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上海 Day 3

China day in the life Friends NSLI-Y sightseeing 上海， For our last day in 上海 and China, we went to the Jade Buddha Temple and a few museums. It wasn't the most exciting day, but it wasn't too busy and tiring. After breakfast, we went to the Jade Buddha Temple which is right smack in the middle of downtown 上海. One minute you are surrounded by skyscrapers and the next, you are in front of an ancient temple. That's what I love about 上海, it is very modern but also cherishes it's history and culture.

Inside the Jade Buddha Temple were a bunch of mini-temples with statues of different gods. Because the temple has become more of a tourist spot than a worship area, we were allowed to take photos, which was cool. The actual Buddha made of Jade was in a small building, that looked like a house. While looking at it, I overheard another tour guide saying that it was not built in China, but was built in Peru. All surrounding the Buddha were his disciples, carved into the ceiling and walls. The detail put into building this one room is amazing.

After visiting the temple, we headed over to the Urban Planning Museum. Inside, there were mini scale models of the entire city of 上海. Even when it was miniature sized, it looked massive. What impressed me the most was how modern 上海 is and how efficient it is. It has the first offshore wind farm  and the most powerful power plant in China. It has currently been focused on making the city a "greener" place. Using different techniques, it has exceeded standard set for national garden cities. It has 242 square kilometers of greening that loops around roads and urban areas. Also, in more suburban and rural areas, it has 671 square kilometers of forests dedicated to animal reserves and tourist areas. Taking this all into considering, along with it's massive population. 上海 could easily be the best city on Earth.