Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Becca&Lauren: Shanghai

The days went so fast once we arrived in Shanghai. Because we couldn't blog while in Shanghai the following are the best pictures from our most exciting experiences.


The picture above is of a factory in Shanghai. This is one of the rooms where we got to see parts of the production of many Kohl's brands. We saw Dockers, SO and Apt. 9 as we toured the factory. We both noticed how fashionable all of the employees were. Men were wearing sport coats and the women wore stylish shoes and jeans. We were both amazed that the production of these garments were mostly done by hand- we saw very little automation used to mass produce the product.


Thursday night we all went to a Chinese Acrobat Show that was amazing. The acrobats start intensive training around 9 years old. This definitely showed when they performed moves such as balancing chandeliers on their hands, legs, and mouth all at the same time, flipping and jumping through tiny rings, and contorting their bodies in ways that we never imagined possible. The above picture is of the man post flinging a girl from the teeter totter onto the people balancing on one another.


On our cultural tour through Shanghai, we went to the Jade Buddha Temple (Yufo Si). We were able to see a typical worshiping ceremony. It was so amazing with all the singing and incense filling the air. At the temple, we all got to do a lot of shopping for jade and tea!


This is a picture of a garden our tour guide took us through. It was so beautiful and interesting to see all of the traditional Chinese buildings, trees and plants. The garden was attached to a huge market that we got to do a little shopping. The shopping was exciting because we both attempted to use our bargaining skills. We aren't sure if we were entirely successful- but it was fun anyway!


 We also got to check out a Walmart store while in Shanghai.  Spending less than an hour in this Walmart told me more about cultural differences than most other experiences on this trip.  From the product selection to shopping habits it was clear that the Chinese shop differently. Above is a picture of a spread of various sized mangos (I had no idea mangos came that tiny). Fresh (exotic) fruits and a large selection of fresh fish were a big focus at this Walmart.



After taking an elevator 95 floors, and then switching elevators and taking another 5 more floors, we made it to the observation deck of the Shanghai World Financial Center. This is the third tallest building in the world, but has the highest observation deck than any other building! It is such a big building that is consists of multiple different things: offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and shopping malls. If you aren't too scared to look down from the top, you really realize how huge Shanghai is!



We spent our last night in China with fellow Badgers! We attended a reception for Chancellor Biddy, the president of the Wisconsin Alumni Association Paula Bonner (above), UW alumni and parents of current international students. It was fun to meet alumni and talk about what they remember and love about the University of Wisconsin. & On Wisconsin!

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