Dong Tai Lu - Antique Street

The day of the week is not the only thing you loose track of here. Directions, time, water intake and many others. A visit to China can be pleasurable and relaxing, but it is best to prepare and approach it as an adventure, with unknowns and excitement to follow. You will enjoy your experience much more that way.

Grace and I are both up early today, our first full day in Shanghai. Too early. We choose not to have breakfast at the hotel, that cost another $20/person daily. $40.00 per day added to the room rate, is steep. And I do not see a buffet like the one in Suzhou anywhere. So we head out, but in the lobby change plans and directions, it is only 7:30 but we are itching to go. We head to Xin tian di, and area I am very fond of. When living here in 2000-01, it was just being finished, and when Grace came to visit, we discussed living in one of the apartments upstairs. The 2-4 block area is in downtown Shanghai, designed as old Shanghai buildings, but with much wider walking areas and indoor plumbing. There is lots of upscale shopping and quite a few bars and restaurants for the rising middle class and the expat community. Found both a Starbucks and Paul’s (a French bakery) that served coffee and pastries. But we walked a good bit before we settled, and are already tired.

9:30 we head for Dong Tai Lu, a wonderful antique street in an older neighborhood close by. We start at the wrong end and spend most of the morning going through donxi shops. Dongxi is the Chinese word for “stuff” and most of it was exactly that, just stuff and more stuff. Very little in the way of quality antiques or memorabilia is here. I might add, we see very few tourists either.

It is 1:00 pm before we find what I have been looking for, Hong Ru Xuan, Mr Liu’s antique shop. It is still there, although the young lady inside, too busy watching a soap opera to give us any attention, tells us that Mr. Liu is taking a nap, and cannot be disturbed. Mr. Liu serves on the provincial museum as an authority, and I managed to learn a good bit about Chinese porcelain and ceramics from him while living here. Of course, I also used to joke that I was spending enough $$ there to put his son through a very good college. Not Harvard maybe, but certainly a good one.

I am disappointed in what I see, little in the way that would add to my collection or interests, but leave my card and we write on it the hotel and our room number just in case. I tell Grace we might come back, as the good stuff is always under the counter. It is not that the good stuff is illegal or anything, it is just that the Chinese are not going to present their best wares first. You have to have patience, knowledge, and manners before they will extend the priviledge of sharing with you their special wares. Thus one more reason to bargain, and allow it to drag out over time.

But not today. The young lady finally decides to turn off the TV/computer (maybe it was a CD?) and offer us a glass of water. No tea mind you, just heated water. After having the water and looking at a couple of not so special pieces, we leave. She has probably ruined his chances this time, but a phone call this evening might just get me back tomorrow. I also stop at Shirley’s Embroidery, and if you like such it is a must see place. Shirley speaks perfect English, and specializes in Kingfisher Blue ladies jewelry, embroidery, and headdresses. The kingfisher jewelry is made with sterling silver and beautiful kingfisher feathers that were expensive enough only the ultra wealthy or imperial families could afford them. Absolutely exquisite stuff, a little pricey, but I am sure well worth it. She is three doors up from Mr. Liu, and I tell her that if I do not spend all my money with him tomorrow I may be back to her shop. Her offerings are museum quality, and she knows her stuff. She does have a shop on Ebay, www.stores.ebay.com/chinaemboidery, check her out and tell her I recommended her. I do not think the jewelry is offered online, her card just says Qing Dynasty Embroidery, ancestor paintings and cigarette posters. But ask.

We finally get to the end and can hail a taxi, and head to the Portman Ritz Carlton Hotel. No, not to stay there, but there is a great restaurant just down from there that serves good inexpensive food, the Always Café and a favorite hangout for expats. At least it did 8 years ago.

We decide while at the Portman to try and get some more cash, and end up spending a good amount of time at HSBC. Get it, but it is now after 2:30, we are hungry, so we eat at: ready? Wait fro it: yep, California Pizza Kitchen. Welcome to the new China. We share a pizza, all the way, and two wonderfully cold Cokes. They even refill the Cokes with more extra cold, and I think we each drink four glasses. That is more Coke than I have had in years.

Now totally exhausted, much later than we had planned, neither of us is up to more walking, we get a cab and head to Broadway Mansions. In the room, both of us absolutely crash due to exhaustion.

I wake at 7:30 pm, Grace cannot get up, still too tired, and she sleeps the night through.

I try and get the computer on the Internet, but fail. Turns out the hotel wants 0.8 RMB per minute, or 80 RMB per day for access. At $1.00 to 6.80 RMB that works out to $0.15 per minute, or almost $12.00 per day. No thanks. I lived here, and can tell you that is pure highway robbery. They won’t have many business class customers at that rate.

So we will wait to get these posts done when and if we get a connection, either at a Wi-Fi hotspot, or the next hotel.

Boy what excitement tomorrow? If we can keep our eyes open. No call from Mr. Liu, bummer.