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Most Americans picture Shanghai as a skyline, but being in a city looks very different from the photos.
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In this episode, I'm sharing what I experienced, the places I visited, and some things that may be helpful if you ever plan a trip there.
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Everyone has a story to tell.
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We connect and relate to one another when we share our stories.
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My name is Amelia Old, and I am your host of Voices of Inspiration.
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Join me as I share stories of friends, family, and strangers in my everyday life and travels.
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We will laugh, possibly cry, or walk away feeling connected more than ever to those around you and ready to be the change our world needs.
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Everyone has a story to tell.
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What's yours?
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Welcome to Voices of Inspiration.
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I'm Amelia.
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I was in China recently working on a project, and Shanghai was the first stop there.
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And so I thought that was a great place to start with this new series.
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There's usually a moment when I'm traveling, especially alone, where I stop for a second and take everything in and think, wow, I'm actually here.
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It's like something inside me taps my shoulder, and I think this can't be real.
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For me, one of those moments happened just outside Yu Garden in Shanghai.
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I had just walked outside the gardens where everything feels like an organized storm.
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People are moving fast, vendors calling out, families posing for photos.
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The whole place is just buzzing.
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Yu Garden itself is a classical Chinese garden in the old part of Shanghai, pavilions, ponds, stone paths, all right in the middle of the city.
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And next to it is Yuan Bazaar, a pedestrian area with traditional style buildings, food stalls, shops, and open spaces where people gather.
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I stepped off to the side just for a few minutes, long enough to get out of the flow of people.
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As I watched the crowd, I had this realization that I grew up in a place where the world felt small and somehow I'm standing here halfway across the globe, filming these podcast episodes and meeting people who live lives I couldn't have imagined when I was younger.
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As I got older, I realized how many directions life can go.
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But growing up, I didn't know that.
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When you're in a rural area, especially at the time I grew up, the accepted list of real jobs is short.
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Doctor, lawyer, teacher, nurse, those were the big ones.
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That's what you heard about.
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Or maybe that's just what I remember from our school books.
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But standing there surrounded by people from all over the world, I was reminded of how many paths exist that I never even knew were options.
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I'm not criticizing my childhood.
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It's just how it was.
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Your world is shaped by what you see.
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And I didn't see people who traveled the world for work or built careers through curiosity.
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Seeing all these people in one place made me wonder what I might have tried earlier if I had known.
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I've wondered for years what it would have been like to travel in my early twenties.
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You know the classic backpack through Europe idea that you see on TV or social media?
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Not because I want to go back in time, and not because anything about my life now is lacking.
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I love where I am, my husband, my children, or home.
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But it's more about curiosity.
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What would younger me have learned if she had stepped outside the expected path earlier?
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What decisions would she have made?
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What fears would she have let go of sooner?
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The whole eat pray love narrative gets thrown around easily.
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But what people are really after is permission, permission to wander, to try something different, to step out of the roles they're expected to play.
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I wish someone had told me earlier that the world is wide, and there are so many ways to live a life.
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But I'm grateful I figured it out eventually, even if it was later.
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Traveling later in life is different though.
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You're not searching for yourself the same way.
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You're searching for meaning, for understanding, for reminders that you are still becoming even now.
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Shanghai had a lot of those moments for me.
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I also visited Jingan Buddha's temple.
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The air was smoky from incense, and some people were tossing coins toward a bronze pagoda shaped structure in the courtyard, and people were just moving through the space in all kinds of ways.
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Some prayed quietly.
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I saw many influencers filming full blown photo shoots.
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Others looked unsure, kind of like myself, trying to figure out the right way to participate.
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And then there was this man.
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He looked like he was traveling alone.
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He was probably my age or maybe older.
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He held incense in both hands and he bowed three times, really slowly with intention.
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Something about him kept pulling my attention back.
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I would try to look away and then I would look back towards him.
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I just couldn't stop staring.
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I wondered who he was thinking about, what he was carrying, what he was searching for.
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He finished praying and he didn't linger, and he just walked towards the exit.
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And as he walked away, he wiped tears from both eyes.
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It was just this small gesture, it wasn't some big big motion, it was subtle, but it it was real and it was human.
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And I have thought about him ever since.
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It's like recognizing something familiar in someone else.
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Pain, grief, hope, meaning, maybe all of it.
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On another day, my guide suggested we go to Peace Park, and I loved it.
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It's a large public park in Shanghai, and it's known for its community atmosphere.
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People dance, play cards, practice tai chi, spend time with friends.
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There were dancers everywhere.
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Older couples who moved with ease, groups who clearly met there every week.
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Some people were dancing alone, some with friends.
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My guide told me that there were many dancers whose children were grown now.
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And these people finally have breathing room again.
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They feel that their children are safe and on to their own lives.
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So it wasn't a big performance.
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No one was trying to impress someone else.
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It was just simply joy.
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The kind that's earned.
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Watching them made me think about what it looks like to give yourself permission to enjoy something purely because it feels good, not because it's productive or necessary.
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As I kept exploring the city, I noticed how different the neighborhoods felt.
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Some streets had really high end shops, others had markets or small family run places that had been there for decades.
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You turn a corner and suddenly you're in one of the older Shikuman style neighborhoods.
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They're quiet, narrow lanes with homes that have been there for generations.
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I'm gonna pause right here for a quick break and I'll be right back.
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Today's episode is supported by China Eastern Airlines.
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They offer three nonstop routes from the United States to Shanghai Pudong, which is how I traveled while working on this series.
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China Eastern is headquartered in Shanghai and is one of China's major international carriers.
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The airline operates 108 domestic and overseas branches worldwide and serves destinations across China, Asia, Europe, and other global regions.
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They're also a member of the Sky Team Alliance, partnering with airlines such as Delta and allowing SkyMiles members to earn and use miles across participating carriers.
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On international flights, China Eastern offers three cabins of service, first class suites, business class, and economy.
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Long haul routes include entertainment screens and Wi-Fi is available for purchase in Economy class.
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If you're planning travel to Shanghai or exploring future international trips, you can find current schedules and booking information on the China Eastern Airlines website, which I'll link in the notes of this episode.
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Alright, let's get back to it.
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One thing that stood out to me was how safe I felt walking around Shanghai alone, even at night.
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I really pay attention to that when I'm traveling for work, especially solo, and I never felt uneasy in Shanghai.
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And I did a lot of walking even in the evenings.
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I felt completely fine to be on my own.
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So I think for women who want to travel solo, Shanghai surprised me in a really good way.
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I also visited the observatory, and it's definitely a tourist attraction, but I felt that it was manageable.
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I did not wait in any long lines, and the whole process moved pretty quickly.
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The elevator is one of the fastest in the world, and it takes you up to the 118th floor in just about 55 seconds.
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Your ears definitely pop.
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When the doors open, you step into this full 360-degree viewing area with floor-to-ceiling windows.
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And from there you can see the river clusters of high rises and neighborhoods that stretch in every direction that you look.
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So I felt that the observatory was busy, but it wasn't chaotic at all.
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You could actually get to the glass to see the view.
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And it's really an easy way to get a clear sense of the scale of Shanghai.
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Another thing that was recommended was a river cruise.
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So my guide and I took a riverboat cruise at night, and it's something I would genuinely recommend.
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It was crowded when I went.
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There were a couple of school groups that night, but honestly, once we pulled away from the dock, the focus shifted to the skyline and everyone was kind of in their own space on the boat, just taking in the view.
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The contrast between the Vond, which is the older waterfront district with European-style buildings, is on one side and the modern towers are on the other side.
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And the whole view feels almost futuristic.
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It actually reminded me of the Jetsons with the way everything just lights up and moves.
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It's a really fun, straightforward experience, and it gives you a completely different perspective of the city.
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Before I wrap up, I want to talk about something practical.
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The tools and apps that made my trip easier.
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China is different from anywhere else I've traveled, and having this setup really mattered.
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So these apps I definitely recommend that you download prior to your trip.
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First of all, WeChat is not optional.
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Download it before you go.
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It's how you talk to people, add contacts, scan QR codes, share directions, photos, everything.
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Every person that I worked with used it.
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And it just really made communication easy and natural.
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It is their social media platform, but you can do so much more with WeChat.
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Next is Alipay.
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It was a game changer for me.
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All you have to do is link your card.
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And once I did that, I didn't have to think about money again.
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You pay for everything with Alipay.
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Food shops, if you were to take a taxi, it you're just scanning a QR code, no coins, no card, no awkward moments trying to figure out international currency.
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It just made my daily life there simple.
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I also had Didi downloaded, D I D I.
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It's the equivalent to our Uber and Lyft.
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And even though I did not end up using it, I wanted to have it just in case.
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So I highly recommend just going ahead and downloading it.
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I think it would be worth having if you need transportation anywhere.
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For those that I spoke to that had used it, they highly recommended it.
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The next thing would be Google Translate or whatever translator that you typically use.
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I used it every single day, whether it was to say hello to the driver or ask a cashier a question or to communicate with other people that I met, I used it daily and it was incredibly helpful.
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So I think that is one of the top apps that you must download before you go.
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I also installed an e-sim before I left.
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It just gave me the data that second the plane landed.
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And some people also use a VPN for email or social platforms.
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I had one installed before the trip.
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I didn't use it constantly, but when it was needed, it helped.
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And, you know, people talk about travel in terms of big experiences, but everyday conveniences shape how relaxed you feel so that you can enjoy those big experiences.
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Having the tech set up properly just made everything smoother.
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Before I wrap up, the newsletter and AmeliaOld.com, they are both coming soon.
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I'm still working on them.
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I promise I will have them out soon.
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And that's where you will be able to find updates and new episodes and occasional behind the scenes notes.
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And if you're on Instagram or TikTok, Facebook, you can find me at Amelia OldOfficial.
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That's where I share more day-to-day travel moments.
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And of course, if you are enjoying the show, following it on your favorite platform or leaving a quick rating, it helps more than you think.
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It really makes a difference.
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Shanghai wasn't on any kind of emotional travel list for me.
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I did not expect it to make me think about my younger self or the paths that I didn't know existed.
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I didn't expect a man at a temple to catch my attention or dancers in a park to make me pause.
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But that's what happened.
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And that's the version of Shanghai I'm sharing.
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The human parts in between.
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Next week we start the first interview of the Homestay series, and we start with Miaoxi Village.
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I can't wait for you to hear these conversations that are coming over the next few weeks.
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So stay tuned.
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I'll see you next week.
