Fun things to do in Shanghai Shi

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The China Pavilion is the most popular at the Expo. Without VIP passes, you'll have to work HARD to get in. And the information that I found in Shanghai and on the Web is somewhat miss leading. Here's what I learned:

First, getting into the China Pavilion requires a "reservation" ticket. Each day, they hand out some 1000s of these reservations on a first-come, first-serve basis starting at the 9AM opening. I was told (and believe, based on my experience) that a day's reservations are gone within the first 10 - 15 minutes of the Expo's 9 AM opening. If you're not there at the daily opening and near the front of the line, forget about it.

Second, when the Expo opens at 9AM, you go through an airport-like security check beyond which are the entry turnstiles. At the turnstile, you insert your Expo ticket which enables you to pass through. On the other side, an Expo volunteer is handing you back your Expo ticket and, if she has any left, automatically gives you a China Pavilion reservation ticket.

Third, reservation tickets are 1-person, 1-ticket. You can NOT send one person to the day's opening and have them pick up reservations for a bunch of people.

Fourth, the reservation will indicate a 1 hour window when you're allowed to queue up for the pavilion. Forget about that! The Chinese are not much on queuing etiquette or rules so it appears that the time slot reservation has quickly converted to a first-come, first-serve queue. So, once you've got your reservation ticket, you have until about 9:30 AM before the China Pavilion queue becomes hours in length. I was able to get there by 9:20 and was among the first few thousand people to queue up. If that sounds like a lot of people in a queue, believe me, it's not.

Once you're queued up, here's the routine: you'll have to get to the front of the ground-level queue. When you're released off the head of that queue, you'll head for a people-mover that takes you up 1 or 2 stories. That people mover probably handles 500 people at a time. At the top of the people mover, you'll be on the base of the inverted China Pavilion structure where you'll find long queuing lines for getting on the elevators that will take you to the top of the pavilion and your first presentation. Within the 1.5 hours I was in the China Pavilion, the lines for the elevator grew as shown in the attached photographs. If you are lucky enough to get a China Pavilion ticket, run (don't walk) to get into the queue and ahead of the looming crowds.

Once you're up the elevator, you're dropped off into a hall. Doors exiting the hall take you into a movie presentation that is large screen and pretty well done. The vast majority of what's inside each country's pavilion are its audio/visual presentations so their quality is one of the major "scoring factors" for which pavilions are most popular. This first movie is pretty easy to follow for non-Chinese speakers. It "demonstrates" the progression of ancient Chinese peoples to the peoples of today's Shanghai cities. It's all done to very patriotic music. The end of the movie switches to a very somber tone and acknowledges the grief and loss suffered during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. It also takes that opportunity to emphasis China's fast and impressive rebuilding effort.

From the first theater, you exit into a hall way that's a retrospective on Chinese living standards over the past 50 years. There are models of what a typical Chinese home looked like in the 1970s, 1980s, ... 2008.

From there, you cross over a glass floor over a model of the earliest Chinese city uncovered by archeologists. It's a pretty cool display if you wait for the crowds to pass so you can actually see it.

From there, you enter the coolest AV presentation of the pavilion. A low-light hall runs the entire length of one side of the pavilion. On the outer wall is long (200 yards/meters?) movie screen showing an animated ancient village scene. Characters 100mm/4" high (at most) move along a screen that's probably 5 meters/15' high. It's basically a modern video presentation of a Chinese scroll painting. And, if you're paying close attention, there's a queue that builds on the opposite wall from the video screens. Its English label suggests it's a display of ancient Chinese artifacts. If you check out this display, you'll find a people-mover conveyor that whisks you along a display of an ancient (1000 year old) scroll painting. Close examination shows it's the artistic source for the video presentation. The screens look like rear projections so the graphic quality mirrors the faded source scroll. It's not a very high-tech presentation but it is very impressive.

Beyond the scroll hallway, you pass through a few higher-tech presentations. An "apartment wall" AV display is informational and very well done. That leads to a "Future Hall" that's a lot of Disney and not so much content. And then you come to the amusement park ride. This one is a head scratcher. It's a very low tech amusement ride that's suitable for toddlers. It takes you through a hallway of odd geometric structures with no content. Toward the end of the ride, there are some more interesting graphic displays. My sense is that this was an unfinished presentation that may, over time, evolve into something worthwhile. For now, it's not worth the time AT ALL.

After the odd amusement park ride, you start heading down pretty quickly. The hallways angle down with large format art works credited to 9 and 10 year old children from all over China. Some of those kids already demonstrate artistic mastery that would put Van Gogh and Picasso to shame (on an age-adjusted basis). They're very colorful if not entirely believable.

Finally, you go through a green presentation with futuristic car models, solar power, geothermal... This is the end of the pavilion. There's an exit from this hall that is an people mover that drops you through a final rain-wall circle. Ahead will be the China Pavilion garden (which no one was allowed to enter (which isn't that unusual for the newest parks I saw in Shanghai). To the left is a souvenir shop offering China Pavilion specific Expo Souvenirs.

This was definitely the best pavilion I saw. It looks like the Chinese pulled all stops to make this an impressive display for its own people as much as for visitors to Shanghai.

Adding detail to how I got a reservation ticket for the Chinese Pavilion, I got up at 5 AM, took the Metro's Line #7 and got off at the Yaohua Road station at 7:15 AM. There's a direct Expo entry from the Metro station. Taking that, after a walk of a few hundred meters, you'll have to pick one of the 48 entry queues. Signs will tell you that queues to the right are "faster no packages" lines. You'll find fewer people in those lines even though it turns out that "no packages" isn't enforced. Having no package myself, I went with one of those queues and found myself with only 10 people in front of me. Had I taken another line, I would most certainly have had 100s of people in front of me when I settled in at 7:30 AM. Obviously, I got a China Pavilion ticket when the gates opened promptly at 9 AM. If an 1.5 hours seems like a long time to wait in line for the Expo to open, consider that a later arrival would have put me in an hours and hours long line in front the China Pavilion itself. So, in fact, I saved a few hours of queuing that day. Who'd of thought?

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Jeez, the lines. They're overwhelming, especially for someone like me that hates being in places with large crowds. But it's hard to get away from large crowds in populated areas of China and it's purely impossible at the Expo. If you want to get inside a pavilion on the Pudong side of the river, you'll have to queue up. All of the following information has been posted elsewhere about queues in China but the information is worth posting here for emphasis.

There seem to be only 2 rules in a line of Chinese: no punching and no pushing. And that latter one has plenty of wiggle room. There might be a 3 rule (don't step on anyone's feet) but I was so bad at that one that I chose to ignore it.

If there's any space in a line, the Chinese will fill it. Period. Exclamation point! This means that if you are distracted for even half a second in a line and a space opens up, you'll lose ground in the line as people behind you slip past. If you're not careful, you can lose a lot of ground (like 25 yards per 1/2 hour). But, if you're reasonably diligent, you'll do fine. The 3.5 hours I spent on a hot sunny day in the Saudi Arabia Pavilion line, it was a literal race with people constantly seeking to gain an inch. At the end of the 3.5 hours, I looked around at who ended up where and my estimate is that all the jockeying for position changed line positions by 10 people max. That's pretty hilarious.

The most aggressive people in the queues are middle-age women. They're real sharks who will take every and any advantage that appears. And they'll give you the evil eye if you don't yield the space they are trying to slip into. It doesn' t matter if they started 100 yards behind you. They're entitled to that space 6" ahead and just to the right of you. Shoulders, discrete elbows and big butts are useful in maintaining your position.

At the Expo, there are occasional vendors where the line in one direction turns 180. If you stop to buy a water or soda, that'll cost you 10 to 25 positions. Honestly. Corners in a queue are as dicey as any Formula 1 race.

Stay in line long enough and you'll see some really egregious behavior. There was a big howl from the queue when one lady jumped the barrier in the line to skip a full hour's worth of queue. That happened when she jumped the barrier 2 lengths from me. Thirty minutes later, there's a lady trying to slip by me indicating the people directly in front of me are family. When I look, it's our barrier jumper who's gained another hour in the queue. But she must have had a good story because, once she got past me and the queue moved close enough to a security guard, she had a few words with him, he opened the barrier to let her out and escorted her to the VIP entrance.

As we got closer to the entry, I noticed people in wheelchairs going past to a special entrance. I specifically noticed one older couple go by who I saw 10 minutes later through the window into the pavilion. They were headed up the ramp when the man looked around and said something to the women who immediately got out of the wheelchair and they proceeded to hoof it on up. I'm not orthopedic surgeon but neither of them looked very impaired. It seems like a stop at the Expo entry to plead your case and acquire a wheelchair will save you LOTS of time in lines. And, believe me, if you're not handicapped when you get to the Expo, you will be when you're done for the day. YMMV.

You will need a whole day here at least - everything you want to know about China's history and more, with some fantastic displays.

Common Ticket:20 Yuan

Ticket A:50 Yuan (Admission for Museum, Art Gallery & Theatre)

Ticket B:45 Yuan (Admission for Museum & Theatre)

Open Daily from 9am to 5pm, last entry at 4pm.

I have to admit, this was one of the best organized business conferences I have been to, which is saying alot. Unfortunately, it was so well packed in that we did not get much time to see the rest of the city.

I did like the diversity found within this conference though, where we actually had people from the US, ANZ, Japan, China, Korea, HKG, the Phillipines, Viet Nam, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

One of the best parts about the conference here was how much attention you get from the hotel staff. There are literally thousands of people working at these hotels! It seemed like every time we turned around there was another person!

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A gorgeous Chinese garden (from around 1660) right in the middle of the old city of Shanghai.

Protected by dragon walls, this compact site gives you the illusion that you are in a peaceful, semi-rural setting, even though you are only a few steps from the hustle and bustle of some of the busiest areas of Shanghai.

Shanghai's reputation might make you leery of heading to a massage parlor. Don't be. The cost of a manicure, pedicure, body massage and foot massage makes getting over being leery worthwhile.

I've read that the difference between a legitimate massage parlor and it's disreputable counterparts is indicated by low-profile establishments vs places with lots of neon. If you're look for a back or foot massage, avoid lots of neon.

At a legitimate massage parlor, you'll find a few notes useful. First, you're expected to wear disposable underwear which they provide. Second, they'll massage your back but they will not turn you over and work on your front. At least, that was my experience. Be forewarned that the disposable underwear looks like a restaurant hairnet (until you open it up fully) and runs a little on the small side. Me, I had no problem. But I imagine some western females might find them a challenge. Maybe they have different sizes and it's not really a problem. I have no idea.

For a 1 hour foot massage (with milk soak) and a 1 hour oil massage, I paid 380 RMB (about $55). The place I went to was newly opened and handing out flyers to drum up business. Prices are other establishments looked like they were running 1/3 higher. It never hurts to ask if they're running any specials.

Enjoy!

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The Saudi Arabia Pavilion is the 2nd most popular after the China Pavilion. The race for 2nd seems to be between Saudi and Taiwan but, based purely on numbers, the Saudi Pavilion wins hands down. This also means that the lines are horrific. Horrific, in fact, is a wild understatement. The 2 days I visited the Expo included 1 Saturday and 1 Monday. On the Monday, I got into the line around 3PM after the lines had already shrunk. I'd estimate they were down by 1/3 over what I saw on Saturday. That shrunken queue took 3.5 hours. The one English speaking Chinese guy that actually spoke to me said even he would never do such a line again. You'll want to review my World Expo 2010 - The Lines tip for more information about what to expect and how to handle them.

The Saudi Arabia Pavilion is very impressive on the outside. It looks like a large white bowl held upright by columns. Along the rim, messages are displayed to the surrounding crowds using a very long and very large jumbo-tron. It's pretty cool, especially after dark.

The base of the pavilion is fine marble with lots of bling. Very impressive. Once inside the pavilion, there's a spiraling walkway up with a separated spiraling walkway down. At the top of the walkway is another queue that, in 10 minutes or so, leads you to the entry way of a theater with a people mover. You'll be riding the people mover along the top inside of the pavilion bowl like shape. The 1st half of the theater is a long screen showing scenes of the Saudi nation including it's oil fields, aerials of Mecca, dock side ship loading/unloading and sweeping vistas of cities.

The 2nd half of the presentation, the people mover makes a 1/2 circle over a large bowl shaped projection screen. You get the sensation of moving past and above the projected scenes. The projection morphs between more desert, city and ocean (above and below water) sequences. The size and scale of the projections are such that it can be a bit disorienting.

Overall, I'd say the Saudi Arabia Pavilion is a 10 out of 10 for concept and an 7 out of 10 for execution. The execution ding comes from the stitched together video sequences in the bowl theater (where the seams are very obvious) and because much of the graphics were out of focus (aggravating the disorientation).

I can see why this pavilion is so popular but I would not stand in a line that long to see it again. If you must see this pavilion and aren't taking a VIP tour (that gets you past all the lines), it would be good to be at #5 entry gate when the Expo opens at 9AM. Then join the initial rush into the Expo and head directly for the Saudi pavilion down Gaoke Road. Get 'er done first thing.

In the attached photo with a sweeping view, the Saudi Arabia Pavilion is in the lower left and marked by palm trees on its roof. To the right is the India Pavilion. Above the India Pavilion, there's the golden sand dune design of the United Arab Emirates Pavilion and, just to its right, the glass/concrete clam shell of the Isreali Pavilion.

Between the Saudi and India pavilions is a grid looking structure. Under that grid is the queue for the Saudi pavilion. It extends out the far, right end snaking even farther to the right. Under the grid structures (which are now covered for sun shelter), you zig and zag 6 times. Each full length is a few hundred meters long and takes 1/2 hour. On the left-side of the grid structure 1/3 of the way from the far end, you exit the queue to requeue in a spiral that leads into the pavilion proper. That spiraling queue takes about 1/2 hour. Once inside the pavilion, you'll encounter one last queue at the top of the spiraling walkway. That queue takes 10-15 minutes.

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Tea ceremonies are tied to a lot of scamming of tourists; go to the wrong tea ceremony and you're likely to end up with ridiculous bills and angry shop owners hoovering over you when you protest. It's easy to get caught up by these operators; all it takes is your willingness to be friendly to friendly strangers that approach you on the street. My experience is that the Chinese of Shanghai are NOT very friendly nor are they at all outgoing with strangers. So a friendly person who strikes up an unsolicited conversation should make you more wary. If that friendly person invites you to a "special tea ceremony", I'd skip it. You've just encountered one end of a wide spectrum of tea shop experiences.

At the other end of the spectrum are the neighborhood tea shops where people gather, talk and play board games (Maj Jong, most likely).

Moving back towards (but well shy of) the other end of the spectrum are the tea shops in popular tourist locales (like Shanghai Old Road or the Yu Yuan Bazaar). These tea shops offer free tea tasting in return for your sitting through a sales presentation. They're trying to sell you tea and they have some compelling presentations; there are a LOT of different teas which they claim have miraculous medicinal value. You could spend a few 100 RMB for 1/2 a kilo of tea which might or might not be the type of tea they claim, might or might not have the medicinal benefits claimed and might or might not be entirely legal to import. Who knows what you're getting? But it is a fun and educational experience.

I went to 2 tea ceremonies and recommend both. The first was at the Mid-Lake Tea Pavilion (Huxingting Teahouse) in the middle of Yu Yuan Bazaar. This cost me 120 RMB and was well worth it. It offered a place of calm and (relative) quiet to sit down in the midst of the riot that is the Yu Yuan Bazaar. For reasons unclear (120 RMB?), there weren't many patrons the morning I was there. But, for 120 RMB, I enjoyed a tea service in a place visited by Bill Clinton, Queen Elizabeth and Jimmy Carter. That was high enough endorsement for me to give it a try. It also gave me a nice view of the Yu Yuan lake crowds. And I learned how to make Chinese Longjing tea. I've been a tea dolt for the past 2 years trying to make it at home. The experience of watching how it is done eliminated the nasty tannins of my home brew. There are tricks. It was fun and educational experience that, for 120 RMB, included a nice pile of odd looking but very tasty tea tidbits. See the pictures.

My second tea house experience was closer to the opposite end of the spectrum in that it was a sales pitch for blended medicinal teas. This tea house is in the Yu Gardens and claims to have been a tea house for 100 years and more. They do a free tea service/ceremony which included an English guide who explained to me what I was trying and what the medical benefits would be. We started off with a tea to benefit obese people, the nicely named "Obese Peoples Tea". Then we moved on to a combination of a Nepalese tea and something else that, combined, would prevent brain hemorrhages and enliven your day (I guess, eliminating the 1st benefits the 2nd). The Nepalese tea was a flower tea where 1 bud was dropped into water which was agitated repetitively until the flower rehydrated a bit and opened up into the original blossom. I'm really not much of a tea person but I was duly impressed. It was quite pretty. They offer 10 different medicinal teas. Based on the benefits you're seeking, they'll combine whatever you wish into 500 gram batches for 200 RMB (about $35). I didn't go for it (though the obese people tea was tempting) but did come away with a greater appreciation of the ceremony and purposes surrounding tea.

A tea ceremony is definitely worth experiencing. At the very least, you'll learn what specific teas are really supposed to taste like.