Another Reason to Visit Datong: Yungang Grottoes

09 Thursday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China

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Asia, China, Datong, Selfish Years, Yungang Grottoes

As I went over yesterday, Datong is certainly a worthwhile destination if you are visiting China. Aside from Beijing, Mr. Selfish and I enjoyed Datong’s attractions the most, particularly the Hanging Monastery. The other primary attraction near Datong is the Yungang Grottoes, which are ancient Chinese Buddhist grottoes. Admission was 150 yuan per person, which was completely worth it.

The Yungang Grottoes has 252 grottoes with more than 51,000 Buddha statues. Some of the grottoes date back to the year 465 AD. You can’t visit all of the grottoes but it was still awe inspiring to see the ones that we could. The grottoes are, of course, in varying states of disrepair but the better preserved ones were Caves No. 5 and 6.

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“Why Are You Going to Datong, China?”

08 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China

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Asia, China, Datong, Hanging Monastery, Selfish Years

Shortly after Mr. Selfish and I had planned our trip to China, we started hearing reports of the horrible pollution in Beijing. Initially, we had wanted to spend an entire week there, but we decided to shorten it to four days. We had an extra three days and chose to visit Datong, which is a smaller city in the Shanxi province northwest of Beijing.

Most people in the States have never heard of Datong, and the locals we met in China were surprised that we were going there. Two Shanghainese locals even asked us, “Why are you going to Datong?” I now have the answer – because Datong is awesome!

Datong is located close to the Hanging Monastery and the Yungang Grottoes, both of which were the best sights we visited in China (aside from the Great Wall). Yes, they were much better than the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an and even better than holding a baby panda in Chengdu.

The sight that I enjoyed the most was the Hanging Monastery, which is about an hour and a half from Datong by car. It is a temple that was built 246 feet above the ground. Legend has it that the temple was built by one man, a monk named Liao Ran, more than 1,600 years ago.

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Searching for the Best Soup Dumplings in Shanghai

06 Monday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Food & Drinks, Searching for the Best . . ., Shanghai

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Asia, China, Jiajia Steamed Bun, Nanxiang Steamed Buns Restaurant, Selfish Years, Shanghai, Shengjianbao, Soup Dumplings, Xiaolongbao, Yang's Fry-Dumpling, Yuyuan Garden

Ever since my study abroad program in Shanghai in 2002, I’ve been raving to Mr. Selfish about the soup dumplings. We’ve had soup dumplings in New York, California, and Hong Kong, and I never thought that they compared to the ones I had in Shanghai. Mr. Selfish and I therefore went on a search for the best soup dumplings in Shanghai. We had both the steamed dumplings (xiaolongbao) and the fried dumplings (shengjianbao).

First, we went to Nanxiang Steamed Buns Restaurant (20号 Yuyuan New Rd.) at Yuyuan Garden for its well-known xiaolongbao. We visited the restaurant during the mid-afternoon on a Tuesday, and the outside queue was still ridiculously long. I scoped out the inside of the restaurant and discovered that you could order inside even though it was a little more expensive. After looking at the queue outside, Mr. Selfish and I figured that it would be worth it to eat inside the restaurant.

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Day Trip from Shanghai to Lovely Hangzhou

05 Sunday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Shanghai

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Asia, China, Day Trip, Hangzhou, Leifeng Pagoda, Long Bridge Pagoda, Selfish Years, Shanghai, Su Causeway, West Lake

Aside from Suzhou, Mr. Selfish and I decided to take another day trip to Hangzhou. It is about 100 miles away from Shanghai and is famous for its scenic West Lake. Apparently, there are 10 scenes of West Lake that you are supposed to see. We didn’t look for these 10 scenes. Instead, Mr. Selfish and I basically just walked around the West Lake, which is about 9.3 miles in circumference.

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Eating the Cosmopolitan Food in Shanghai

04 Saturday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Food & Drinks, Shanghai

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1984 Book Store, Asia, B Real, Banh Mi, China, Egghead Bagels, Food & Drinks, Happy Hour, La Creperie, Morton's, Paulaner-Brauhaus, Selfish Years, Shanghai

From steak sandwiches to bagels to French crepes, Shanghai has it all. Mr. Selfish and I found Shanghai to be quite cosmopolitan in its restaurants. There were all types of food, and it was hard deciding where to eat out. I’ve already been over the delicious hot dogs and beers we had in Shanghai. This post is dedicated to the other non-Chinese food we consumed.

First, we enjoyed the best happy hour in Shanghai at Morton’s (8号 Century Avenue), which is located near the Oriental Pearl Tower. The happy hour is from 5-7pm Monday through Friday and consists of free unlimited filet mignon sandwiches and martinis for 45 yuan.

Mr. Selfish and I sampled the gin martini, chocolate martini, and appletini. We eagerly awaited the waiter with the tray of filet mignon sandwiches to come around. We ended up consuming quite a few sandwiches. They were perfectly cooked, tender, and very filling.

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Sightseeing in Shanghai

03 Friday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Shanghai

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Asia, China, Congo River, Jing’an Temple, Museum, Selfish Years, Shanghai, Shanghai Museum

Although it looks as if Mr. Selfish and I mostly ate in Shanghai, we also did a little bit of sightseeing. The most notable sights were the Jing’an Temple and the Shanghai Museum.

Jing’an Temple (1686 号 Nanjing West Road) is located right outside of the Jing’an Temple metro stop and is very easy to find. It is a Buddhist temple that was built during the Qing Dynasty. Entry was 30 yuan per person, which is a little steep considering that when we visited the main area was under renovation.

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The Ritz-Carlton v. the Peninsula in Shanghai: It’s Tea Time!

02 Thursday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Food & Drinks, Shanghai

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Afternoon Tea, Asia, China, Food & Drinks, High Tea, Peninsula, Ritz-Carlton, Selfish Years, Shanghai

When I was in Shanghai in 2002, my friends and I went to afternoon tea at the Ritz-Carlton. I don’t remember much about it but I do recall that it was a swanky affair full of delightful snacks and goodies and a little bit of tea. Since then, I’ve been to several afternoon teas, including the fabulous afternoon tea at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh.

Since we were in Shanghai for two weeks, Mr. Selfish and I figured that we would indulge in a couple of afternoon teas. First, we settled on the Ritz-Carlton since I had been previously. Second, we decided to go to the Peninsula since it is an institution for afternoon tea.

We did the Ritz-Carlton afternoon tea at Pudong (52/F, 8 Shiji Da Dao, near Lujiazui Huan Lu). There are apparently two Ritz-Carltons in Shanghai, and I think I went to the other one in 2002. I didn’t recognize the dining area at all, but it sure was swanky as well. It cost 288 yuan for one afternoon tea set. Mr. Selfish and I purchased an additional pot of tea for 70 yuan.

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Pampering and Shopping in Shanghai

01 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Shanghai

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Asia, China, Dry Wash, Fake Eyelashes, Fake Market, Massage, Pampering, Qipu Lu, Selfish Years, Shampoo Wash, Shanghai, Shopping

When I was in Shanghai in 2002, I indulged in quite a few dry washes. A dry wash is when a hair dresser washes your hair by squirting water on your head with a little water bottle and slowly massages the shampoo into your hair. It should be a slow and lingering experience. I remembered getting massaged for 30-45 minutes and it costing hardly anything. I had told Mr. Selfish about these infamous dry washes on several occasions, so I wanted to introduce him to it while we were in Shanghai.

My dry wash cost 30 yuan and was a little shorter than I had remembered at about 20 minutes. By the time I was done, Mr. Selfish was already waiting for me. Apparently, his dry wash hadn’t been nearly as long as mine and was hardly slow or lingering. Oh well, I still enjoyed myself.

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Hot Dogs and Beer in Shanghai

30 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Food & Drinks, Shanghai

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Asia, Bikini, Boxing Cat Brewery, China, Hot Dogs and Beer, Selfish Years, Shanghai

Although Mr. Selfish and I enjoyed the Shanghainese food in Shanghai, we had a hankering for some good ol’ American fare. Fortunately for us, within walking distance of our apartment in the French Concession, there was a hot dog place and a brewery.

The hot dog place is named Bikini (47号 Yongfu Road). We walked there late one night after we had a minor cooking fiasco with short-grain rice in our apartment. The hot dogs were gourmet and quite delicious.

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Day Trip from Shanghai to Beautiful Suzhou

29 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Shanghai

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Asia, Beisi Pagoda, China, Day Trip, Humble Administrator's Garden, North Temple Pagoda, Selfish Years, Shanghai, Suzhou

Mr. Selfish and I decided to take a couple of day trips from Shanghai. While on my study abroad program in 2002, we took a day trip to Suzhou, which I remembered to be stunningly beautiful, so we decided to venture there again.

The train ride from Shanghai to Suzhou took less than half an hour. We walked from the train station to the North Temple Pagoda, also known as the Beisi Pagoda. Admission was 25 yuan per person and completely worth it.

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People Watching in Fu Xing Park and the People’s Park in Shanghai

28 Sunday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Shanghai

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Asia, China, Fu Xing Park, Fuxing Park, People's Park, Selfish Years, Shanghai

Mr. Selfish and I enjoyed people watching in the People’s Park in Chengdu so much that we decided to visit two of the parks in Shanghai.

First, we went to Fu Xing Park, which was within walking distance of our French Concession apartment. The park is designed in the French style, with a center lake, fountains, covered pavilions, and flowerbeds. We watched the children learning how to rollerblade and the old ladies practicing their ballroom dancing.

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Enjoying Shanghainese Food

27 Saturday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Food & Drinks, Shanghai

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Asia, China, Food & Drinks, Fu 1039, Jingang Food and Drink Shop, scallion pancake, Selfish Years, Shanghai, Shanghainese Food

While in Shanghai, Mr. Selfish and I enjoyed the Shanghainese cuisine, which is also known as Hu cuisine. In particular, we loved all of the soup dumplings in Shanghai, which I’ll go over in another post.

Aside from the soup dumplings, my favorite meal was at Fu 1039 restaurant (1039号 Yuyuan Road), which specializes in Shanghainese food. The restaurant is located in a refurbished old villa and is a part of a fancy chain of restaurants starting with the name “Fu.” We tasted two quintessential dishes there – stewed pork in sweet soy sauce and hairy crab with greens.

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Nostalgic for Shanghai

26 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Shanghai

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Asia, Bund, China, Nanjing Road, Selfish Years, Shanghai

During the summer of 2002, I did a law study abroad program focusing on Chinese law in Shanghai at the East China University of Politics and Law. I have very fond memories of tasting soup dumplings, watching tai chi in the park, bargaining at the market for souvenirs, and walking on the Bund.

This time around, Mr. Selfish and I spent two weeks in Shanghai. Admittedly, that is a long time to stay in Shanghai. But I was nostalgic when planning this leg of the trip, and I don’t regret it.

Here are some photos of the Bund and Nanjing Road at night to kick off our series of Shanghai posts:

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The Delicious Food of the Hui Muslim Quarter

24 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Food & Drinks

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Asia, China, Food & Drinks, Hui Muslim Quarter, Huimin Street, Muslim Street, Xi'an

Mr. Selfish and I were surprised to find that Xi’an has a large Muslim population. We decided to wander around the Hui Muslim Quarter, which is primarily off of Huimin Street, and sample different types of Chinese Muslim food. The quarter is quite near the drum and bell towers, which are very scenic at night.

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The Lesser Known Tomb of Emperor Jingdi in Xi’an

23 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China

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Asia, China, Hanyangling, Selfish Years, Tomb of Emperor Jingdi, Xi'an

Mr. Selfish and I traveled to Xi’an, China primarily to see the Terracotta Warriors Museum. In doing my research, I learned that there was a lesser known tomb in Xi’an for Emperor Jingdi, which is also known as Hanyangling. We decided to visit this tomb first and save the Terracotta Soldiers for later.

In hindsight, I found the Tomb of Emperor Jingdi to be a more well-done attraction than the Terracotta Warriors Museum. The Chinese government recently renovated the Tomb of Emperor Jingdi, and as a result, the Tomb is better designed and allows you closer access to the excavation pieces. Most of the pits had a glass walkway over which you can walk to see the thousands of excavated pieces.

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