Travels in China - Modern Shanghai

It's time to return from the frenzy of toddlers' birthday parties to HWMBO's China travels, which almost seem sedate in comparison.  As portrayed in earlier photos, Shanghai is a city of spectacular scenery and contrast, a blend of cultures and traditions, often referred to as the "Paris of China."  As China's largest and most prosperous city, Shanghai also serves as a base for several multi-national corporations and thus boasts a modern infrastructure to support their needs along with those of its residents.  Thus it was that HWMBO and his group went to visit the 101-story World Financial Center there, which is considered the world's tallest building.

Such a visit is not for the faint of heart - nor for those with acrophobia,

especially because one can view the breathtaking panorama

from an all-glass Sky Walk, literally suspended hundreds of feet in the air.

Here is one view of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, at 1,536 feet (468 meters) the third tallest TV and radio tower in the world, surpassed only by towers in Toronto, Canada and Moscow, Russia.

The waterfront area around the west bank of the Huangpu River is known as the "Bund" and has been regarded as the symbol of Shanghai for hundreds of years.

Here is the Bund with a little something extra added!

Just to clarify, that "something extra" has not been in Shanghai for hundreds of years, so it was indeed a rare sighting!