Day 5

Last night, we took an overnight train ride from Beijing to Shanghai. The ride was 14 hours, and let’s just say it was an experience. We were in two kinds of cars, one with two “beds”, and one with four “beds.” I put beds in quotations because they were very hard, and not very big. The rooms were very small and cramped. The two-bed cars had a bathroom that was very similar, though slightly bigger, to an airplane bathroom. In Asia, smoking is still very common, and restrictions on smoking in public places are non-existent, especially in China, so it was very smoky on the train. With nowhere to go for fresh air, it made the ride even longer, but it was still a good experience that we aren’t able to easily duplicate in the States.

When we arrived in Shanghai, we found a very different city than Beijing. It was cleaner, it seemed more compact, and the buildings looked much newer. We learned, from our tour guide, Ren, that much of the city of Shanghai has been built in the last 15 years. The Prime Minister of China visited the city and said that they needed to build the city, and since it has seen a tremendous buildout.

We visited one of the top museums in China, with many ancient furniture, ceramics, calligraphy, art, and clothing displays. Outside, was their city’s public square and city hall. After the museum, we visited an ancient garden in the Old Town area of Shanghai, and we also did some shopping in the many shops in Old Town. One of the highlights of this area was the Dairy Queen, and many of us found some familiar refreshment. I didn’t see anyone order the Green Tea Blizzard, though.

At night, we saw a Chinese acrobat show, which was very unique and entertaining. At the show, we met a Rose-Hulman alum who has been living in Asia for many years. Dave Sutherland, one of the best basketball players in Rose’s history, met us at the acrobat show and spent some time with us after the show as well. Dave came to Asia as a Vice-President at Smuckers, and now owns a business trading products in the food industry. He works in Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo, and has made East Asia his home. Dave told some stories of life on the road traveling with Coach Mutchner and Head Trainer Til Panaranto. He also told of their history of international trips and was glad that the tradition carried on today.

To finish our time in Shanghai, we went up in Jin Mao tower (I think it was the 6th tallest building in the world) where we had a spectacular view of Shanghai at night. The buildings along the Huang Pu River were lit up, and it reminded us a bit of Las Vegas. The Pearl Tower, the largest TV tower in the world, was on one side, and on the other was a building under construction, which will become the tallest building in the world when its complete. The final height is being kept a secret for now. It was a fitting end to a busy day in Shanghai. We leave for Japan in the morning.