Shanghai Botanical Gardens	First Communist Congress	Peace Hotel
Pudong	Huangpu River & The Yangtze River
The Ancient china Sex Culture Museum	Zhouzhuang, a Town on Water	The Ancient Town of Wuzhen

1. SHANGHAI BOTANICAL GARDENS

In the southwest suburbs of Shanghai the once neglected gardens are undergoing a slow renewal. During and after the Cultural Revolution the gardens were unattended and left to overgrow.

At the present time the most interesting part is actually the Penjing Gardens located within the larger garden. Although a separate small admission fee is charged, pay it, it is certainly worthwhile. Penjing is known in the West as bonsai, and is the art of cultivating miniature trees and shrubs, and wonderful examples of the art abound. This art is practiced in Japan as well. The Penjing Garden is in the traditional Chinese style complete with courtyards, pavilions, and miniature lakes. The examples of Penjing (Bonsai) are primarily displayed in the exhibition room.

A trip to the Shanghai Botanical Gardens could be combined with a trip to the Longhua Temple Pagoda as the later is nearby.

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2. FIRST COMMUNIST CONGRESS

The Chinese Communist Party was initially founded in 1921 at a meeting of twelve delegates at the French Concession home of one of the delegates. Mao Zedong was one of the delegates as well. The address was formerly 106 Rue Wantz, in the French of the day, but today it is 374 Huangpi Nanlu.

The home has been restored and returned to the period and is furnished with furniture of the period as well. Pictures of all of the delegates as well as their biographies are displayed and chart their course through Chinese history.

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3. PEACE HOTEL

The Peace Hotel is located on the corner of Nanjing Road and the Bund, and is world famous for its' Horse and Hound Bar, as well as its' Jazz Band, which still performs in the evenings. This hotel became one of the crossroads of world travelers pre World War II.

It was originally built around 1930 by Victor Sassoon as The Cathay. The Sassoon family, of Sephardic Jews ancestry from Baghdad, was but one of the many Jewish families who flourished in pre-war Shanghai as merchants and businessmen, and symbolizes the long era of foreign domination of Shanghai.

Originally built in the Art Deco style of the era with high ceilings, and much iron work. The first four floors were originally used for offices of Sassoon businesses, with the higher floors for the hotel which offered the best service and amenities of the era. The roof which was designed in pyramid form is easily recognized. At one time Victor Sassoon lived on the top floors. There is an outdoor terrace at the base of the pyramid and offers a 360 degree view of the entire city and the Huangpu River.

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4. PUDONG

The Pudong area of Shanghai is directly east and across the Huangpu River from the rest of Shanghai. Prior to the early 1990's the Pudong area of Shanghai was essentially undeveloped, with farmland, rundown factories, and was reached only by ferry from the other side of the river as there were no bridges or tunnels.

Pudong is now a Special Economic Zone and an unbelievable number of skyscrapers are appearing at an amazing rate. The scene is changing before ones eyes, and is the fastest growing urban area in the world, Shanghai's new airport is also emerging in Pudong. The Pudong area of Shanghai is already as large as the rest of Shanghai itself. One of the tallest buildings in the world has recently been completed, and contains a Hyatt Hotel which occupies many of the higher floors.

The old buildings and the farmlands are disappearing, housing is being erected, streets and shopping centers are being constructed, five star hotels are becoming a dime a dozen, office buildings are reaching towards the sky. Many say that a skyline to rival Hong Kong will soon emerge. It is close now.

Pudong is now linked to Shanghai by a newly built tunnel and a fantastic bridge and highway system.

Shanghai and the Pudong area are virtually unrecognizable from less than 6 years ago. It is in the forefront of the emerging New China.

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5. HUANGPU RIVER & THE YANGTZE RIVER

The Huangpu River begins in Lake Tai west of Shanghai and meets the Yangtze river 70 miles downstream. Shanghai is on the Huangpu and is 17 miles upstream from the Yangtze. The Yangtze is China's longest river. It begins in the Tibetan Plateau and flows across China until it empties into the East China Sea southeast of Shanghai

Shanghai's proximity on the Huangpu has contributed to its success in commercial trade to all of China. The river averages 440 yards wide and 27 feet deep as it snakes its way through Shanghai to meet the Yangtze. Large cruise ships can unload their passengers at the International Passenger Terminal a little north of Suzhou Creek, and freighters from all over the world can unload their wares at wharves all along the Bund, and pick up Chinese goods bound for international destinations. The deep water channel from the Yangtze to the Huangpu makes this all possible. Cargoes unloaded from the freighters can be put on barges and taken through Suzhou Creek and then along the networks of canals for delivery all over China.

Boat tours are available for afternoon sightseeing on the river year around from several areas along the Bund side of the Huangpu. Evening tours are available in the summer. The charge is reasonable and refreshments are available on board. A running commentary is available from on board guides to acquaint one with all the sights along the very busy and intriguing river. This is a most interesting way to learn more about Shanghai and this active port.

Only in the past few years with the development of the Pudong area across the Huangpu has transport across the river been available by bridge or tunnel. Prior to that time the only transpiration was by ferry.

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