Gerald Goh

SHE had always wanted to visit a country with different seasons.

For MediaCorp artiste Tracy Lee, Shanghai and the neighbouring cities of Hangzhou and Wuxi fit the bill perfectly as they are also places steeped in ancient Chinese history.

The 26-year-old Malaysian actress visited these three cities in the first week of December last year with four other friends.

She told The New Paper in Mandarin: “Visiting Shanghai in winter is a welcome change from Singapore, where the weather is hot the whole year.”

Lee’s first stop was the Shanghai Bund, a waterfront financial district onthe bankson theHuangpu River.

Many historical buildings, including the iconic Shanghai Customs House, grace the site.

Mother River

Lee, who is now starring in the Channel 8 drama Double Bonus, which shows on weekdays at 9pm, revealed that the Huangpu River, which runs through Shanghai, is dubbed the “Mother River” by locals.

She explained that this is because it’s not only a source of drinking water for Shanghai, it’s alsoan important trade route.

Lee also got up to the 94th-floor observation deck, the lowest of three, of the Shanghai World Financial Center.

She said: “Shanghai really looks alive from that height, even at night.”

Lee likes to experience all the different modes of transport in a foreign country.

She added: “I extended my trip by three days after my friends left for Singapore after five days, just so I could explore Shanghai at my own pace.

“Honestly, I enjoyed those three days more.”

Lee also loved the smelly beancurd sold at the market near the Chenghuang Miao, or City God Temple, and the surrounding complex.

She said: “It’s cheap, only about six yuan (S$1.20), but very fresh and tasty.”

Lee and her friends next visited the West Lake and the Wansong Academy of Classical Learning in Hangzhou, the capital of the Zhejiang province.

She said: “It’s a great place to appreciate ancient Chinese history.

“One such story that I found meaningful was the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (The Butterfly Lovers).

“It’s the Chinese equivalent of Romeo and Juliet, with an equally sad ending.”

An equally epic setting was found on Lake Tai, near the city of Wuxi, which is also known as little Shanghai.

Lee and her friends rented a boat to go out on the lake with a tour guide.

She said: “It was like a scene taken straight out of an old Chinese movie.

“The lake is so much bigger than Singapore. It really gives you the sense that the world is such a vast and lonely place.”

On returning to Shanghai after that by herself, she said: “My friends all loved shopping in Shanghai, but I feel that it’s a waste to travel overseas just to shop.”

One notable place she visited was the Madame Tussauds wax museum in Shanghai.

She cosied up to an imitation of acclaimed Chinese actor Ge You, her idol, as well as notable Hollywood personalities.

Lee said: “The security (personnel) at the wax museumare very relaxed.

“They don’t stop you from taking pictures of the wax figures or even from getting really up close and personal with them.”

She added: “I considered living in Shanghai, but the cost of living is simply too high.

“A movie ticket can cost as much as S$35 to $40.

“China has become the premier country in the world, but it risks leaving the people behind if the pace of change continues being too rapid.

“And nowhere is this change more evident than in Shanghai.”