人山人海 : People Mountain. People Sea.

Sept 29-Oct 5

In China this year, October 1-8 was a combined federal holiday in celebration of National Day (October 1) and Mid-Autumn Festival (October 6). We were excited to experience our first holidays in China, and asked lots of people their plans for the eight-day break, hoping to get some ideas. Most told us they would visit family, but would not attend public celebrations or travel to tourist sites because there would be too many people– 人山人海 (rénshān rénhǎi), “People Mountain. People Sea,” as the local saying goes. Being new here, we couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to experience People Mountain, People Sea, so we headed to downtown Shanghai not once, but three times!

Visit 1: Croissants, Communism & Cafés

Our first trip to Shanghai this week occurred on National Day. We began the morning by wandering tree-lined streets of the French Concession (a lovely slice of Europe in Shanghai), and visiting a little pastry shop- what a treat! Flakey, buttery goodness. It reminded us of pastries in France, and of our niece, Kate, who is living on the continent enjoying all the petite pastry pleasures.

National Day commemorates the victory of the Communist Party over the Nationalist Party at the conclusion of country’s 22-year civil war in 1949, which led to the current split between the People’s Republic of China (PRC, aka, China), and the Republic of China (ROC, aka, Taiwan). There’s a museum in Shanghai that marks the site where the Communist Party was founded and tells the story of China’s rise from poverty and foreign domination to what it calls “modest prosperity” and global superpower. Matt visited the site in 2023, and suggested we head there for a history lesson- straight from the CCP.

Though clearly curated and incomplete, the museum offers valuable insight into how China views past and present interactions with the West. The narrative of foreign powers forcing their way into China to sell opium, wage wars, and extract concessions is a footnote in most Western history classes, but in China, it’s foundational. Here, the country is raised on the shame of the “Century of Humiliation,” and driven by a common mission to “rejuvenate the Chinese nation,” recover face, and restore their “rightful position in the world.” Scroll the pictures below for a sampling from the museum and area park.

Statue of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in Fuxing Park
Matt trying to look serious in front of the statue of Marx and Engels. Reminiscent of other “founders” statues.
English introduction to the “Memorial of the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party”
Communist Oath. Reads, in part, “be loyal to the Party, work hard, fight for communism throughout my life, be ready at all times to sacrifice my all for the Party and the people, and never betray the Party.”
Flag from the colonial era showing the foreign influence and power during “the century of humiliation.”
Summary of unequal treaties levied on China in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Recreation of the 13 Chinese delegates and two foreign representatives who attended the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in Shanghai in July 1921.
A collage celebrating the achievements of the CCP. And two cute girls who reminded us of our cute nieces!
The “epilogue” captures a key idea that continues to animate Chinese political and social life: a relentless quest to recover from the century of humiliation and “restore China to its rightful position in the world.”

He Gave Me the Moon

I said the word and in an act of great love and devotion, Matt lassoed the moon, pulled it down, and gave it to me! Oh, it’s a wonderful life! (Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the mid-point (full moon) of the Lunar Autumn, so moons are everywhere. Also, Matt would do anything for me!)

Dinner at an outdoor cafe near the communist museum. The neighborhood is a mecca of capitalism… Malls filled with western brands and Chinese nationals eager to buy.

The café…
Dinner. Yum!
Pretty girl.
When is the last time you ate a chicken wing with a disposable glove? If there’s a reason to touch your food with your hand in China, you can count on receiving a pair of gloves, too!
The CCP museum around the corner.
Carhartt is here.
And Shake Shack.
And Salomon.
And Broncos in three sizes.

Back to the Bund

We anticipated large crowds and possibly a drone show at the Bund. To our surprise and disappointment, there was neither. We did see a large number of police officers and military servicemen keeping the crowds organized and moving according to their specific directions. While not finding mountains or seas of people, and despite having recently been at the Bund, the well-lit buildings were still captivating.

Visit 2: Friendly Stroll

On Saturday, Armin, Mohaddeseh, and Neda came into Shanghai for the day. It was fun to be with them and explore new places. We wandered through the beautiful and historic Yu Garden. It was peaceful, even if crowded. We were on board with their suggestion to eat at an Iranian restaurant recommended by their friend, but after hunting online and on foot, we found no such restaurant and settled on the next closest cuisine in the area, Turkish. Only Mohaddeseh was dismayed when her fish tasted like Chinese food!

Traditional building just outside of Yu Garden
Dragons!
This lion was cast in 1290 AD! And touched by how many people??
Food!
The ladies

The Bund: Take Two

We couldn’t help but go back to the Bund with our friends! And this time, there were crowds of people! Coupled with the crowds of people were loads of police officers and military servicemen stationed every few feet. We were entertained by the way the lines of servicemen moved in formation to route and direct the flowing ‘mountain and sea.’ Experience being one of the crowd by watching this short clip.

Visit 3: Mooncakes & Skyscrapers

On Sunday, since we were still in Jiading, we attended the Shanghai branch again (no Darcy or Freddy sightings, sadly), and joined their after-church moon cake-making activity. Moon cakes are central to the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. They are sold everywhere during the weeks leading up to the festival, and come in a large variety of sweet and savory fillings (Matt’s work gave him a box of eight, so we’ve sampled a few). A sweet couple from Hong Kong spent 9 hours preparing hundreds of rolled glutenous rice flour balls and a flavored filling centers so everyone could make their own.

Third time’s the charm…

We took advantage of being downtown by walking among the central parts of the city, including near the skyscrapers you can see across the river from the Bund. Such tall buildings!