Our Trip to Qibao (Shanghai)

A few weeks ago, Allison, Kate and I jumped in a cab and headed just twenty minutes away to Qibao - a town which, although still very much in Shanghai, still feels like a whole other city.  In Qibao you can get a slice of Chinese life as it once was.  It was packed to the gills with Chinese tourists, but proved to be a charming, fun little getaway for each one of us.  We walked the markets, saw some historic bells, went to the local Buddhist temple, and tried, without much luck, to find some vegetarian food.  Here are some pics...

Kate and Allison at the entrance gate to Qibao, and about to get hit by a car

Get your tatoo in Qibao

Kate in the classic pose 

Coconut drinks for sale

Qibao is lined with some cool shops, including this one selling replica Chinese film posters

For 5 kuai you can explore the old textile building

The roof line is quite impressive

Tourists can take a ride up and down the river

Oh captain, my captain - she has rowing skills

Just a cool sign

These are bamboo shoots that they stuff with sweet rice and raisins

More bamboo sticks

The little roadways are crowded

Lots of non-vegetarian options

Bird on a stick. 

The man behind the famed silhouette show

Here are the story characters

This is what the crowd sees - the beginning of the story was slow and our understanding was minimal since our 30 words of chinese didn't help us

More action - eventually the guy on the left fights a tiger and it's uber cool 

The Qibao temple - here is a fat Buddha guy

Each floor of the pagoda was lined with the featured god or goddess

They covered two entire walls - row upon row

Another

A view of the wall

Some worshipers lighting the largest incense sticks in existence 

Praying before the temple with incense

My next halloween costume? 

Not sure which one of these would be my worst nightmare

He looks pretty tough. 

A massive bell in the courtyard with thousands of Chinese characters up and down its sides