By Ruby and Emily
We woke up to the comfortable beds of our new hotel room in Shanghai at 7:30 am. After a delicious buffet breakfast, we gathered the items needed and headed on the bus to the Longhua Buddhist temple. We learnt that the temple was originally constructed over 1000 years ago and has been destroyed and rebuilt on many occasions including World War II and during the Cultural Revolution. Whilst there, we lit three incense sticks and bowed towards the Buddha three times as per custom. We learned that the number three is considered lucky in Buddhist culture. We also saw a parade of monks and nuns wearing different outfits of gold, red, brown and black. The temple was familiar to us as we had visited another Buddhist temple in Chengdu, albeit without quite the charm of this one.
After the temple visit, we jumped on the bus and headed to a shopping centre. There we were given a budget of 40 yuan per person to purchase our own lunch. Afterwards, we travelled to the Shanghai Museum and were given time to explore each of the levels of exhibits, some of the exhibits were about ancient clothes, coins, pottery and other interesting parts of China’s history. The collection was breath-taking in its sheer size and scope – it is one of the three most significant and important museums in China, alongside the national museums of Xi’an and Beijing. It is awe inspiring to consider the living traces of a culture that has lasted five dynasties and over two millennia.
Once we were finished looking at the museum, we walked over to the Shanghai Urban Planning Centre, we journeyed up to the third floor in order to see a vast small-scale model of Shanghai, which was painstakingly crafted over a large section of floor in order to represent each building of this mega-city. We marvelled at how the city was accurately captured, and the effort it must take to continually update it. Later, the teachers gave us the opportunity to make our own way back to the hotel down Nanjing Road. As we made our way back, we were able to look at shops and take in the scenery. As we were walking we noticed similarities between Melbourne and Shanghai such as the Bund and Southbank as well as Bourke St Mall and Nanjing Road shopping street. We found the similarities comforting as some of us miss our home city.
After our exciting day out, we walked over to dinner where we feasted on several delicious dishes such as dumplings, sizzling beef, sweet and sour pork and spring rolls. We were then given the option to go to the Bund (the waterfront) or stay back at the hotel and relax. A small group of us strolled over to the Bund and admired the dazzling lights of the city and the boats travelling along the Yangtze River. Another day comes to a close!
Emily:
Dear Mum, Dad and Darcy (and Milo),
I have been missing you all so much and I hope you’re all doing well. Though I’ve been missing you, I’ve also been having lots and lots of fun exploring new places and creating memories with the group. I love Shanghai so much, it reminds me of home and I think you would all love it here too. I love this city and all the travelling we’ve been doing but I still haven’t settled into moving around so much. I love you all so much and I’m looking forward to seeing you in 6 short days Xx
Ruby:
Dear Mum, Dad, Pippa and Matilda (and Jessie),
I am missing you all very much and I hope you are all coping with me being gone for this long. I am having a fantastic time and I am adapting well! I hope Matilda did well on her exams and I hope Pippa is enjoying school. I sent you a postcard a few days ago you should hopefully get it soon. I love and miss you all so much.
Lots of love,
Ruby
