The French Concession

Anting Villa on Anting Lu ( Road)

 Fountain greets you at the entrance - complete with light show and symphony when the sun goes down.

 Ornate gardens with stone sculptures - the grounds are gated and huge!

 The fountain is just to the right of this entrance

 This is a separate building across from the main building. A wedding took place on the Saturday night of my stay- the reception was held in this building

 Gated entrance with a man in uniform who "salutes" you as you come and go

The Shanghai French Concession (French: Concession française de Changhaï; Chinese: 上海法租界; pinyin: Shànghǎi Fǎ Zūjiè) was a foreign concession in Shanghai, China from 1849 until 1946, and it was progressively expanded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The concession came to an end in practice in 1943 when the Vichy French government signed it over to the pro-Japanese puppet government in Nanking. The area covered by the former French Concession was, for much of the 20th century, the premier residential and retail districts of Shanghai, and was also the centre of Catholicism in Shanghai. Despite rampant re-development over the last few decades, the area retains a distinct character, and is a popular tourist destination.

( Thanks Wikipedia......)

 Just look at the buildings here- this could be the Glebe in Ottawa. No skyscrapers - NO 40 -floor apartment buildings. The streets are narrow and often one-way. Less noise. Less traffic.

 High,-end shops, "western-style" restaurants ( Italian, etc), pop up among the usual Chinese shops. The Chinese I saw on the streets are well-dressed ( classically-styled black wool coats with scarves tastefully ited at the neck. Men sported wool coats and matching (stylish) hats. SO VERY different from where I live. Lots of Expats ( foreigners - ME) live here so no one even glanced my way as I made my way through the streets. ( A very nice change, indeed!)

 Very expensive shops............

This picture does no justice- this "Housing development ( gated) was starting to light up as  the sun went down. If I could afford it, I would live here - beautiful - an oasis from the craziness of the rest of Shanghai. ( But, also, it would be a HUGE commute each day to work)

Yup - this was my breakfast "room service" treat to myself on the first morning. Everything else on the Room Service menu was "lunch" to me: Wonton Soup, Fried Noodles, Rice  Balls, etc. So, I ordered "Fried Eggs" thinking it might come with other side items. Nope.  Just two wedges of tomato. And to boot, I had to eat it with Chop Sticks. No easy feat.

Ahhh, China, you got to luv her.

The lobby.....more to come...tok an hour to upload....sigh....