not served. I kept looking back to check on the staff but she was not occupied at all. I walked to the counter for reminder, and she responded in a shocking face "Are you sure you want the food to be served now? I thought you would like to have them at noon!". That was how we wasted one hour at the cafeteria before we could start eating.
We managed to reached the top just in time before the sunset. The sunset and mountains made the view like a Chinese painting. Sunset was spectacular but short. "The strange thing about the sunset is that we actually don't want the sun to set, we want it to stay right on the horizon, not below it, not above it, just right on it!" - Mehmet Murat ildan
We walked back to the hotel to do check-in. We stayed at the North building which was cheaper. The building looked old and the wall along the hallways was not well maintained. I was relieved when I saw the room was clean and it looked like newly renovated.
29 Oct Day 4:
We hiked up to Danxia peak once again but this time for sunrise. The reported sunrise time was 6.20am. We started to hike up from 5am and arrived at the peak at 5.30am. We found spectacular and vibrant color palettes painted across Mother Nature’s canvas. The sky turned so many different shades as the sun started to rise from the horizon. However, the sun was still hidden after half an hour as the sky was getting brighter. People around had been saying we might not see the sun as it was blocked. Some of us were giving up and planning to leave. At this time, Thomas told us that he was going back to hotel. He encouraged us to wait patiently for another 15 minutes till the reported sunrise time. Thankfully we did, at 6.16am, a few of us made a scream of joy and I noticed the sun was rising up shyly from the horizon.
https://gs.ctrip.com/html5/you/sight/19.html
The buildings are made of brick and wood and have two or three floors. Although the shops on Tunxi Old Street are not very large, they are deep, allowing for a shop in the front and space in the back for a home, workshop, or storeroom. Tunxi Old Street is 1½ kilometers long and 7 meters wide.
We found one stall selling wanton and noodle. The wantan soup was the best food we had in this market. The wantan skip wan smooth and thin, the clear soup was flavorful.
One of the popular snack in Anhui Province is hairy tofu. Due to fermentation, the tofu is covered with white molds. The cooking method can be complicated as well as simple. For the older folks in Anhui, they prefer to grill it and eat it with sauce. Don’t let the fine white hairy mold on the tofu keep you from trying it, it does not smell like stinky tofu.
30 Oct Day 5:
Shaomai can be bought in many places in China, but only Shanghai's Shaomai have sauced rice as filling, and some will add diced meat and mushrooms in additional. The rice puddings I had during breakfast in Tunxi Lodge looked plain but tasted so good.
Our last place to vist at Anhui province was Hongcun village. With a 900 years existence, Hongcun Ancient Village is designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. The village layout resembles body of an ox, with Leigang Hill being the 'head', two huge trees on the hill: the 'horns', the residences: the 'body', a winding stream: the 'entrails', Moon Pond: the 'stomach' and the four bridges forming the 'four legs'.
Many of the villagers diverted water into small canals where they washed their clothes and vegetable and they are still doing it nowadays. Sound disgusting?
Apart from ancient residences, Hongcun Ancient Village highlights the water scenery. Moon Pond in the village center is crescent shaped. It was once a restless spring, then by leading the streams into Moon Pond to supply the villagers' daily water needs.. It was one of the scene casted in the famous movie "Crouching tiger, hidden dragon".
We headed to Huangshan North train station where we took train back to Shanghai. We checked into Blue Mountain Youth Hostel, the same hostel where we stayed for the first tonight. One of my mission in this trip was to bring my parents to dine in Haidilao. Haidilao is a popular hotpot restaurants chain. Haidilao opened its first ever overseas outlet in Singapore in December 2012, and has since expanded to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and even US, but unfortunately not Malaysia (The first Haidilao in Malaysia will be opened in Sunway Pyramid soon).
As for the food, take note that all orders are ala carte, including the soup stocks, fresh premium ingredients, and the variety of homemade sauces. All ingredients are freshly-made in-house, including the shrimp paste, sauces, and of course, the gong fu mian - noodles artistically handmade and pulled right before your very eyes.
The final bill was ￥380 for four of us which was only about half of what I spent in Singapore. We ordered freely without thinking much about budget. Most importantly, we did feel full.
31 Oct Day 6:
We had the last morning in Shanghai before we took the afternoon flight to Singapore. We decided to explore around our hostel to grab some local street food for breakfast.
In most cases, Tang Yuan is filled with sweet filling (black sesame, red beans or peanut) But savory Tang Yuan is so different as it is filled with savory meat and vegetable mixture. When the soup is usually gingery and sweet, this time the soup is plain.
