One of our favorite Tauck trips was a tour of China.  The tour was provided through Tauck and was called the  China, Yangtze River and Hong Kong (westbound) tour.  We took the tour in 2011 and it still ranks as one of our most memorable trips.

After visiting Hong Kong, we flew into Shanghai and took a high speed maglev train into Shanghai.  A magnetic levitation train allows the train to travel without actually touching the ground.  It can reach a speed of 431 kilometers/hour or about 286 miles/hour.  We traveled the 22 miles from the airport to Shanghai in seven minutes.

Shanghai is the financial center of China.  Our hotel was on the historic (Puxi) side of the Bund in Shanghai which lies along the Huangpu River.  Across the river is the newer (Pudong) side of the Bund – most of the buildings have been constructed since 2000.  I have attached several pictures of the Bund.   It bustles with activity during the day and night – it is a fun place to be and we enjoyed the people-watching.

We took the Sightseeing Tunnel under the Huangpu River.   The tunnel had special light effects; a picture of what we saw while in the tunnel is below.  While on the other side of the Bund, we were able to view the historic side of the Bund and also visited the Urban Planning Center which had a complex model of Shanghai.

One of the nights we were in Shanghai, we also enjoyed a performance of the ERA Acrobatic Show.  In addition to incredible tumbling acts, five motorcyclists demonstrated their precision as they rode inside a large metal sphere.

We also visited the Yu Garden, built in the 1500’s,  in Shanghai’s Old Town.  It has elements of a typical Chinese garden including architecture, decorative rock gardens, plants and trees, and water elements.  The building below is the Pavilion on the Lake, one of the architectural features of Yu Garden.  It has served as a tea house for over 100 years.  Areas of the Yu Garden are separated by “dragon walls.”  The dragon has a pearl in its mouth which is a symbol of wealth.  The zigzag bridge also has an interesting story.  A superstition we were told is that the zigzag is designed to keep evil spirits away since evil spirits can only go in straight lines.