Shanghai feels familiar after outer provinces

It was a drastic turnaround going from Luipanshui to Shanghai, the largest city in China.

The first thing that I noticed in Shanghai was the amount of Westerners there. Everywhere I looked there was a Westerner snapping photos or speaking in a language that I recognized, and I welcomed the familiarity.

My local tour guide took me on a boat cruise to see the two sides of Shanghai, the business district of Pudong, and the residential district of Puxi. After my overview of the city, the guide and I went the Shanghai Museum where I saw exhibits in calligraphy, painting, metal work, porcelain, and sculpture.

The most exciting thing in Shanghai was the Shanghai World Financial Center, which is the tallest roofed building in the world standing at 492 meters high.

After a long day of sightseeing, I went to a tea tasting ceremony with my guide. She explained to me that each type of tea benefits a different aspect of life, and how a person feels will determine what type of tea is chosen to drink. The four main types are green tea, black tea, oolong tea, and white tea, with many subtypes below each category.

I only stayed in Shanghai for two days, but it definitely had a different feel.