Shanghai's Nanjing Road East

In Shanghai, Nanjing Road has two famous sections. Nanjing Road (west) is a pedestrian street mall and considered the heart of the city. About a mile away, maybe even less, is Nanjing Road East, which is newer and even more upscale. 

People dress well in Shanghai, and I used to dress smartly on my trips there. I would wear heals and wouldn't even be bothered by it. But now I have to wear flat shoes due to some problem with my right toe that some doctor said was osteoarthritis. In fact, the only shoes that don't hurt my feet are Converse All-Stars, so that's what I wear in Shanghai now. No one is looking for me to be a fashion trendsetter, so there's no need to dress up. 

Shanghai is a fun big city and I love my trips there. But I only like to go on days in which someone can let Mimi out for a walk midday. 

On the streets

You may have heard that the air quality in China has been very poor this year, more so than usual. When I lived in Bedrock, it was extremely bad all the time, but since I've been in Bamboo Forest, I've found it much more bearable. But when fog rolls in and stays for weeks, it traps the pollution and creates smog; most of China got hit hard this year. After all these years, I just last week got an indoor air purifier. In less than a week, the filter, which should last four months, is already black. It is an uphill battle to try to stay healthy and breathe clean air.

I like all the sidewalk shops in the city. This one sells dolls. As you can see, backpacks are very popular and practical for city living.        

On a cold rainy day, there aren't many customers, but the owners stand guard out front anyway, full of hope! 

Water town

Right next door to where I live, with a fence separating the two properties, is a small Buddhist temple (not pictured, but I'll show it to you some other time). On the other side of the Buddhist temple is a village, part of it along a canal. Like Venice maybe.

The above picture, therefore, was taken within a 3 or 4-minute walk from where I live. If there was no fence, it would be a faster walk. Psychologically, the fence keeps me from going there often. In four years, I've only been that way three times, the third time being this week.

I tend to think of villages being out in the countryside. But, in fact, many are in the middle of big cities.

The villages have been there for generations, and then the cities expand and build all around the villages, swallowing them up. Eventually, someone wants the land to build, and the villages are torn down and replaced by modern buildings. The villagers are paid enough to purchase a small home in a high-rise. But many miss the quaint village life when that happens.

In this village, I saw some of the tiniest dwellings I have ever seen in a village. Many village homes in the countryside are huge. But I saw some rooms in this village only big enough for a single bed, a half sofa, and a tiny table for eating. The rooms were smaller than my bedroom. They had no kitchens (they used the alleyway area to cook on portable stoves), and no bathrooms (nice public ones are built in the village though).

I forgot that such dire poverty existed so close to where I live. People inspected me, to see if I had come there to mock their lack of fortune. Many of the things that might have been interesting to photograph had to be relegated to my own memory instead of my camera memory card. I do not want to mock their plight. The tables could have been turned. It could have been me in their place and them in mine.

The canal water, for the record, is filthy.

These retired folks are playing cards (or maybe mahjong) outdoors near the canal on a pleasant fall day.

The 'hood at dusk

Here are some views taken from one of my balconies recently. In the park below are dancing ladies. They consider their dance to be exercise. One group meets 6-7 p.m., the other from 7-8 p.m. I don't think they break a sweat, but they keep their muscles limber. I used to scoff. But now I have stiff muscles and joints, so I scoff no more! Night dancing is common in China.

The park's pond has water lilies and algae growing in it. This is the first year I recall seeing the algae growing in it.

I live in a complex that is new, modern and tall (some buildings have more than 20 floors). But the ones across the street were built 30 years ago. The neighborhood has a mix of old and new.

My complex is rather large and may house more people than the small town where I grew up, or it would if people were living in all the apartments ... a few have not been moved into yet.

No tall buildings can be built on land inside the city's moat, as the government is trying to preserve that old part of town. The two buildings on the left (in above photo) are just outside the moat. The tall buildings far away are also outside the moat. In most cities, the tallest buildings are in the downtown area, but in this city, the tallest buildings circle the city, so it looks a little odd until you get used to it.

I have a view of a few mountains from my balcony. I like that. I like living in a big city.