Shanghai's Old Town

When I traveled to Shanghai’s old town I expected to find a piece of history standing strong within the ever growing and modernizing city. I longed to see a hidden sanctuary of the past, undisturbed from the changes occurring around it.  Instead what I found was something totally different. The old town was a tourist haven. It was busy loud and just as modernized as the rest of Shanghai. With the McDonalds, Pizza Hut and KFC trifecta staring at me from every corner I couldn’t help but feel a slight disappointment. The old town was not what I had expected and I did not feel a sense of culture, only manufactured tradition. We decided to walk around and explore the area and came across a Buddhist monastery which was hidden away from all the hustle and bustle of the town. The monastery was practically empty and a peaceful quite swept over every one. I found it hard to believe that there existed a place so quite within the borders of Old Town. The monastery was a lovely change and I really felt the history and tradition of the place. After words we decided to check out a different monastery located more in the centre of the town. This monastery unfortunately had the complete opposite effect as the last one as it was swarming with tourists. There seemed to be no respect for the practicing monks as it was loud and people were snapping pictures every second.  The differences between the monasteries were astonishing and I felt that the essence of the second monastery was lost because of all the commotion.  From visiting Old Town I could really see how globalization has impacted China. Western influences were everywhere, from restaurants to shopping to the mass amounts of tourists. Globalization had taken over and to me it meant the death of a once beautiful and historical place within the city of Shanghai. When we left we decided to bypass the busy crowd on the main street and take the back alleys. It was then that I began to see the real China and experienced the most authentic part of the day.  It was then that I learned if you want to see China for what it is you must step outside the boundaries of what is presented to you.