Grand and Gigantic Geometry

There are many other adjectives that one can use to describe this building - great, glaring, glorious... The photos that I took don't do the building justice. This is the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum (上海科技馆), a building that is typical of the scale and grandeur that I saw in Shanghai.

Year of the Ox

It was in January 2009 that I visited Shanghai, shortly after the Chinese New Year - a time of animated events, exuberant colours and loud celebrations (did I mention the fireworks?).

Garden of Peace

The Yuyuan Garden was constructed in 1577. I had the opportunity to visit these beautiful gardens while in Shanghai in 2009. The name translates to Garden of Peace, a very apt name.

The Amazing SWFC

In January 2009 I had the opportunity to visit Shanghai, arguably one of the most impressive cities in the world. It balances ancient traditions and historic buildings with some of the world's most modern and spectacular architecture. The building featured here (on the left in the first picture) is the Shanghai World Financial Centre, a huge 101 storey building in the Pudong financial district of Shanghai.

This is the view from the side where you can see the distinctive taper towards the top.

Looking down towards the equally impressive Jin Mao Tower, boasting 98 floors (including the spire floors). The Jin Mao Tower has a reported daily maintenance cost of US$121 000! (source: Shanghai Star)

I took this picture standing next to the tower, and feeling somewhat small...

The Oriental Pearl

This is a night photo of the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai with the Huangpu River in the foreground. The tower on the left is the Oriental Pearl Tower, used for radio and TV transmission.

Wikipedia states: "The tower has fifteen observatory levels. The highest (known as the Space Module) is at 350 m (1148 ft). The lower levels are at 263 m (863 ft) (Sightseeing Floor) and at 90 m (295 ft) (Space City). There is a revolving restaurant at the 267 m (876 ft) level. The project also contains exhibition facilities, restaurants and a shopping mall. There is also a 20-room hotel called the Space Hotel between the two large spheres. The upper observation platform has an outside area with a glass floor."

Pick me! Pick me!

If these three little Chinese girls entered a cuteness contest it would be a three-way tie. I snapped their picture somewhere in the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum.

The Silent Street Trader

I took this photo while visiting Shanghai in February 2009. This street trader was sitting alone in silence with his few colourful toys and trinkets. I never saw anyone even pass by him, let alone stop to have a look at his toys. I couldn't help but wonder how much he would sell in a day and how he manages to make a living.