Xisha Wetlan and M50

Last weekend, well the weekend before last now, I went on some more ventures with Xiao Ting around Shanghai. The first place we went to was a place called Xisha Wetland, an eco park set up on Chongming Island (an Island located a bit northeast of Shanghai that is a county of the city). This was actually my second visit to the island but I do not think I made a post about that visit.

We had to wake up at the crack of dawn to start traveling there but it was worth the trip.

Our journey started with us moving north, taking metro line 3 to its last stop. The northern part of the city is much more industrial and houses a lot of shipping infrastructure as well since it is by the coast.

 After getting off the metro we then had to take a bus so we could arrive at the docks. From here we could see a lot of billowing smokestacks used for producing something or another.

At the docks we would then got and take a ferry to get to the island. The ticket was much cheaper than taking a bus to the island (there is a long bride connecting the island to the mainland) though it is a bit more inconvenient to get to the docks. After getting the tickets there was only a few minutes before departure so we attempted sprinting down this causeway to catch the boat. I use the word attempted as neither of us are in the greatest of shape.

 Our sprint ended up being unnecessary, the people we passed on our hurry who were casually walking made to the boat with plenty of time. The ferry was big and had room for around 200 passengers, plus others who parked their cars on the bottom level of the ferry to take them to the island.

 Maybe someone gets a bit seasick?

Upon arrival on the island we took yet another bus to get around on the island. While waiting two different people offered to take us in their cars, the second guy kept offering a lower and lower price as we waited for the bus but we just took the bus. After getting off the bus to the country side area of the island we rode on the back of this guys motor bike (pictured below) to get to the park. He only charged us 6rmb total to take us there. He did try to make us stop half way at some restaurant that is run by a man he obviously knows or has a deal with (sometimes they get a cut of the profits for taking tourists to eat at these places). Xiao Ting did not want to say no, a lot of times people in China do not like refusing people directly so she told the man in Mandarin that it was me who didn't want to eat there.

 Then we arrived at the park without a hitch. Entry was unexpectedly free, you have to pay to go to a lot of parks and gardens here.

The tide was out when we arrived but came in after we were there so it was cool to be able to see the change.

 These little crabs were absolutely everywhere that was not the walkway. They make little holes in the mud for shelter. Everywhere you went in the park you could hear them skittering and see them running around. Some people were there selling sticks with a loop of wire on the end where a worm was attached for catching the crabs. They would grab on and then you could pull them up and bag them. We did not try but observed others.

 Tiny obstacle course.

 We had to go through these barriers to get to another part of the park but they said something like no entry so we were not sure if we were allowed. We asked people who worked at the park and they did not care so we just went around. After staying in China long enough you start to realize that a lot of sings are more like suggestions than commands.

 We had to dodge around or climb over a few of these.

 Maybe I'll just stay in China and become an intrepid sea captain.

 There was a lake area to see as well but you had to pay to get into that section which we did not think was worth it so continued exploring the wetland.

 Here it is with the tide coming in.

 There was a shoreline with a view of the water which is around where the Yangtze river opens into the East China Sea.

 We wanted to get to that dock area but is was blocked off by this billboard thing.

 So we crawled under this tiny opening. A group passe by probably wondering how we got through, I'm not exactly a tiny person.

 Here were some people trying their hand at crab fishing.

 When we left the park our loyal driver was there waiting at the gate for more fares so he took us back as well, using a suspiciously shorter route that did not lead past his buddy's restaurant. He thought Xiao Ting and I were related for some reason and was surprised she could speak such good Chinese.

 This is a rice cake type of thing. We stopped at a small local place to eat dinner.

 This is a place where the locals residents ate so we got to try some food that are daily types of dishes for some people on the island. The cook took us to the back to show what she had to make so we picked some stuff out. All of the dishes were really salty. We were told that people in the country side eat a lot more salt in the food which I assume is to replace what they lose by working. It still was pretty good food. The chef seemed happy to see us, I don't think she sees many non residents in the restaurant and talked to my friend whom answered questions about me. A semi toothless man, maybe her husband, was sort of giggling in the background, especially when I tried to say something in Chinese. The chef said she would cook for us with less salt next time, maybe if I come back to China.

 This is a fish eye. Xiao Ting told me that Chinese people eat the eyes because they think it helps make vision clearer or something and that she eats them. I heard a lot of strange things about Chinese medicine so I gave it a try. Texture was funky but at least it did not taste like much.

 Xiao Ting is a liar, she has never eaten a fish eye in her life and made up that whole story. I made her eat the other one.

 Finally we took the bus back to the city/town area of the island after tasting made up delicacies. We were going to get on a second bus to take us all the way back to Shanghai but some taxi driver told us he would take us back for cheaper, I think it was for 25rmb each which was cheaper. So we ended up piling into the taxi with 3 other passengers, squeezing 4 of us into the back. He didn't put the meter down since we were just going to pay the negotiated price. We then drove insanely fast back to the city, when taxi drivers drive they go for it. So it was both faster and cheaper than the bus. Of course no one was wearing their seat belts, this is China, no one wears seat-belts (don't worry mom, I'm still alive). He dropped us off at Wujiaochang, a shopping area in walking distance to the campus.

 So after a full day of riding the metro, a ferry, many buses, a motor bike, as well as walking, sprinting, climbing, and crawling we got a watermelon and feasted. They are much better than ones I have had back home, a bit smaller than their US counterparts but much more flavorful and juicy. They are really cheap right now too, so I assume they are in season. People are selling them off the backs for trucks, vans, and even slices on a stick as a snack on the streets.

We made plans for the next day a well, we had nothing else to do, and both groups of our other friends were busy or being boring for the day. So I suggested we to to a place called M50. It is an area that used to be an old industrial/warehouse area that is now re-purposed to house contemporary (and some classic) art studios and galleries for Chinese and foreign artists alike. There are also a ton of art galleries on the street that leads to the M50 complex. It is free to go into all the galleries and was Xiao Ting's first time going there..

Of course starting on a good stomach is the key to success for any outing.

 These are fried dumplings which have become my favorite form of dumpling. They have meat and soup on the inside and it all explodes in your mouth. It is delicious and will be missed when I leave.

We stopped at a few clothing shops on the way since we passed by a bunch of factory stores for American brands like Nike, Converse, Adidas, and pretty much every shoe brand ever as well as some Chinese ones on the same street near campus. I discovered that my shoe size does not seem to exist in China, which is unfortunate because the new shoes I got before coming here are falling apart.The statues and giant cupcake are mostly unrelated.

 Near the galleries there a bunch of huge apartment building so they put up a bunch of advertisements on the outside.

I am almost completely certain the M in M50 is for the street it is located on, Moganshan Lu.

 After seeing this wall it made me realize that you really don't see much graffiti around Shanghai, surprising for a city so big.

There were all kinds of galleries, I did not take a ton of pictures because I do not think we were supposed to inside. My friend took a lot though since she has a phone camera and doesn't have to be obvious about it, we will have to swap our photos.

Don't worry, it's art.

Some of the galleries were opening the day we visited so they had some Hors d'oeuvre set out. I sipped on some complimentary champagne and tried to give the impression of being a cosmopolitan young gentleman art connoisseur.

Not to talk down on art, a lot of what I saw was legitimately interesting an skilled but after seeing enough contemporary art displays you get the sense that you can put anything on a wall, shine some lights on it, and people will stare at it and try to make profound statements while bored middle aged people with too much money come to buy it so they can have something odd on display in their sitting room to serve as a talking point making them seem so worldly and with it. At one gallery, on in the pictured alleyway, we heard the artist talking with a patron. The piece they were discussing was a rectangular piece of metal standing up longways attached to a base of wood. The piece of metal had a few horizontal lines cut into it and some blue LED lights put in. The artist said he asked some guy at a factory (maybe in China not sure) if he could purchase the metal, with lines in is because it is used to measure cuts, and it was just given to the artist. So he puts it on a piece of wood, adds a few lights, and this patron thinks it is the best thing ever and wants to buy it, with the artists asking for 6,000 (I'm assuming it was in rmb which would be $1000 but he was a Russian artist so could have been talking dollars). Some factory workers in China might be able to make 6000 rmb in half a year. He did have some other actually legitimate stuff in the gallery at least.

Anyway that was that. The day ended in another delicious watermelon. This weekend was not as eventful but I still did a few things. Sunday I Ventured to Yuyuan garden and the surrounding old town on my own. Monday (no class) I went to the insect museum, a strange choice as I am terrified of insects. I felt uncomfortable even seeing them behind glass, there were reptiles and stuff to though. May blog post about these happenings another time.

Now it is more crunch time for finals and final projects. I am also finalizing my housing search for South Korea. Nothing too exciting about campus to talk about right now, maybe next time. I realized I have not actually talked much about the actual Fudan campus yet.

All for now,
-Michael