Wow. The last several days have gone by like a whirlwind. This one might be a pretty long one, since there was not much access to the internet over the course of the cruise along the Gorges.
Our trip out of Chengdu began with a train ride. After a long trip, we arrived for our brief stay in Chongqing.
We tried some of the delicious local cuisine, and got a quick look at some of the local sites, and as quickly as we'd arrived, we were on a bus, and on our way out of the city to meet our cruise on the Yangtze River.
Our trip out of Chengdu began with a train ride. After a long trip, we arrived for our brief stay in Chongqing.
We tried some of the delicious local cuisine, and got a quick look at some of the local sites, and as quickly as we'd arrived, we were on a bus, and on our way out of the city to meet our cruise on the Yangtze River.
After our long bus ride, and a little wait for our baggage to arrive on the boat, we finally settled into our rooms on the cruise, and began our voyage. The few days on the cruise were probably the most relaxed of the trip so far, but they were still filled with activity, with offshore excursions planned for each day, and plenty of sites to see as we toured our way through the breathtaking scenery of the Three Gorges.
Our relaxing trip along the gorges reached its final major destination on the third day: The Three Gorges Dam. With its last components set to be complete in 2015, the dam is the largest in the world, completely changing the geography of the surrounding area, and unfortunately flooding thousands of cultural sites, and numerous towns and homes throughout the area, forcing a massive relocation program to be put into place in the years preceding and during construction.
The statue at the bottom of the observation peak. It is a history book of China, as it was originally was intended to be a person, but the only reasonable person to place there would have been Sun Yat-Sen, the Chinese leader who originally proposed the construction of the dam, decades before actual construction was proposed to begin. As Sun Yat-Sen was not a Communist, predating the party's control as a founder of the Republic of China, not the People's Republic, he was passed over in favor of a different statue.
After our trip to the Three Gorges Dam, we took our boat for a little longer, and then left by Bus, traveling to another airport to fly out to Shanghai. After another two and a half hours in the air, we finally landed in our next major destination. Our day out in Shanghai today was packed and quite the tour. First, we went to one of the most famous buildings in Shanghai: The Oriental Pearl TV Tower. This iconic and unique buildings is one of the most famous of Shanghai's skyline, dotting the horizon with its unique two spheres, and hosting a variety of attractions, including the Shanghai History Museum.
After this, we went to another museum, this one showing propaganda art from the Mao era to modern day. While we were not allowed to take pictures, it gave us a good view of the historical context of a number of events, from the official Chinese Communist point of view at that time, and also gave a look at the evolution of propaganda in China, as China itself has shifted from the strict, Communist Mao regime, to the more open times of Deng Xiaoping and beyond.
Later on, we went to the Shanghai Movie park, where a number of Shanghai films and television shows have been filmed. As I have never seen any Shanghai films, the set itself seemed to lose a bit of its value on me I feel, but much of the set was a recreation of the famous Bund District of Shanghai during its peak, in the 1920's as the Colonial era in Shanghai was at its height, so it did give some insight into the historical development of the city itself.
Later on, we went to the Shanghai Movie park, where a number of Shanghai films and television shows have been filmed. As I have never seen any Shanghai films, the set itself seemed to lose a bit of its value on me I feel, but much of the set was a recreation of the famous Bund District of Shanghai during its peak, in the 1920's as the Colonial era in Shanghai was at its height, so it did give some insight into the historical development of the city itself.
After our long day in Shanghai, we travel again early tomorrow morning, by train to our next destination: Hangzhou. We'll be spending some time there and in Suzhou, before heading back to Shanghai, and then it won't be long before we're all heading back on the long, long trip home.