Category: China

Posted on

Hainan, China: Greetings from the Hawai’i of the East

The Accidental Travel Writer arrives in Hainan, China, for the first time.

Posted on

Analysis: Shanghai’s Bund Gets Mixed Reviews (Part II)

Here is my honest appraisal. The Bund has not been turned into the Champs-Elysees of the East. Not by a long shot. The exterior of the Peace Hotel and the former Shanghai Club, now the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai, both look fantastic. Jobs well done. Other projects – such as 18 at the Bund and the Roosevelt …

Continue reading "Analysis: Shanghai’s Bund Gets Mixed Reviews (Part II)"

Posted on

Analysis: Shanghai’s Bund Gets Mixed Reviews (Part I)

On my first visit to Shanghai several years ago, the Bund was looking a bit worse for wear. On my second trip to Shanghai a couple of years later, there were hopeful signs. I interviewed a developer, and he informed me that a complete restoration of the Bund – returning it to its pre-Liberation glory …

Continue reading "Analysis: Shanghai’s Bund Gets Mixed Reviews (Part I)"

Posted on

Morgan Parker Enters Final Leg of His Epic Wheel2Wheel Journey

Investment banker turned philanthropist and adventure seeker Morgan Parker roared out of Hong Kong on his trusty, “unstoppable” BMW F800GS motorcycle on 1 March 2011. His first stop was in Guangdong Province, where he met members of GECKO, who are developing China’s youth into ambassadors for the environment. Following that, he rode into Vietnam to …

Continue reading "Morgan Parker Enters Final Leg of His Epic Wheel2Wheel Journey"

Posted on

Wheel2Wheel Update: Eight Countries in 90 Days

You remember Morgan Parker, the investment banker turned philanthropist and adv enture seeker! Has it really been three months since he roared across the Lok Ma Chow border from Hong Kong to China on his epic Wheel2Wheel journey for charity? Morgan has now been on the road for 90 days, having visited eight countries so …

Continue reading "Wheel2Wheel Update: Eight Countries in 90 Days"

Posted on

Shanghai Nostalgia: the East Is Red

Next time you are in Shanghai in the vicinity of the Bund, listen carefully at the quarter hour. The chimes you hear emanating from the old Customs House on the Bund are “The East Is Red”. The East is red The sun is rising China has given birth to a Chairman Mao At quarter after …

Continue reading "Shanghai Nostalgia: the East Is Red"

Posted on

Heritage Sites Get Government Backing in Shanghai

Several years ago a decision was taken by the municipal authorities in Shanghai to restore the Bund to its pre-liberation glory. The original inhabitants of the imposing stone edifices that line the waterfront boulevard were offered them back. But there was one condition. They could not alter the exteriors of the buildings. They could do …

Continue reading "Heritage Sites Get Government Backing in Shanghai"

Posted on

Reader Feedback on My Shanghai Adventure

Altogether I spent three nights in Shanghai, followed by another two at a suburban resort about one hour's drive out of the city. Before I continue with my adventures, however, I would like to share with you some of the comments I have been receiving from readers. They come from Shanghai itself, Hong Kong, and the …

Continue reading "Reader Feedback on My Shanghai Adventure"

Posted on

The Long Bar at the Shanghai Club Reopens

At the height of Empire, the Shanghai Club took pride of place along the Bund, not far from the old headquarters of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the most imposing stone edifice along the prestigious waterfront strip. Constructed by the British, it was an "old boys' club"  (as the British would say), and the most …

Continue reading "The Long Bar at the Shanghai Club Reopens"

Posted on

Hotel Review: the Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai

Following a three year restoration project, the Peace Hotel in Shanghai reopened on 28 July 2011 as the Fairmont Peace Hotel. Built in the late 1920s, the grande dame of Shanghai originally opened in 1929. It was known as the Cathay Hotel until 1950, when it was renamed the Peace Hotel. Following the Communist conquest of …

Continue reading "Hotel Review: the Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai"