Shanghai

The Old Town is not that far from where we live. It is probably about half an hour away and is located very centrally on pretty pricey land. Still it’s an area full of old historical houses with the occasional store, office or apartment building. I guess it is shrinking rapidly as the real estate gets more and more attractive to build on but it is still quite unique. There are a lot of small shops and kind of a bazaar where you can pick up some souvenirs.

Most Chinese towns traditionally had their own town gods and a temple dedicated to worship them. As I have understood it the temples are typically Taoist but there are halls dedicated to both Buddhist and Taoist deities.

The temple has an open courtyard that is bustling with activity as many people come to burn incense, pray or just look around.

In the halls of the temple it is quieter and a bit more peaceful. The halls are decorated and there are many different and quite special statues scattered around the temple. It is really nice just to walk around and soak in the atmosphere while enjoying the art.

It is also home to the most famous dumpling restaurant in Shanghai (Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant) where people wait in long lines to get a table or even just pick up some takeaway. We haven't even tried it yet, as there were so many people waiting and it started to rain when we were there. We instead went to a vegetarian restaurant which was packed with people. We managed to order and squeezed in at a table with 5 other people. As most places it was loud and busy but we really enjoyed it, and the food was good to.

Love,

Fredrik and Sabrina