Today started with another of those fantastic omelet sandwiches and a bus ride to the Manhattan-sized Chongming Island, located just off the mainland.  The island is mostly swamplands and farming fields, which seem to pair well when one is growing rice.  Much of it has become a wildlife sanctuary, especially famous for its many species of birds.  Due to the way the tides work, sediment is deposited on one side of the island, adding to its landmass.  Until recently the land on the other side was naturally washed away, causing the landmass as a whole to remain the same size but seem to slowly float in one direction.  However, the Chinese have constructed a barrier to prevent the washing away, while the depositing of sediment is allowed to continue.  The really exciting activity on Chongming Island is called the Dongtan Project.  China knows that increased movement from rural to urban environments along with population growth is putting a strain on its cities and their non-renewable energy resources.  The Dongtan Project aims to turn the marsh and fields of some of Chongming into an energy and resources neutral eco-city.  While anything resembling a city is a long time away, windmills and solar panels already pepper the area, and the construction of green homes for the first several hundred inhabitants is under way.  The Project is certainly a bold (and expensive) plan, but it’s easy to have doubts as to its prospects.  The commute to Shanghai from the island is facilitated by a bridge, but still takes quite a long time.  It may be hard to convince people to live on Chongming instead of on the mainland.  Then again, the Chinese government is good at putting people where it wants them.  

We had lunch at a restaurant on the island, and most of the produce served had been grown locally.  As has usually been the case, the dishes were amazing.  I’ve decided that sitting at Xinli’s table makes a meal much better.  He can identify dishes when they are not familiar to Western eyes, and no matter which plate we ask him about, it’s always “really good.” 

Chongming Island

In the evening, about nine of us spent some time as a group walking around Shanghai’s Nanjing Road, which is as similar to Times Square as I’ve seen in China.  The Road is located about a ten-minute walk from our hotel.  It’s called a pedestrian road, although that is not entirely true.  Several streets cross it perpendicularly, so walkers always have to be on the lookout.  Lights and advertisements abound, and the energy of Shanghai’s success flows throughout the crowded streets. There is food and merchandise (especially World Expo goodies) available in stores and on the streets, but the best deals are found off the beaten path.  Basically, if you walk on the street for more than thirty seconds, you’re bound to be approached by a man or woman asking what you’re looking to buy (alternatively, he or she will run away if there’s a policeman nearby).  If you tell him or her what you want, he or she will take you through a few alleys and maybe even through someone’s home, and eventually bring you to a well-hidden, brightly lit storeroom filled from wall to wall with exactly the product you were looking for.  Of course, everything is a knockoff (the Puma logo on no two sneakers ever looks alike), and prices are always negotiable.  The person who brought you there will wait around until you’ve decided to move on and then walk you to another store until you can thoroughly convince him or her that you don’t want to be taken around any more dark corners.  The reason we decided to try this method (in search of cheap soccer jerseys) was that we figured there were enough of us in the group to stay safe, although we did meet a Polish fellow who was working his way through the shops solo and wasn’t worried at all about his safety.  After an hour or so of shopping around we convinced our guide that we were done, and enjoyed just walking around Nanjing until the crowds began to really thin out around midnight.

Nanjing Road

Location: Chongming Island, CHina