Today we had our first and only day off after a week packed with fascinating and remembering impressions. As I attended an internship in Shanghai a couple of years ago, I made the offer to guide my classmates through some parts of the city. 6 of them took the chance and followed me. Starting with the supermarket ‘Carrefour’ at the Thumb Plaza in Pudong, they were surprised about the seafood section. Customers are able to buy a living fish, frog, turtle, etc. But also the incomparable dimension and variety of the supermarket were stunning. As an example, you may also find some Swiss products there, like Wernli-titbits.
After I showed my colleagues the superstore, we went to the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum subway station. However, we didn’t visit the museum, rather a huge Market which takes place in the underground. At this place you can buy faked gadgets or fashion articles of well-known brands. As soon as we entered the market, the retailers plagued us to buy their ‘good but cheap’ commodities. Despite this fact, they also sell smartphone covers and other popular items. Some students tried their negotiating skills and were succesful in buying iPhone covers for a little amount of money.
Eventually I guided my small group of classmates to Xintiandi, located in the French Concession of Shanghai, where the first congress of CPC took place (Communist Party of China). This area was rebuilt as a village with little stores, bars and restaurants. Some of us ambled through Xintiandi or just enjoyed a drink or a coffee. Closing we had a delicious dinner in the famous Taiwanese restaurant, named ‘Din Tai Feng’, offering Dumplings, also called ‘Xiao long bao’, as their speciality.
