Our first domestic flight took us to Shanghai. Since the flight was scheduled very early, we had to leave the Hotel Harmony at 5 AM. Some of us tried to stay up the whole night in order to make sure not to miss the plane. At the end all of us managed it, but the conditions of the students varied from very sleepy to well-rested.
The Air China flight was rather calm and offered a long waited sleeping opportunity for those seeking for a rest. For the awaken ones either a Western or Chinese breakfast has been served including a culinary surprise that we have not experience before.
The first highlight was waiting for us just after the arrival: the Shanghai Maglev Train. Opened at the end of 2002, the electromagnetic levitation train reaches speed up to 432 km/h and connects the Airport with the City of Shanghai.
Finally we reached The Magnificient, our hotel just next to the city centre and Hutongs. The afternoon was free, but many of us took the opportunity to enjoy a tour offered by Professor Rüttimann. The tour covered the Hutongs (old Chinese houses more and more on the brink of extinction caused by the mushrooming of the new skyscrapers. After having experience a first look at the real of common Chinese people we tried to find some inspiration by visiting the Wén Miào, an temple praising Confucius. The trip ended at the Yuyuan Garden a 400 year old classical Chinese garden in the Old Town of Shanghai.
For the evening a bar (Cloud 9) on the 87th floor of the Jin Mao Tower offered us a breathtaking view of the skyline and a wide range of delicious drinks. After getting into the right mood most of us enjoyed the Chinese nightlife in one of the numerous clubs of Shanghai.