Discover the Hidden Gems of Eastern China: A 72-Hour Adventure in Shanghai and Hangzhou

In the spring of 1981, I arrived in Shanghai, the big city known as “Paris of the East” or “Queen of the East” and in Hangzhou on the occasion of a visit by a delegation of Romanian youth at the invitation of the youth organization of the People’s Republic of China. To this day, I keep excellent impressions of that visit which gave me not only a wealth of knowledge about the ancient and modern history of China, but also strong impressions about the sincere feelings of friendship of these people, which is reflected in the daily attitude of the population. of different ages in the areas mentioned. I will present to the readers some of the objectives visited:

i) Shanghai

*Jing’an Temple/Temple of Peace and Tranquility instead of a Buddhist place intended for the initiated, which came into being in 247 AD. during the Wu Kingdom. I fondly remember visiting the Halls of the Three Saints, Kings of Paradise, Virtuous Work, Great Hero, Goddess Guanyin. There I also saw a copper bell weighing 3.5 tonnes dating back to the Ming Dynasty.

*Longhua Temple is dedicated to Buddha Maitreya. It preserves the original architectural plan of a Buddhist monastery from the Song Dynasty (960-1279)/Chan School, which is the largest complex of ancient temples in Shanghai; is located on an area of ​​20,000 square meters. In my notebook I noted the following Halls that were visited: Maitreya; of Four Kings of Paradise; Mahavira; of the Three Wise Men. We also saw the Library of Buddhist Texts and the Bell Tower weighing 5,000 kilograms. One of the representative objectives of the complex is Longhua Pagoda with 7 levels consisting of red brick built in 977; in JG Ballard’s autobiographical novel, “Empire of the Sun”, the author says that the Japanese army used the famous Pagoda during the Second World War as a tower for anti-aircraft artillery operations.

*Temple of the Jade Buddha established in 1882; then 2 Jade Statues (one representing the seated Buddha, 1.95 meters high and weighing 3 tons and one smaller of the deceased Buddha) were brought from Myanmar by sea by a Buddhist monk who gave them to Emperor Huigen of the Qing Dynasty .

*Songjiang Pagoda Square from a suburb of Shanghai there are 9 levels and it is 48.5 meters high. It was built in the period 1068-1077 when that city was an important port on the Grand Canal between Hangzhou and Suzhou.

*Graignorant Yuyuan/Happiness Garden dating back to 1559 during the Ming Dynasty. It occupies an area of ​​2 hectares, has several bridges, pavilions, stone fountains, turrets and small lakes. The flora is lush, containing many species of subtropical plants. A component building with the role of the Imperial Greenhouse bears the significant name “Room of Ten Thousand Flowers”.

*The Park Hotel in the Art Deco style, this was the tallest building in the whole of Asia between 1934, the year of its inauguration, and 1963; at 83.8 meters, it remained the largest in China until 1966 and in Shanghai until 1983. The hotel is structured in 24 floors and 200 rooms, being an important landmark in the modern history of the Chinese metropolis.

*Customs House/Casa Vamilor dates back to the late 17th century when Emperor Kang Xi of the Qing Dynasty lifted restrictions against maritime trade after conquering Taiwan. In 1925 it was demolished and replaced by the current building designed by architects Palmer and Turner. It occupies an area of ​​5,722 square meters with a tower with a mechanical clock made in England at its centre. The main entrance has 4 columns in Doric style.

*Jiao Tong University whose motto is “Gratitude and Responsibility” was established in 1896 based on a project approved by the Guangxu Emperor. After the establishment of the Republic of China in 1949, new faculties were introduced in the fields of civil engineering, automobile engineering, construction equipment, road management, shipbuilding, telecommunications, etc. At the time of our visit, the University had expanded the scope of its teaching and research activities through new disciplines: the natural sciences; economic sciences; socio-political sciences; medical sciences.

I regret not going to Shanghai in the last decades to see the urban, economic and cultural progress of the Asian metropolis, but I leave this pleasure to my sons.

ii) Hangzhou

*West Lake/Xi Hu represents a distinctive sign of the city called “Paradise on Earth” for many centuries. Our hosts organized a boat trip on the beautiful lake giving us unforgettable memories of the intense green scenery around it and some riverside monuments.

*Lingyin Temple/Soul Retreat Temple is a Buddhist monastery that saw the light of day in 326 AD. Bath Pagoda located at the entrance was built in honor of the monk Hui Li whose name is also given to the mountain where the place of worship is located. There we saw dozens of Buddhist statues made directly in the rock, most of them dating from the 10th century.

Lingyin Temple Photo: Tyg728, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

* Pagoda of the Six Harmoniesa masterpiece of Chinese architecture near the West Lake, signifying the harmony between Paradise, Earth and the four directions (East, West, North, South). Liuhe Tower is the only view of the old octagonal Temple built in 970 AD.

* South Plantation “Longjing”/”Dragon Spring” it is a lovely green area that impresses everyone; here the famous Chinese tea is cut, picked and dried. After being served a cup of tea, each of us left with an elegant box containing this “natural treasure” kindly offered by our hosts.

* National South Museum located in the vicinity Western Lake is an introduction to Chinese tea culture whose long history is over 4,700 years old. A number of types of tea and traditional elements of its serving dating back to ancient times are displayed. And here – just like in the visit Tea Plantation – we were invited by a charming young lady in a silk dress for a cup of tea, witnessing the authentic ceremonial preparation and serving of the famous soft drink.

* Strada Hefang (walker) dates back to the Song Dynasty. Many traditional buildings where business, politics and cultural activities used to take place have been preserved. Visitors – including us – are invited to sample the goods on display and to purchase locally handcrafted goods of unparalleled beauty and delicacy.

*Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine / Hu Quing Yu Tang it allows the many visitors to have an overview of the long occupation of the great Asian people who, since ancient times, have amazed the whole world with their healing and medical procedures. During our visit we learned the story of a famous merchant from this area who lived in the 17th century and his name was Hu Xueyan. After leaving, the director of the Museum wished us with a smile on his face “to always be healthy and only enter Medicine Museums” like the one in the beautiful city of Hangzhou, which we have visited with great interest.