The study abroad public health program in China includes a five day break, following the conclusion of the first half of classes. During this time, I decided to go to the Yellow Mountains and Shanghai. In Huangshan, which is where the Yellow Mountains are located, a few friends and I got an Airbnb in a village located around a half hour away from the mountain. The climb up was beautiful, and it was really nice to be surrounded by nature after being in Beijing for a month. The air was super fresh, and it was also great to not be surrounded by millions of people for the first time in a long time. In total we spent nine hours climbing various peaks and scenic areas on the mountain. At the end of the day we had climbed over 400 flights of stairs, as recorded on the apple health app. No way we were doing that again so we decided to take a cable car down. The morning after we left Huangshan and boarded our train to Shanghai.
The Shanghai skyline is a true spectacle, honestly, the best I’ve ever seen. On one side of the river is the French concession, and features an abundance of colonial architecture, and on the other side of the river is the Oriental Pearl TV tower, Shanghai World Financial Tower, and Shanghai Tower, representative of modern China. Shanghai is very international, so we saw a lot more diversity in comparison to Beijing.
Yellow Mountains Shanghai Skyline from the Bund
On the way up the Mountain, parents kindly asked if I could take a picture with their son.