The Other China

Our first two stops in China were Shanghai and Dalian. Yes, security getting off and on the ship was tight, however, that is where the similarity ended. The tour guides were a bit freer in their commentary on the government and their interpretation of the history of the communist regime in China.

Getting through immigration in Shanghai and Dalian was super easy. We had copies of our passports which were stamped. I wish they stamped our actual passports.

We saw a lot of high-end stores, such as Prada, Dolce and Gabbana, and Cartier. In fact, there were long lines to get into these stores. Our tour guide discussed the inequity between the average family and the 2% of the population that are multi-millionaires and billionaires. One of the interesting stories was that after the Communists took over, there was a lack of food and people ate birds so they disappeared from the cities.. Now that food is plentiful again, the birds have returned. Another change is that manufacturing plants have moved out of the cities to allow for improved air quality in the cities. We noticed that the streets were lined with flowers and other greenery. Our guide explained that a lot of government funds are going to beautify the cities.

Shanghai

Zhujiajiao

This old water town is on the outskirts of Shanghai. The town is about 1700 years old. It also boasts 36 bridges. It felt like we crossed all 36 but in fact, we only crossed 6 bridges. Most of them were very steep with tiny steps.

We arrived early in the morning just as the shops were opening up. We enjoyed the peace and quiet for a little bit, because partway through the tour, the city became alive with people going about their daily lives. Unfortunately, modern buildings such as McDonald’s, Starbucks, and other establishments are being built around the old city.

We went to an old post office that dated back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). We found 2 hat pins for Steve in the Post Office. As we continued our tour, the cooking smells started to make us hungry. Lunch was part of the tour but not in Zhujiajiao.

Dalian

We were the first cruise ship to dock in four years. Even the security guards were smiling and saying “Hi” and “Good Morning”. Our tour began with a home visit. Thirteen of us got off the bus and entered a very large skyscraper with a very small elevator. We were warmly greeted by two families (only one family actually lived there). The kids spoke English and acted as translators. The owners of the apartment called the TV crews and reporters so they were also with us.

In fact, the reporters followed us to the Music performance and the aquarium. Later we discovered that we had our pictures on the China News (see below). You can also see our cruise ship. Apparently, they followed several tours.

Music Performance

We went to a Music Hall where they put on a special concert of traditional music just for us. The sign on the background was “Welcome to Dalian, Grand World Cruise, Zuiderdam 2024. The music was beautiful but the real show-stopper was the costumes and the dancers.

We are in the news.

Our experience in China was certainly interesting. We went from a very warm welcome with some frank discussions to very formal party line tour in Bejing. I’m glad we went. We saw some awesome sights and had some great food.

Our next port is yet another version of China, Hong Kong.