Followers

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Old & new yellows in old & new Shanghai


Above, and below, the only place I felt truly crowded in China was in Old Shanghai, a favorite destination for tourists from around the world.

Above, the lobby of the Shanghai Westin was alive with color, but the most interesting yellow was in the glass sculpture below, in vivid contrast to the orange-red.

This week, our contribution to Mellow Yellow Monday takes us back to Shanghai, final stop in the cross-China (almost) cruise tour we enjoyed with Viking River Cruises.
While I was posting the photos, I thought of an old song recorded by Doris Day in 1951, when it reached #9 on the Billboard Magazine popular music charts. The title was "Shanghai" but my father, who was a musician and an inveterate collector of funny song titles, told me it was "Why Did I Tell You I Was Going to Shanghai?" which is mentioned in parentheses in Wikipedia as the alternative title.

Why did I tell you I was going to Shanghai?
I wannna be with you tonight
Why did I holler I was going to Shanghai?
I wanna be with you tonight
It was just a little misunderstanding
That a kiss on the cheek could patch
I need you so badly, I'd gladly
Start all over from scratch.

Oh, why did I tell you it was bye-bye for Shanghai?
I'm even allergic to rice
Why don't you stop me when I talk about Shanghai?
It's just a lover's device
Now, who's gonna kiss me
Who's gonna thrill me
Who's gonna hold me tight
I'm right around the corner in the phone booth
And I wannna be with you tonight.

Photos by Richard Schear and Kay Davies.
Posted by Kay Davies for Mellow Yellow Monday.

19 comments:

Eds said...

I was really dreaming of traveling to shanghai. Hope I can go there soon and see their beautiful yellows! :)

ABC said...

Lovely photos you got here! Happy Monday:)

EJ said...

Beautiful images you've got here.

Mellow Yellow

Kim, USA said...

Great shots!! Like it!
The cars

♥♥ Willa ♥♥ said...

Really nice! I hope I can visit China in the future.

My MellowYellowMonday

Lesley said...

I love that glass sculpture! It looks almost like a Chihuly (but I suspect it isn't?)

Verna Luga said...

Hi Kay, my thank yous for always checking on my blog..it's a shame I had not followed you, so I just did...

China is our neighbor though but we have not visited it yet, obviously for financial reasons, I have three schooling children, and their food and everyday expenses are the priority ... Maybe one of these days .. I make sure to save at least 5 dollars a day.. hahaha...

thanks for these photos I relived my interest in visiting Beijing ..

All the best Kay and regards to the people around you.

I googled Earth your place ... its an awesome place... God Bless you more.

Verna of Petty Things In Life

Liz said...

Beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing them with us.

Happy MYM.

Liz @ MLC

Unknown said...

Wow that is pretty cool.. I wish I can visit that place someday God willing :)

Francisca said...

Kaye! The ONLY place you saw crowds in China? Did you go to the same China I work in? The first thing my Asian friends say to me about the States when they first visit is, "where are the people?" For me, urban China is elbow to elbow... It's in the countryside I find the wonderful peace.

[I agree, Wikipedia... and Google and the WWW... make us all smarter (although I do check sources). I don't know how I made it through university without a computer and the WWW. Also, BC is second home; I still have a sister and brother there. I was there earlier in the year to nurture our mother in her final weeks.]

dianasfaria.com said...

I love the sculpture. Great choice for MYM!
glad to meet you Kay. I am now following you & will be back soon.
: )

Stephanie V said...

Looks like a fun trip. And really interesting to see some of your photo memories. Gold is a very mellow color.

jabblog said...

What memories these photos must bring back for you :-)

BlossomFlowerGirl said...

I like the photos, especially the second one. It reminds of something similar I've seen.
I also love the title of your blog - soon as I saw it I laughed. It could be describing me to a t!
Thank you for visiting and your kind comments.

BlossomFlowerGirl said...

Thank you for the compliment about my slideshow, I am happy you enjoyed it and I hope your friend gets better soon. It is no fun being unwell.
I quite like your blog and will add it to my list and follow you.
Enjoy the week ahead.☺

Kay L. Davies said...

Francisca -- Thanks for visiting my blog. Perhaps I should have been more specific. Seriously, Old Shanghai was the only place I was IN a crowd. There were a lot of people at the Wall, but I didn't try to climb it; there were lots of people at the Forbidden City, but not really elbow-to-elbow. I know, because I didn't want to go to China because crowds make me very claustrophobic. However, it is likely Viking River Tours did not let our tour groups get into the kind of urban crowds you mention. I knew such crowds existed, and almost refused to go. Fortunately, the airport was almost empty when we arrived in Beijing, and I only had trouble in Shanghai.
--K

Francisca said...

I see now Kaye... I missed the nuance: there being crowds versus you feeling crowded. Language... hhrmmph! I feel very fortunate that the times I've gone to the Wall there were few people. Did you catch my two posts about my most recent trip (Smog/Fun on the GW)? You might enjoy them if you missed the real thing. ;-) Thanks for your visits, Kaye!]

Kay L. Davies said...

Hi Francisca -- I checked out your post about smog on the Great Wall. It was very smoggy when we were there, too. My husband got quite a few pictures of it, and I actually had to clean them up on the computer so the wall could be seen properly. Beijing was "lousy with it" to use a North American expression you may or may not remember. We were there a month before the Beijing Olympics, before the Chinese began closing factories so the air would be cleaner for the athletes, spectators and international camera crews.
On my way through your blog to find the post about the Wall, I came across your photos of a barn on Saltspring Island. My best friend lives nearby on Galiano Island. I think BC's Gulf Islands (and Washington State's San Juan Islands) are among the most beautiful sights in the world.
-- K

Mª Zélia said...

Que viagem fascinante! Realmente é um lugar muito exótico com histórias e culturas diversas... Ah! O amarelo é minha cor favorita, sempre destaca-se das demais dando seu toque de alegria! Quanto a música, irei pesquisá-la na Net, fiquei curiosa para ouví-la. Quem sabe consigo tocá-la em meu teclado!