Summer Break in China - Day 12

 

Mr. Cool Restaurant (Teddy felt right at home)

June 24, 2024

After the big day we had at Disneyland yesterday, we don't have too much planned for today. My dad was born and raised in Shanghai so I still have some family left here, and some of them wanted to see us. I haven't been back in a long time, so most of my relatives here have never even met my children before. We had our breakfast at the hotel, amazing breakfast once again but no champagne on ice this time but sparkling wine was still included.

Bread section of breakfast buffet

After breakfast, we headed to Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall. Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall is the largest outdoor mall in the world and since it's foot traffic only, you don't have to worry about getting around cars or bicyclists. I love walking the streets here and have done it many times in my life. I usually just window shop and buy some snacks here and there. This area is very foreigner friendly. There is a trolley that will take you from one end to the other end, and the double decker sightseeing bus will stop right outside of it for tourists.

Hop-On Hop-Off bus in Shanghai

Nanjing Road (trolley is in the middle)

My kids saw a bubble tea shop called Milkplus, so they had to have it. Me on the other hand, felt like they were trolling me since I'm allergic to raw milk.

The QR code on the window says scan to order, no queuing necessary. Even better! There are lots of benches along the way so if you need to take a break from all the walking and shopping, it's easy to do.

Ava

After our shopping trip, we came back to the hotel and awaited a distant relative to come visit. Our hotel is centrally located, and it has an executive lounge free for our use, with snacks and drinks, so it's a convenient homebase for everyone.

In many parts of China, blood is absolutely thicker than water. Even if your relative is quite distant, they oftentimes will still make an effort to come see you when you are in town, or help you when you are in need. The lady pictured here (on the left) is considered by Chinese standard, as a "closely related" relative, although she would surely be considered a distantly related relative by any western standards. Her father is one of my grandfather's younger brothers. (Disclaimer: this cultural phenomenon is certainly not all over China. It's very location specific, as China is quite large. My relatives in Shanghai for example, absolutely pales in comparison, as half of them didn't even show up to meet us. This relative pictured here grew up in Shandong, only recently relocated to Shanghai, hence the major difference.) I have fond memories of her growing up, so I was so glad she came to see us!

Tonight's dinner is a family reunion dinner with some of my relatives in Shanghai. We met at New World City Plaza. There are lots of restaurants inside. The restaurant we chose is called Feng Shou Liang Guan Ji (pretty much means Good Harvest). There's no English website for this restaurant, but it's located inside New World City Plaza, top floor. The food is very good here and if you buy their set meals (different sets to choose from based on different number of people), you get a very good combination of flavors this restaurant presents.

Ava in front of Feng Shou Liang Guan Ji

Inside Feng Shou Liang Guan Ji, there are some fish on display.

We had a very scrumptious meal here and I was so happy to see some of my family that I haven't seen in so long.

After leaving the restaurant, we saw the double decker bus again.

Ava in front of double decker bus

Our China trip is almost over. We have had so much fun, but there's only 2 more days to go. China, despite its problems, will forever be my favorite country to visit.