King PITA Fills in for King Chump

Thus far, I have seen the ultramodern portions of Shanghai, and I desired to take a glimpse into the past. Just east of my lodging, about a 20-30 minute walk, winds the Huangpu River, separating Shanghai proper from the New Area or Pudong. Along this river is a mile-long stretch of property known as the Bund or Embankment, where in the 19th and early 20th centuries many Western countries opened banks, hotels, and trading houses following the Opium War of 1842. After the communist takeover in 1948-49, this area fell into disrepair. Over the past few decades, there has been a new surge to modernize and to open up markets in China (economically, communism is failing miserably so they are turning to what works--commercial capitalism). Shanghai is a major focus in this modernization process, and the Bund is being transformed into a beautiful tourist attraction (for the Chinese and foreigners alike), complete with a promenade that offers a wonderful glimpse of the past (the Bund) and a breathtaking view of the modernized present and the hope of China’s future (Pudong, which lies across the river).

To reach the Bund, I had to cross the Pedestrian Mall, otherwise known as Times Square of Shanghai. This mall area is packed with affluent visitors and shoppers from Shanghai, Pudong, other parts of China, and across the globe. There are high-end stores and very expensive restaurants, and this area really comes to life at night, offering entertainment from the tame to the outlandishly unsavory. In many ways it is quite decadent (needless to say, Mao would not approve, and on some levels, rightfully so), and sadly (in my humble opinion) Shanghai is well on its way to recapturing its inglorious past reputations. As I meandered through the throngs of tourists and shoppers, trying to make my way to the Bund, I was constantly accosted by seedy black market merchants. I later learned that as Shanghai is modernizing and bringing in legitimate shops and merchandise, the police are cracking down on merchants peddling copies and knockoffs of purses, watches, DVDs, CDs, and the like. So, many of these stores have moved underground, and the merchants move through the crowds with laminated booklets illustrating their forged wares. If you show interest in something, they will take you through winding back alleys, up through usually someone’s apartment, to a secret store with stacks and stacks of fake items. Wanting to avoid that scene, I fended off countless offers for watches and DVDs.

I thought I was doing pretty well avoiding the scams. Not so. Apparently, King PITA has on occasion been King Chump. Indeed, some of the people I have encountered have been genuinely kind people just interested in chatting (like the old woman, the old man, and the students in the park). But, the nice “tourist couple” who invited me to a tea ceremony was just drumming up business for the tea house and the acrobatics show. I have since learned that this is a common ploy, but I did have a nice time and no harm done. And, on the way to the Bund, I fell for another common scam: the art students selling their work for scholarship money. I must admit, that is a good cover. They give you a story about being art students showing their work, and they take you to a nice gallery. They show you work supposedly of their professors (much of it quite nice, at least what I saw), then show you “their work,” and pressure you into buying over priced art. I did suspect I was being scammed on this, and at least I haggled down and bought only a few items that I can put up in my office. I did not spend anymore than what I was comfortable spending, but I’m sure I paid more for them than what they are worth.

As I continued to be harassed throughout the day, I became more and more convinced that most of these nice people were just scammers. Today, I searched through my tour books and finally found small sections on scams. (A bit hard to find, and one book didn’t even list scams in the index--I had to search and search and finally found a small paragraph in the “Health and Safety” section.) Yep, tea ceremony invitations and art students are common scams. I think these tour books should highlight these scams a bit more, but I suppose I should have been savvier as well. Live and learn. It’s really too bad, because now I am suspicious of any kind person. I really loathe being cynical, but too often in this world as it is, cynicism is a necessary protective measure….

Despite the scams and constant accosting, I did enjoy the Bund, when I finally arrived. I wandered down one direction and started to get a bit lost. I overheard two British backpackers asking a police officer for directions, so I slowly approached and chatted a bit. They were a nice, young couple backpacking through China, looking for a cheap hostel. (Hopefully, they don’t wake up and find themselves in a horror movie….) They had just come from the People’s Square, through the Pedestrian Mall, and had no desire whatsoever to go back through there (where I had to go as my hotel is located on the other side of the Mall). They helped me get my bearings and we bid each other safe journeys. I found the promenade or boardwalk and took some really nice pictures and video of the Bund and Pudong.

I must say, though, I’m rather weary of the scams and constant attention. I think I’m going to stay in and rest for a few days. I’ve seen just about everything that I want to see near my hotel anyway. There are a few other sites reachable by taxi I’ll take in early next week right before I head off for Nanjing.

[Click to see new set of pics. Scroll down to “Shanghai Times Square” Enjoy.]