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| Wang Bin and I |
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| View from my hotel room |
Day 5:
Today we go to the oldest city in Shanghai and Nanjing Road. The oldest city is very interesting and primarily focuses on the life of one man. That man later became to founder of the Republic of China.
Nanjing Road is interesting just because there are so many people and shops and everything is very close together with a layer hustle bustle on top. I really want to purchase a ring so I walk into a nice looking store and speak to the saleswoman only using Chinese. I tell her what I want and ask her if bargaining is allowed. It turns out that bargaining is not allowed and this store has a ring that I really want. I realize that I don't have enough money for it and apologize to the woman. She asks her boss if I can still purchase the ring even though I'm short about ¥20. Her boss looks at me and says let her have it. I am so pleased with my ring and my shopping experience.
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| Nanjing Road |
China is beautiful and anything but homogenous. Even in the nicest places, the ugly effects of poverty seeps through the cracks. For instance, my friends stop walking for 3 minutes and a mutilated man walks up to them-bumping then each with his limb-asking for money. A few seconds later, another man asks us whether my friend and I would like to purchase "a massage or sex". I'm not even insulted by this offer, I more pitty the man. This man is so desperate to make money that he is trying to sell his body to strangers. 怎么办？I feel like the characters of the world like these two men make life more interesting and allows visitors to recognize the (potentially poor) reality that awaits the people who live outside the city. I almost appreciate the (crude) reminder.
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