Shaoxing Park, etc. (5/28/2012)

Monday, May 28, 2012
My morning walk brought me to Shanghai's smallest park (the largest is Century Park in Pudong).
The entrance to Shaoxing Park:

The park was built in 1950 as a children's park. It was renovated in 1998. Plaques on the outer wall describe the four types of Chinese opera: Peking, Kunqu, Shaoxing, and Shanghai. (There are many more types of opera.)
A Taihu rock and pool:

Walls with opera masks:

Pavilion and lawn:

The lawn is being meticulously attended, while on the right a woman scratches her back on a tree.
The rockery next to the exercise equipment:

Some greenery including bonsai:

Later on Yongjia Road, a roofed mailbox:

On Huaihai Road, a department store dedicated to children:

The big and tall men's shop?

On Maoming Road, the Jinjiang Hotel complex includes the former Cathay Mansions:

Built in 1929 by Sir Victor Sassoon, in Art Deco-style. It was here that President Richard Nixon stayed in 1972 for the meeting with Premier Zhou Enlai.
The Jinjiang garden:

The Grosvenor House:

The former Grosvenor Mansions built in 1934, also by Sir Victor Sassoon, and also in Art Deco-style. This is the back of the building; you can't see much from the front:

Tuesday, May 29, 2012
A search for another blue fabric shop/museum on Huashan Road brought me back to Dingxiang Garden:

I just can't believe we can't go in!

The blue fabric place is gone.

Friday, June 1, 2012
Met Kent and work colleagues at the Barbarossa restaurant in People's Square:

Gorgeous place in a gorgeous location:

Afterwards some of us went to dinner at La Nolita on Dagu Road. Nouveau Italienne, or should I say, Nuovo Italiano?!

Thursday, June 7, 2012
The other day I purchased a jasmine flower pendant sold by old ladies along the street, when I happened upon another lady getting one and heard it cost only 1 RMB:

I don't know why mostly middle-aged ladies purchase these, as the benefit of wearing jasmine seems to be to keep lactating after giving birth to a baby.
Today I returned to Shaoxing Road to follow a tour I found on the internet. Supposedly the order of numbers was to lead me up one side of the street and back down the other side. But the numbers were all jumbled, so I just went one way up the street crossing as needed to do the numbers as they came.
Shaoxing is also home to several (6?) publishing companies.
No. 18 Jin Gucun, an apartment complex that used to be predominately a Russian Jewish neighborhood:

No. 5, the former residence of Zhu Jiling, a prominent Catholic Shanghai business man:

This building took up a lot of frontage! Now a publishing house.
No. 40, Angle Gallery:

No. 9, former Shanghai Qun Opera Theatre:

No. 54, former residence of Du Yuesheng's mother:

Now a publishing house. Du Yuesheng was a notorious gangster who joined the Green Gang secret society at age 16. He was introduced to Pockmarked Huang Jinrong, the corrupt Chinese detective in the French Concession police department. Du was to inherit the title of "Boss of the Underworld" from Huang in the 1920s.
No 23, former AdBay Cafe:

No. 25, Vienna Cafe:

No. 74, former residence of Zhang Qun, a mayor of Shanghai in the 1920s:

Zhang Qun was a member of the Kuomintang, and became premier of the first coalition government in 1947. He moved with the government when exiled to Taipei.
No. 27, former residence of Du Yuesheng's fourth mistress:

Now the Old China Hand Reading Room.
No. 90, Tree, a leather goods shop:

No. 96, the Le Petit Cafe on the second floor:

Also No. 96, the "Shanghai's best preserved Shikumen-style house:"

Now on Jianguo Road:

A large modern complex with Art Deco touches.