EATING IN SHANGHAI - MASALA ART FOR INDIAN FOOD

Was in Shanghai last week and decided to go out for an Indian Meal. Shanghai has a number of Indian restaurants but most of them are not worth a visit. During my last visit in July , I had discovered an interesting Indian restaurant - 'DERA' located in North Xiangyang Road . The restaurant is on the first floor of the building and not visible to a passerby. It has a nice quite ambiance and the food is authentic Indian. The bar is well stocked with the regular whiskies and beer but has a very limited wine selection - also don't expect any exotic whiskies etc. The tandoori dishes are well cooked and food tasty. The service though needs improvement. The address :

Dera Restaurant

2nd Floor, 1 North Xiangyang Road (near Julu Road)

Shanghai

It was however on this visit that I discovered this nice restaurant serving Indian food - ' MASALA ART ' located on Yandang Road . This street has rows of restaurants on both sides of cuisines from around the world and you would probably find all the popular cuisines here. I noticed an Italian, Mexican and Thai food joint here. However back to Masala Art - Nice cosy place, good ambiance, well stocked bar (by Chinese standards) and authentic and tasty Indian food.

For starters, try the all time favourite - Chicken Tikkas washed down with beer - my favourite is Carona which goes well with Indian food. For the main course, don't forget the  tandoori dishes - you could try the most popular Indian dish - Tandoori Chicken - or you could try the tandoori pomfret if you are fond of fish. Like always, Dal Makhani and some fresh vegetables with paneer round up the meal very well. If you want a lighter meal, you could exchange the Dal Makhani for the lighter Dal Masala. The restaurant also has a wide variety of spicy masala dishes, both in vegetarian and non vegetarian. For the breads , order a bread basket which would have a mixture of naans, lachha parathas etc. Try all of them.

Waiting for the food 

The Location : 

PHONE:		6327 3571
ADDRESS:		397 Dagu Lu, near Shimen Yi Lu
		大沽路397号， 近石门一路
AREA:		Jing'an
METRO:		20 mins. walk from Nanjing Rd (W)
HOURS:		Daily 11:30am-2pm, 5:30-10:30pm
CARDS:		Local and international cards accepted

PHONE:		6327 3571
ADDRESS:		397 Dagu Lu, near Shimen Yi Lu
		大沽路397号， 近石门一路
AREA:		Jing'an
METRO:		20 mins. walk from Nanjing Rd (W)
HOURS:		Daily 11:30am-2pm, 5:30-10:30pm
CARDS:		Local and international cards accepted

If you are the health conscious type and love walking, the place is a close 20 minutes walk from Nanjing Street ( West). I would however recommend a cab which does not take more than 15 minutes from Nanjing Street.



Shanghai and it's buildings

Shanghai is a city of contradictions. You will see the ultra modern Shanghai with building reaching into the sky , the tops of which disappears into the clouds  on a cloudy day

This office building is located in the commercial section of Shanghai. Building vie with each other in height and the skyline of city is a series of tall skyscrapers.

These modern buildings are hotels overlooking the central square on Nanjing Street.

Spires and Domes are a favourite in this part of Central Shanghai

By Night

Another view at Night

The tallest building in Shanghai, this one houses the Hyatt Hotel from the 85th Floor onwards. Taken on a cloudy night, note that the top of the building disappears into the clouds.

Yiwu Revisited

Visited Yiwu after a gap of two years. The fast paced development in China and places like Yiwu continue to amaze me. Every visit to this buzzing town sees some new additions and change.

The everchanging skyline of Yiwu

Yiwu is probably one sourcing hub that no retailer from anywhere in the world can avoid. With over 75,000 booths offering a wide range of products ranging from household goods to imitation jewellery, this wide range of merchandise on offer at one place is a buyers paradise. The advantage of buying from Yiwu is that you can buy in small lots and fill up a container with as many as a 100 or more SKUs.

The main market in Yiwu called the Futian market is a series of buildings, 4 floors of air conditioned shopping area and over 4 kms in length from end to end. Each block or building is interconnected enabling one to move from point to point with ease.

Entrance to the new Block that has been added in the last 1 year

The system of booking goods is simple. To begin with, the services of an exporter/consolidator/agent is needed who will act as your interpreter as well as handle the consolidation and forwarding of your goods. Keep in mind that prices need to be negotiated and your best negotiating skills will be put to test. A good consolidator is essential to ensure that you get the goods that you ordered. Ensure that the consolidator has the necessary resources for inspection of goods . Normal payment terms are either 30% advance and balance TT on dispatch or through irrevocable LC at sight.

Futian Market

You need to start your day early - the market starts functioning at 8.30 in the morning and shuts at 4.30 . If you do not have conveyance, leave by 4.15 - getting a cab after that is not easy. The market has an interesting restaurant named Picassa serving Western Cuisine (quite good by Chinese standards) that you would need to visit to rest your tired legs after a few hours of walking around and a hot cup of coffee or some chilled beer.

The Picasa Restaurant at the Futian Market

Getting There :

There is no direct international flight to Yiwu. The options are

• Fly to Hong Kong . Take a connecting flight to Hangzhou ( 2 Hrs) and by road to Yiwu (2 hrs and 400 RMB by taxi
• Fly directly to Guangzhou or through Hong Kong and take a connecting flight to Yiwu.
• Fly to Shanghai and take a train ( 3 Hrs) or taxi (4.5hrs)

Places to Stay
Yiwu has a plethora of places to stay starting from 150 RMB ( $25). However if your work is mainly in the Futian Market, the Best Western Hotel is the place to stay. Just next to the market, it is very conveniently located and offers all that a good 4 star hotel should have.

Yiwu by Night

An Evening in Shanghai

Was in China recently on a business visit and spent a few days in Shanghai. Took the daytime Air India flight to Shanghai - a very comfortable 6 hours - arriving at 8 PM. If you are in Shanghai, the place to stay in is around Nanjing Street - the all pedestrian street with great shopping  dining and night life. 

A rain soaked morning at Nanjing Street 

The street is a beehive of activity at all times and even rain is not a deterrent. The action starts early morning when the central square on the street comes to life with live perfomances of aerobics, musical concerts and much more.

 Tourists enjoying a toy train ride

Nanjing Street is probably the most action packed street in Shanghai and comes truly to life in the evenings when hordes descend for a few hours of shopping and entertainment. Being an all pedestrian street, it is a pleasure to move around in this area and if you are shopaholic, this is the place to be in.

.

 Nanjing Street is a riot of lights as night sets in. Whereas the place is bustling with activity and people, it can get a bit tiresome with the crowds all around . Shopping , though can be great and you could land up with some fantastic bargains.

If you are visiting Shanghai, I strongly recommend you stay in this area. Amongst hotels, my recommendation - Central Hotel at Jiujiang Road. Fantastic location, great large sized rooms with a seperate living room, well priced - rates from $180 upwards and if you are lucky you could get a room with a view of the central square where action starts early morning.

The Dragon Boat Festival of China

The Dragon Boat Festival is an important holiday in China. These interesting facts were sent by my friend Jack from Cixi, China on this fun festival.

Regarding the “dragon boat festival”, let me introduce it simply. The Duanwu Festival (in Mandarin Chinese pronunciation) or Tuen Ng Festival (in Cantonese Chinese pronunciation) is a Chinese traditional and statutory holiday. It is a public holiday in mainland China and Taiwan, where it is called the "Duanwu Jie" and a public holiday in Hong Kong and Macau, where it is called the "Tuen Ng Jit". In English it is also referred to as "Dragon Boat Festival", after one of the traditional activities for the holiday.

The Duanwu Festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, giving rise to the alternative name of Double Fifth [3]. In 2009, this falls on May 28. The focus of the celebrations includes eating zongzi, which are large rice wraps, drinking realgar wine, and racing dragon boats.

Below is the information about the Origins for the festival and its related person “Qu Yuan”

The “Duanwu Festival” is believed to have originated in ancient China. There are a number of theories about its origins. There are a number folk traditions, beliefs and explanatory myths connected to the observance. Today, the best, most widely known legend relates to the death by suicide of Qu Yuan, a scholar and minister to the King of Chu, in 278 BC an era in Chinese history that is referred to as the Warring States period. Scholars wrote literary

works, including poetry. Qu Yuan is commonly referred to as a "poet" and a "statesperson", however he is more properly considered as a ministerial scholar.

The best-known traditional story holds that the festival commemorates the death of poet Qu Yuan (c. 340 BC - 278 BC) of the ancient state of Chu, in the Warring States Period of the Zhou Dynasty.[4] A descendant of the Chu royal house, Qu served in high offices. However, when the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin, Qu was banished for opposing the alliance. Qu Yuan was accused of treason.[4] During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry, for which he is now remembered. Twenty-eight years later, Qin conquered the Chu capital. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month.

It is said that the local people, who admired him, threw food into the river to feed the fish so that they would not eat Qu Yuan's body.[4] This is said to be the origin of zongzi. The local people were also said to have paddled out on boats, either to scare the fish away or to retrieve his body. This is said to be the origin of dragon boat racing.

Cixi - Capital of Home Appliances

Cixi is another city in China that I visit regularly. Also know as the Capital of Household Appliances, Cixi ( (pronounced "Tsuh-Shee") is a city withing the sub provincial city of Ningbo. An industrial township, this city is a major production base for small home appliances - there would be over 5000 units producing these goods. Besides appliances, Cixi is also a major production centre for small and micro bearings. Like most Chinese cities in South China, this too is a city vibrating with life. Night life is active with numerous KTV bars in operation and alongwith Chinese restaurants, the city has a fair no of KFC's , Mcdonnells and Pizza Huts. Continental food however is mainly restricted to restaurants in hotels.

Cixi is a blend of the modern and traditional. One sees modern buildings rising into the sky all around sitting side by side by traditional ancient buildings.Night scene of a street in the city

Facts

Cixi City is located at the coastal area of eastern Zhejiang Province and on the south bank of Hangzhou Bay. Important cities close to Cixi are Hangzhou ( which is also the capital of Zhejiang Province ) and Ningbo. Cixi is located at the central zone of the economically strong belt of Shanghai, Hangzhou and Ningbo and it is one of coastal economic opening zones approved by the State Council.

Cixi is now connected to Shanghai through the Hangzhou Bay Bridge which is more than 36 Kilometers in length and is the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world . This has shortened the distance from Shanghai to Cixi by 120 km, and the travel time from nearly four hours to two.

Industrially, Cixi is very advanced and is a major production centre for bearings, lighters and textiles besides home appliances.

Hangzhou and its West Lake

I have been visiting Hangzhou for the last 5 years and find it a lively and a very beautiful city. Located 180 Kms southwest of Shanghai, this is modern city with fancy shopping centres where you can get any brand of luxury goods and has a wide variety of restaurants for food and excellent hotels to stay. The city is a major textile industry and silk centre .

West Lake

Hangzhou is also one of China's big tourist attraction with the picturesque West Lake being one of its more popular destinations. The West Lake is spread over 6 sq kms and is surrounded by thick woods on 3 sides.Night Scene of a street in Hangzhou
Views of the West Lake

Yiwu and it's Wholesale Markets

Yiwu , also called the International Commodity Trading City is a city of wholesale trade for products made in China. The city has 3 main big markets - the biggest being the Futian Market which consists of a series of interconnected buildings catering to specific categories of merchandise with an estimated 40,000 stalls . This fascinating market is exclusively a wholesale market where only samples are displayed and orders booked and caters to buyers from across the world including China.

View of a section of the Futian Market

The Futian market is a clean, well maintained market that starts early morning at 8.30 AM and shuts at 5 PM. The market is like a permanent trade fair with display of goods and orders being booked. The market deals in products ranging from household goods, luggage, toys, stationary to artificial jewellery and cosmetics. An estimated 100 container loads of goods are booked at Yiwu everyday.

International and Chinese buyers at the Market

Entrance to one of the sections

The market has an interesting restaurant called Picassa Restaurant and Bar serving continental food. The place resembles a museum with a wide variety of sculptures and crafted furniture. An excellent place to relax over a light beer and snacks after a few hours of walking the market in search of products.

Picassa Restaurant in the Futian Market

Yiwu - China

If you are a trader, retailer or wholesaler and buy from China, Yiwu would be an important city in your itinerary of places to be be visited for sourcing in China. Located in South China, 250 Kms west of Shanghai this is a town with a series of markets and market places where buyers from around the world as well as from within China source goods ranging from household goods to cosmetics to costume jewellery and apparel and footwear.

Early Morning Yiwu Skyline

Yiwu in winter gets extremely cold with temperatures dropping to minus 5 to 10 degrees. Early December ( 1st Dec) when I visited, the temperature was 0 degrees. The weather is misty with cold winds and one needs heavy woollens to ward of the cold.

View of the Futian wholesale market

The Best Western Ocean Hotel in Yiwu

My favourite place to stay when in Yiwu is the Best Western Ocean Hotel - a comfortable business hotel that is efficient and friendly , adjacent to the futian market and has staff that can speak in English. The hotel's Chinese restaurant has some excellent Chinese food which should not be given a miss. It should be remembered that all Chinese restaurants close by 8.30 so if you are in the mood of a Chinese meal, be sure to plan an early dinner.

An interesting restaurant in Yiwu called Picassa that serves continental food

Night shot from my hotel window of Yiwu market