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The Longhua Martyrs' Cemetery

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  The Entrance Arch articulated in the monumentalist style of architecture where simplified columns and minimal decorations transcend time and space. The Longhua Memorial Park of Revolutionary Martyrs ( Martyrs' Cemetery for short)  is located at 180 Longhua West Road, Xuhui District, next to the famous Longhua Pagoda, said to be the oldest in China. The park sits on the site of the notorious Kuomintang Prison where captured Communists activists were imprisoned, tortured and executed. In one infamous episode 24 young members were secretly killed in the night and buried on the grounds. When their remains were unearthed in 1950 a decision was made to build a memorial to their sacrifice for the nation. The sprawling grounds of the park are laid out with landscaped gardens featuring well manicured lawns and accentuated with shrubs and flowerbeds. Luxuriant trees, palms and bamboo groves provide shade, while huge ponds spouting water features, pavilions and monumental sculptures do...

SELF PROMOTION

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Nanyang  a graphic novel by  Tan Choon Hong  is now an eBook  and Paperback  on Amazon.com and Apple Books Over 100 pages of adventure romance. Love! Intrigue! Betrayal! Preview the contents here Watch the Preview Video below: An epic journey that spans the region the Chinese call Nanyang. Two brothers, hearing tales of a city where the streets are paved in gold, head south seeking a piece of the action. After a traumatic separation and several harrowing experiences, the brothers finally meet on opposite sides of the law.  Will they recognise each other as family or will loyalty to their masters triumph to turn them into deadly enemies? Book link on Amazon.com:  

Shanghai Dongchang Riverside Greenland

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Shanghai Dongchang Riverside Greenland is located on the east bank of the Huangpu River along Binjiang Avenue in Pudong. It occupies the site of a disused coal processing plant called the “elevated coal corridor”. In converting the industrial site into a recreational green space, selected bits of the original structures were preserved, adding a nostalgic charm to the area.  This park is part of a picturesque riverbank redevelopment that stretches for several kilometres and dotted with remnants of shipyard cranes, anchors, bollards and other icons of its maritime past. This anchor is one of several objects salvaged and preserved as monuments to the site’s coal industry past. In the distance is the business district dominated by the new Shanghai Tower, at 632m the second tallest building in the world. A grapple bucket pays homage to the days when it grabbed coal from the holds of a barge onto the conveyer belt that ferries it into the factory. Sti...

Ferry Across the Huangpu River, Shanghai

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The Huangpu River cuts across Shanghai city, dividing it neatly into two. The western sector or Puxi is home to the old walled city and most of the historical tourist attractions. The eastern sector Pudong is a recent development of the last few decades and is the new business district boasting many awesome glass and steel towers. On a typical day, thousands of commuters and tourists cross the river by bridge, tunnel or the humble ferry. There are several crossing points and this is located along a riverside garden on the Pudong side. 

Shanghai River Mall at the former World Expo site

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The Shanghai River Mall is located in the former 2010 World Expo site on the banks of the Huangpu River across the road from the China Art Museum, formerly the China Pavilion. The building is a good kilometre long and topped by its huge membrane roof pierced by six trumpet-shaped steel and glass structures that funnel direct sunlight through all levels of the sun atria down to the basement. There are four levels in the mall, each divided into five thematic zones, and a top tier under the roof canopy, providing a staggering 330,000 square metres of shopping, dining, cultural and entertainment experience, making it the largest mall in Shanghai. To facilitate visitor movement, there is a tram service from end to end on the top level. Here too are reflective pools, a plant maze, evening light shows and other attractions. The River Mall is accessible via the China Art Museum metro station and is the perfect base from which to explore the many repurposed pavilions of the former ex...

China Art Museum, Shanghai

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The China Art Museum, Shanghai is housed in the former China Pavilion of the Shanghai World Expo. The architecture of the colossal inverted pyramid-shaped building is inspired by Chinese corbel bracket and ancient bronze sacrificial vessels. Soaring 70 metres into the sky, it covers 166,000 square metres with 64,000 square metres of display area for its collection of some 14,000 masterpieces showcasing modern and contemporary art of China. This is also home to the Animated Scroll, a gigantic multi-media projection of the famed painting “Along the River during Qingming Festival” capturing a day in bustling riverside town Bianjing (modern day Kaifeng) during the Northern Song Dynasty. (Read more in another post on this site).   There are 27 galleries, several of which are devoted to permanent exhibits tracing the history of Chinese modern and contemporary art, masterworks of star painters and sculptors, and 21st century Chinese art. Other halls are used for staging themed events...