Orient Orientation: Clear skies in Shanghai?!

Yes, on Sunday, October 7, there were clear blue skies in Shanghai! The haze that typically hangs about must have been pushed inland by a strong wind because we had clear skies all day.

Here comes the sun (and you can actually see it)!

View of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower from across the Bund and at least three streets.

One of the amazing things about going on a foreign assignment for a big international company is the “expat package”—the assistance with logistics like the immigration paperwork, packing up and moving an entire home, cross-cultural training, house/apartment hunting, multi-country tax filings, and language training . . . oh right, and the various allowances (hardship pay, goods and services differentials, housing, etc.). Cartus, a global relocation service provider, is the company that has been coordinating the various aspects of my relocation to China, including finding a reliable moving company to pack up my apartment, putting me in touch with a Chinese tutor, and setting me up with a company to assist with my visa and foreign employment and residence paperwork.

The Cartus representative who coordinated my Chinese language training in the States lived in Shanghai for eight years, so he offered some great suggestions for places to visit during my stay. At his recommendation, I went walking along Fuxing Road, a less-crowded street with interesting buildings. Then to the corner of Shaanxi Road and Yan’an Road where there is an incredible mansion.

From a plaque on the stone wall surrounding the mansion, I learned that it is called the Moller Villa and it was the former home of Eric Moller, a shipping tycoon during the early 20th century (the plaque says he was British, but research on the Internet shows he was actually Swedish with British citizenship). I had never heard of him, but his house was a work of art, at least from the outside.

The Moller Villa from a nearby pedestrian overpass.

The Moller Villa from street level.

Entrance to the Moller Villa.

Plaque on the stone wall surrounding the villa. No idea what
Snow White and the seven dwarfs have to do with Mr. Moller though.

The house was built in 1936, and in 2001, it was restored and later opened as a hotel in May 2002. There was a private event going on, so the house was not open to the public, although I think it usually is. (An article from 2009 on China.org.cn provides an interesting story of the man and his historic house.)

After taking quite a few pictures of the outside of Moller Villa, I walked to Huaihai Road, one of the two most famous shopping streets in Shanghai (the other is the more touristy Nanjing Road). Among the Chinese stores and small shopping malls along Huaihai Road, there were a surprising number of Western “luxury” brand stores, mostly in the Xintiandi precinct section: Louis Vitton, Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Marks & Spencer, etc.

I’d like to say that this wandering was motivated by an interest in checking out the stores, but that was not the case. My interest in Huaihai Road came primarily from my stomach. There are some great restaurants along that road and its side streets, one of which I tried out for dinner. Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese restaurant known for its dumplings. It’s a bit tricky to find for a newcomer to the area—it’s on the second floor of one of the malls in the fashionable Xintiandi precinct.

As it was just a little after 17:00, there were only two other people in the restaurant—two American business people, of course. (The waitress sat me at the table right next to them.) I ordered jasmine tea, five mushroom xiaolongbao (dumplings), and sautéed spinach. The dumplings are steamed in bamboo baskets and brought to the table fresh from steaming. I decided to be adventurous and try a dessert as well, so I ordered three steamed chestnut and bean curd buns. All of this cost just 140RMB (about $23).