MY CHINA DAYZE 2: XUJIAHUI PARK and FUXING PARK

I will repeat myself, I know, when I say that I love the parks in Shanghai, for they are so full of people totally enjoying themselves March 10 was a quiet Sunday. The sun was bright but not overly hot. It was quite comfortable, and some time tin the afternoon, I decided to head out to the park. It's not far, maybe almost a half mile, a block or two to the east and a long, long, long block to the south. I've been there three or more times this trip, so I've combined the pictures. You may recognize the swans from last year's photos.

Along the way, I pass construction. There's been a project brewing since before I was here last year. It's the equivalent of several US blocks square, but must be either apartments or more shopping--if that's possible for the area. They are digging deep foundations and the dump trucks, like the ones on campus come roaring in and out.

Along the way, I pass construction. There's been a project brewing since before I was here last year. The walls have been up for privacy and safety, I suppose. It's the equivalent of several several square US blocks, and must be either apartments or more shopping--if the area could possibly sustain more than it already has.

They are digging deep foundations and the drum trucks, like the ones on campus come roaring in and out.

Thankfully, they have people standing around to alert people of incoming or outgoing trucks.

The buildings to the right and south are all are malls. The one to the left and south is a department store. One of two or three on this side of the street.

I turn right and walk up Tianping Lu, where there is a mix of rather fancy looking places across the street from or next to what we might call an impoverished area of town.

Much of Shanghai seems to be a mix of very nice moments against a sea of distressed buildings.

I think this is the front door of a new apartment building.

And obviously an apartment building.

I hurry up the street--this is marked as one-way, which means only the motorcycles are gong south and the cars and other bikes are going north.

In the middle of the block a car decides he's going the wrong direction and decides to make a U-turn. Of course, the car is too long and the road only two and a half lanes wide, so he holds up traffic while he figures out how he's going to get the vehicle squared around. It takes a few moments. No tempers, however, just horns.

As you enter the park a block to the east of Tianping Lu, you find this tree-lined walkway.

To the south, as we walk through the paths, we come to a little river and pool, but on the way there we pass these two sculptures.

Here are two views of the second one.

Shanghai feels full of art, which appears in the most unlikely places.

There is always someone out taking pre-wedding photos. And obviously, this day was no different.

And on this Sunday there was what I guess to be a community choir. People had "music" and they sat and stood and sang their hearts out. At first they seemed to have no leader, except the person playing an accordion. I never saw him, but I heard him speak. And then later, here was the lady, who you see in the video, leading the group.

I felt the shared energy of those singing. It was transfixing, so much so that I walked around and came back a couple of times.

I wondered about the sheet music, so I took a peek.

The week before the kids were out in full force with their water cannons. This little girl is reloading and firing!

The park, however, has many personalities. Last year, at dusk and into the evening the ballroom dancers would come out and music would fill the air.

This year there seems to be more calisthenics. Strangely, the numbers seem almost cult-like, and this evening they filled up much of the northeast corner of the park with two separate groups totaling maybe hundreds.

There is an elevated walkway that runs much of the length of the park.
I took these few pictures from there.

A playground for the basketballers.

A play center for the little ones.

And the jumpers.

Near the entrance/exit was another beautiful pond and this waterfall.

In my usual backwards way, I've encountered the Northeast entrance to the park.

The week after I headed over to FUXING PARK. It's farther away, and it meant taking the metro a couple stops to the east and then walking a real half mile or more. I just wanted to see the roses and then headed back The park itself is larger than Xujiahui Park, and has large areas for playing team games.

Unfortunately, the roses had finished blooming already and I caught only the last few blooms.

Heading back to the metro, I passed another park. I had seen it on the map. Actually there were two of them. One, just a little green spot with flowers, And then a block or two further to the west another park, one I said I would visit soon. (I haven't yet).