Travelling with the brood on the high speed train to Beijing

We woke up nice and early by our current jet-lagged standards, insisted packing and made the 11 o'clock high speed 高鐵 train from Shanghai to Beijing. Thanks to the hospitality of well connected friends we have been chauffeured around Shanghai for the past week and today is the first time we are sharing public transport with our compatriots. Frankly reading this week's Xinmin Weekly of Shanghai (新民周刋) made me glad of this little privilege. Beggars readily exposing their maimed limbs for sympathy, rubbish and children weeing on the Shanghai metro as mentioned in their feature article 公共空間誰的地盤 (Whose space is public space?) do not entice me to take two under sixes on the Shanghai metro by myself, least of all jet-lagged and at rush hour, when my better half is at work meetings.

I may be somewhat ashamed of myself for being timid and over-protective of my children in their education about China, but I reckon these things have to be taken slowly but surely. Coming out of their relative cocoon of extremely educational and child-friendly museums and summer holiday entertainment, children can be over-excited about a country that may under-deliver touristically day-to-day basis. I wanted to see Shanghai Art museum, my 5 year old wanted to go back to the hotel for his holiday daily swim. Hubby wanted to see Shanghai Museum, yet the boys were yearning for a playground, hard to come by in central Shanghai. You want to show them the bund? They'd rather go back to he hotel to watch Madagascar.

China has a great deal to offer and I have forgotten that this is the first time we are here with children. There will be a time for them to rough it with the rest of the Chinese people, but for the time being, small to medium doses of Chinese culture coupled with a little of what they fancy is what we need.

The advantage of taking the high speed train to Beijing is the ability to watch the changing landscape as we race northwards, while marvelling at the speed display at each end of every train compartment. Being with other ordinary Chinese locals on our first high speed experience merits a day in itself.

Sent from my iPhone