2018 October Shanghai and Huangshan

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.

There were a few bundle options for the Maglev train tickets. I took the roundtrip ticket with one day unlimited metro pass which costed ￥85 and one way ticket with one day unlimited metro pass for my parents (￥55). It was a wonderful experience to ride the MagLev- the world's fastest high speed train running on Magnetic Levitation technology. The entire trip from Pudong - Longyang took 7-8 minutes. The highest speed it reached during the trip was 431km/hr. 

About an hour later, we arrived at Luban station and Blue Mountain Youth Hostel was just opposite of the station, in less than 5 minutes walking distance. Twin room with private bathroom was ￥281 per night. It was 11.15am and our stomach were growling already. We quickly dropped our luggage and set off for our most awaited meal at Yang's Dumpling (小杨生煎) and Nan Xiang Restaurant (南翔馒头店). Both of them have many outlets but we chose Wujing Rd as two of them are nearby and we could tried them at once. Address: 上海市吴江路269号湟普汇2楼.

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.

After the two meals, we were finally recharged to start our sightseeing itenerary. We first visited Tian Zi Fang, which is a tourist shopping and cafe area in Shanghai in the Old French Quarter. One of the Shanghai highlights is the old residential buildings called ‘shikumen’, housing with stone doorframes and solid wooden doors which reflects a confluence of architectural tastes. Apart from Shikumen buildings, there are also French style remainders. This area retains an “organic and original” feel because the area has not been markedly reconstructed in recent years and many original residents still live in the narrow lanes.

About one km away was Zhou Enlai's former residence, 上海周恩来故居. He was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China. The three-storey house was built in the 1920s in a French style. Zhou Enlai stayed in the house during 1946. It was the Shanghai Office of the Delegates of the Communist Party of China in 1946–7. The house was listed as a municipal relic in 1959 and became a memorial in 1979.
Location – 73 Sinan Road, Huangpu District 上海市黄浦区思南路73号, 9am - 5pm, free admission.

As it was getting late, we skipped all other places and headed directly to Yuyuan Garden. It is believed to have been built in the Ming Dynasty, more than 400 years ago. The exquisite layout, beautiful scenery, and the artistic style of the garden architecture have made the garden one of the highlights of Shanghai.

Just outside the entrance of the garden is a manmade lake, atop which the beautiful Huxinting teahouse appears to float. Built in 1784, the striking building is considered one of the oldest restaurants in Shanghai, and is a great place to stop in for a spot of tea – the space is famous for hosting foreign dignitaries including the Queen of England. It is also purportedly built without using a single nail. However, to get there, one must cross a bridge that zig and zags in an inefficient manner across the water. This is not only for aesthetic appeal. According to Chinese myth, the hard angles of the design are an important way to keep evil spirits from getting through the doors, as they are believed not to be able to turn corners.

Pieces of Nian Gao (rice cakes) and breaded pork cutlets are deep fried separately upon your order. The Nian Gao and port cutlet are then neatly cut into small rectangular slices and drizzled with a thick brown sauce. This snack was not appealing as it was too oily.

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.

It was almost 9am when I was finally done with the collection. I rushed back to the metro station to meet my parents and we continued our journey to Zhujiajiao. It was about 15-minutes walking from Zhujiajiao station to the water village. Along the way, we spotted a shop selling sheng jian pao and lamian. It was quite crowded with locals so we believed the food must be good. Without hesitation, we walked in and ordered our food. Most places in China takes pride in their la-mian (Chinese noodles) and it is usually hand-pulled. Simply stirred in scallion fried to golden brown in oil or (pork fat), soya sauce, the lamian and sheng jian pao did not disappoint us. The scallion oil is coated on every strand of the noodles, ensuring every mouth is flavourful with a crunchy bite of the dried shrimps.

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.

We walked further and noticed another shop selling fried fish (小金爆鱼) and it was advertised and CCTV.com. To my surprise the fish were not not dry at all. They were quite juicy and well seasoned in teriyaki sauce. We were captivated by street food and we reached water village only after more than an hour.

It was about 11am and the crowd was noticeable. Endowed with another elegant name - 'Pearl Stream' - the Zhujiajiao Ancient Water Town is the best-preserved among the four ancient towns in Shanghai. Unique old bridges across bubbling streams, small rivers shaded by willow trees, and houses with courtyards attached all transport people who have been living amidst the bustle and hustle of the modern big city to a brand-new world full of antiquity, leisure and tranquility.

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.

We pampered ourself with an afternoon tea before we headed back to town to visit the bund.

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.

We did not stay long as we had to rush to the Shanghai Tower to go up to the observation deck. We took ferry from Shiliupu wharf to cross the river. Along the promenade we saw few places selling ticket to the observation deck but we decided not to take risk. We bought the ticket at Shanghai Tower at the price of ￥180.

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 arrived at Huangshan North station after 4+ hours. Thomas was at the arrival hall waiting for us. We were fetched to the bus terminal where we would take bus to the cable car station and go up to the mountain. We were asked to pack as little as possible in our backpack because we were going to carry it during our whole day hike tomorrow. The one way bus ticket and cable car ticket were ￥19 and ￥80 respectively.

The entrance into Huangshan scenic area was ￥190. We walked for one hour from the cable car station at peak to Xi Hai Hotel. It was 4.40pm. We quickly dropped our backpacks at reception and hiked up to Danxia Peak (丹霞峰) which was 1km long to watch the sunset.

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.

We had dinner at the restaurant at the reception level which offered buffet and ala-carte menu. The buffet price was ￥150. It was crowded and we waited a while to get a table. We opted for ala-carte menu instead. Thomas warned us that the serving was huge so we ordered only three dishes which costed slighly cheaper. The food turned out to be really good and the price was actually not bad given the huge portion.

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.

We walked back to the hotel and had our buffet breakfast at the restaurant near to north building. After shower, we started our whole day hiking within HuangShan scenic area. There is a saying 五岳归来不看山，黄山归来不看岳 which means "The landscape of the Five Famous Mountains tops/belittles those elsewhere, and the landscape of Huangshan Mountain tops/belittles that of the Five Famous Mountains". Along the way, Thomas pointed out some of the popular spot like camel rock(骆驼峰), flying stone (飞来石), monkeys watching sea of clouds (猴子观海), Single Line Sky(一线天), Celestial Capital Peak (天都峰), Lotus Peak (莲花峰), 仙女弹琴 and etc.
https://gs.ctrip.com/html5/you/sight/19.html

I do not know the exact walking trail as I followed our tour guide most of the time. We did not manage to visit the Welcome pine tree as dad did not feel good with his knees. Once again we were transferred to shuttle bus after cable car ride. We were supposed to visit the hot spring but unfortunately we did not pack our swim wear into our small backpack. Hence we went back straight to the town where our driver picked us up and fetched us to Tunxi.  

 

Tunxi Old Street was a merchant area. The structures date from the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) eras. The style of architecture is called the Anhui style or Huizhou (鰴州) architecture. The look of these structures is similar to that of the Hongcun merchant houses. It is the best-preserved section of Huangshan City.

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.

Another local snack is shao-bing. Among all different fillings, pork + preserve vegetable (梅菜) filling is the most popular. I like the crispy skin and prefer onion flavour (葱油).

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'.

Hongcun Ancient Village has about 140 original Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) style residences. Identifiable with pink walls and black tiles, all the residences are sturdy. Ingenious use of elements of water, trees and gardens, and farmland produced a beautiful setting for the Wang Clan's daily life over many generations. The village structures blend in with the natural setting that exhibit the wisdom of hundreds of years of village construction.

Of the over 140 well-preserved folk residences of Ming and Qing Dynasties at Hongcun, one of the most famous is Chengzhi Tang (Ideal Holding Hall). Also called the Folk Imperial Palace, it was built by a rich salt merchant who hired many talented craftsmen to decorate the building with intricate wooden carvings.

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).

Along the way, we passed by a stall selling Onion Pancake and the business was pretty good. We couldn't resist to try one and it was the best onion pancake I had. Each round ball of dough is kneaded by hand and mixed with chopped spring onions. The dough ball is then pressed flat and fried on a greasy flat griddle till its lightly brown on each side. Unlike the usual onion pancake we have in Singapore, this pancake is very crispy, but of course oily. One bite says it all. Crispy with aromatic spring onions, it is delightfully flavorful with little bits of minced pork in the dough. Similar to our Roti Prata without the flipping and stretching of the dough, I must say that it is good enough to eat it on its own.

 

Haidilao restaurants offer free snacks and drinks as well as a variety of services to keep customers entertained as they wait in line, of course the price is also on the high side. There are also hidden costs include the sauces and free-flow drinks. The average price per pax is about S$40 in Singapore. I have heard from my friends that the Haidilao in China is much cheaper so I thought it was a good idea to bring my parents to experience the premium hotpot. Waiting customers can also keep themselves occupied with boardgames and reading material at the waiting area, or simply head over to the manicure studio for a free manicure.

The pampering does not stop there. When you finally get a table, you will be given a hot towel as well as an apron and a hairband to wear so you don't dirty your clothes or ter-eat your own hair. Not only these, I got my first ever gel manicure done here.

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.

This savoury crepe (蛋饼) is pan-fried fresh upon every order on a flat griddle. A millet flour mixture spread thin with an egg cracked on top. As the flour turns a light golden brown, it is sprinkled with coriander, spring onions, and choose your own stuffing like sausages, pulled meat or bacons.

 

Da Bing is a starchy dry sesame pastry that are baked in a barrel similar to what the Indians do with the Naan. Its dry and flaky pastry comes in either sweet or savory flavor.