Three old Grammarians in Shanghai, 8-13 October 2013

Shanghai's Pudong, taken from the 8th Floor Chinese Restaurant
at the Peace Hotel, 12th October 2013.  It's not always this clear!

Steve Padgham ("Padge") and his brother David have been going to the Shanghai Masters tennis for several years now, and loved it each time.  They invited me (Peter Forsythe, aka "Forse") along this time, and wonderful time had by all: terrific tennis with all the big players there, only Murray missing due to bad back, or bad knee, or something....
Padge and Dave have contacts in the tennis world, and Shanghai, so we had literally court-side seats.
Shanghai turned on some fabulous early Autumnal weather.  I'd not been to Shanghai for many years -- I lived there for a year in 1989-90, and the changes since then were quite phenomenal.  Overall, it gives the impression not only of a modern city, but also one that's run by people who know what they're doing. Just one example is the new subway, new since I was there.  It's just about as good as the one in Hong Kong, which I always reckon to the the best in the world.
Some pictures below.
Padge and Dave: feel free to add to this here, or in the Comments section!
All other viewers too, please feel free to Comment.
Cheers,
Forse.
LATER: Forgetting history.  The effectiveness of propaganda and censorship; a quick aside.
I was first in China in 1976, when I was lucky enough to learn Chinese courtesy of the Australian taxpayer (via DFAT), and later in the Oz Embassy. So I went through the fag-end of the Cultural Revolution, the overthrow of the Gang of Four, the June 4th 1989 Tiananmen "incident"...
While in Shanghai this time, and chatting with local folk, I asked them about these things.  In not one case did they know -- or had even heard -- of them.  Sure, these were the common folk, shopkeepers, taxi drivers and the like.  But no young German is unaware of the Nazi era.
Most recently the effect of China's propaganda and censorship machine was clear in the reactions to the Philippine Haiyan typhoon tragedy.  The online comments ran 90% against giving any money at all to them.  Because they have a spat over some South China Sea Islands, and all they've heard is the government line. China first committed a paltry and embarassing $US 100,000, later shamed into increasing it to $US 1 million (contrast that with the many tens of millions from the US...).
Here in Hong Kong the reaction to the Philippines tragedy has been much more caring and generous.
BTW: The best coverage of China in the English language mainstream media is our local South China Morning Post.  They have reporters based all over China and report, for the most part, openly and fearlessly.  While in China, the mainstream media is government controlled and there's no Facebook, no Twitter, no Blogger.  It's all rather depressing, really.
To finish on a positive note: The Third Plenum has just decided to ease the One Child policy and to close down the Labour Camps.  Two steps, one step...
Enough of that.  On to the piccies from Shangers...

Dave and Steve Padgham, at the Jing An Park, Shanghai

This is "old folks" day at the Jing An Park. Dancing, financial and health
advice from local authorities under the red brollies.

This was a fun and relaxed affair, in lovely
autumn weather.  This park was a tawdry and
run-down affair when I was here in '89.  Now it's charming.

Ladies dressed in Tang Dynasty clothes, for a film being made here

Padge and Dave relax in the tea garden, Jing An Park

Back at the Old Folks' fair; Padge contemplates if he should join in the dancing

Lleyton Hewitt, previous winner of the Shanghai Masters.
All the winners are cast in bronze in Terracotta warriors' garb

This is how close we were, right behind the cameras.  That's Nadal serving
in the background.  We figured out his pre-serve ticks: 9 gestures in all.

Padge in Pudong, looking back to the Bund

Oh my tha's hot!!
At the Dragon Phoenix restaurant, 8th Floor Peace Hotel.
It was every bit as good as I remembered from 1989.  Better.
Photo at the top of this post was taken from my seat.  What a view!

David's 60th at the Shanghai Restaurant he part owns: Sasha's
a real swingin' place.   Next door is Zapata's, also David's.

After the cake, a puff in the beer garden.  Loaded with fragrant
Indonesian herbs....

"Ooooh, I'm a lumberjack, and I'm ok...."
Back in Hong Kong, the Padgies help me (Forse)
do a bit of drastic pruning of the banyan tree

Padge and I (Forse), headed off to Tai Po via cable car.  It's an old
fishing village, all on stilts.

Tai Po.  Some call it "The Venice of the East". Which, if  you discount the
palaces, the piazzas, the famous art, the cultural life, the statuaries,
the glassworks and the gondolas... it is.

Basil and Marcus oversee our gardening work