Day 5, Sept 9 (Taiwan - Shanghai)

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

It would be the last day in Taiwan but we had one last sightseeing point to go which was National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall.  This was to commemorate the memory of Taiwanese’s great leader – Chiang Kai-Shek.  In addition to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, the National Opera House, and the National Concert Hall were built on the same site.  The concepts of the design of these buildings were not only to express the spirit of Chinese culture but also to utilize of modern construction technology, with emphasis on economy and practical use.  When we entered into the National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, we would see a big statue of Chiang Kai-Shek sitting in the middle facing to the downtown of Taipei.  Moreover, there was another changing guard duty performed here as well.  There was a small museum in the lower level of the hall showing some of displays which were Chiang Kai- Shek’s commodities such as his cars, clothing, paintings, and bookcases containing the books he read when he was young. 

Thank You Jack, Alan, Kame, Rossetti, Caroline, and Jimmy

All the students made good use of this last opportunity to buy the souvenirs at the gift shops.  Many of them bought jade and other different kinds of stones accessories.  Then, we headed to Taoyuan International Airport to take a plane to Shanghai.  We were farewell to our dear Taiwanese students who helped us to arrange all the great programs and made sure we were safe during the trip.  They did contribute a lot and we all really appreciated their warm hospitality.  We treasured the last moment to take group pictures with the Taiwanese students and exchanged contact information.  At this moment, we had to say goodbye to Taiwan.  Shanghai, we are coming now. 

During these few days in Taiwan, there were so many restrooms we visited had squat style toilets rather than the normal toilet bowls.  My female classmates asked me how to squat.  They did not get used to go to pee in that way, so many of them messed up their pants and shoes. 

Traffic was serious in Shanghai

The flight time was short from Taipei to Shanghai.  It was about 2 hours.  I was just too tired and almost slept for the whole flight.  We were picked up at the Pudong airport and headed to the dinner place.  However, it took almost 1 and half hours to get there because of the traffic.  I was so hungry because the plane food only provided a small portion of lunch.  In China, there was one thing I hated most was people were smoking in the restaurant even though that was a non-smoking area.  I just wanted to go back to the hotel as soon as possible. 

Swissotel Grand Shanghai

In Shanghai, we stayed in a very fancy hotel called Swissotel Grand Shanghai.  This was the best hotel we stayed so far in this trip.  There was a swimming pool, jucuzzi, spa, and gym.  My roommate and I were so tired and both of us went to sleep early at 11pm.