Stephanie Kendall, a senior public relations major from Singapore, took part in the Baylor in China program this past summer. In the last of a series of nine blog posts detailing her experiences, Stephanie describes seeing China’s largest city, Shanghai, which she quickly fell in love with.
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For our final stop on our four-and-a-half-week study abroad program, we headed to Shanghai, the most populous city in China. It is a beautifully modernized city full of architectural wonder and culture, and continues to be known as one of the world’s leading financial centers. Due to its centralized location along the Yangtze River, Shanghai’s shipping industry has allowed the area, culture and people to grow as a whole.
The bright lights and colorful city scene made it seem like I was in a mini-New York, minus the humidity. Throughout the next few days I would fall more in love with the city, the culture and the atmosphere of Shanghai.
On our second day there we went to the Shanghai Museum, which is a masterpiece of its own. It was built in the former Shanghai Racecourse clubhouse, which is now located in the People’s Square. The museum held thousands of ancient artifacts such as calligraphy paintings, coins and even decorative clothing worn throughout the different dynasties.
After touring the museum we ventured into a quaint downtown shopping area called New World. As we wandered through the twists and turns of the small cobblestoned road, we could feel the life and excitement of this city.
The next day we walked through the beautiful Yu Gardens before heading to Shanghai’s Financial World Center Building, which is located in the heart of town. Even though the weather was hazy the view from the top was still breathtaking. The building overlooks all of Shanghai and its architectural landscape. After seeing the view from the top, we drove a few minutes away to look at the Shanghai skyline — a view that was surprisingly even more beautiful than the view we had just seen.
Our final few days spent in China seemed a blur to me. One minute I was enjoying the delectable cuisine in the heart of downtown, and the next day I was at the airport saying goodbye to my fellow classmates. After traveling around China for the preceding few weeks I was saddened to leave, but happy I was able to immerse myself in an interesting place that is so full of life, wonder and culture.
PHOTO INFORMATION:
Top Photo: Shanghai skyline
2nd Photo: Shanghai Museum
3rd Photo: View from the Shanghai Financial World Center
Bottom Photo: Yu Gardens