ShangHAI, ShangBYE

Shanghai, China

This gray day started out with a walk to the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Center, which led me through the French Concession. The architecture of the homes in this neighborhood do, in fact, resemble those seen in France and other parts of Europe. The area is quiet and the trees lining the street caught most of the rain before it reached the ground.

Shanghai, China

This also marks my last full day in Shanghai and I spent time wandering the pendestrian street of East Nanjing Road. As the rain began to pick up, people selling umbrellas at the entrances/exists of metro stops seemed to appear out of nowhere. For a mere 10 RMB (roughly $1.60USD) they offered coverage for commuters emerging from the underground. After walking in the rain for a few hours I ducked into a small restaurant that had an open store front so I could continue to hear the rain - the neon was bright and the noodles hot.

Shanghai, China

How Now Mao?

Fudon University, Shanghai, China

I spent a lot of time with Mao while I was writing my thesis last year and this statue was like seeing an old acquaintance - one that I side eye and think "I know what you're about and I know what you've done".

Fudon University, Shanghai, China

P.S. The Chinese government held an intervention for me and I am now on a social media cleanse. I am currently testing the age old question "if you didn't instagram or snapchat it, did it even really happen?!"

The Not So Secret Garden

Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai, China

In a city with a population of nearly 26 million, it is difficult to find a place not completely overwhelmed with people. In the heart of Old Shanghai, the Yuyuan Garden maintains a relatively peaceful atmosphere. With its small waterfalls, coy ponds, and architecture from the Ming dynasty, it provides a moment of calm (if you can dodge the hundreds of waving selfie sticks).