Shanghai Trip

This time to Shanghai was a two-day trip. My wife loves shopping so she chose to stay at Hua Ting Hotel & Towers at the bustling Xu Jia Hui business district. It is an old five-star hotel, which gives an evanescence of ancient feeling. The rooms have been renovated so it was not bad after all.

The Sports Hall is just opposite of our hotel. The transportation is good and is only a 20-minute drive from the famous Xu Jia business district. There are Metro City, Liubai shopping centre, Grand Gateway Plaza, Huijin Department Store and Shanghai Orient Shopping Center. All these places sell relatively expensive goods and are certainly a pleasant place for shopping and relaxation.

I prefer the pre-revamped Grand Gateway Plaza because it was folksier and harnessed more flavour of olden Hong Kong and Shanghai's characteristics. After the place has been revamped, it has become no more like other shopping places. In fact, the design is almost similar to the shopping center, Shanghai Orient Shopping Center, on the opposite side.

I love eating the delicacies at Shanghai. However, due to the faulty ventilator, it caused a stench in the air. Especially when the heater was switched on, it makes respiration really unpleasant. My darling and I passed by several restaurants and Crystal Jade Kitchen (Singapore) was one of them. We did not patronize it because of its poor ventilation. In the end, we decided to eat at this Hong Kong restaurant where they serve all Hong Kong delicacies.

I always returned from a rewarding journey from Grand Gateway. This time round, I did not get to buy any thing. After that, we went to Huijin department store and Liubai shopping center and managed to get a few things because those places still harness Shanghai's clear characteristics.
Sometimes I ponder, what is going to happen if the world were to transform into no different from any other. It gives people a familiar feeling but it is a matter of time people tend to grow sick of it. Unless the people do not seek a new outlook, they are still particular about places' uniqueness.

We often tell everyone that it is important for people to have their own personality and wear their style. Similarly, shopping centers need to have their own variety of items; buildings need to be exquisite. If they are all becoming the same, is there a need to flaunt one's glamour and charisma?