从磁悬浮到小笼包，“无处不优越”的上海
上海无处不优越。我掏出50元钱，坐上了从浦东国际机场开出的磁悬浮列车。按我的理解，这就是一列高铁，和我不久前从成都去西安时坐的那列一样。我没意识到的是，这列靠一组巨型磁铁悬浮在铁轨上运行的列车(因此有了“磁悬浮”的名字)，是世界上最快的商业列车。在准点开车之后，速度就开始加快。再加快。不一会，我们就在一片新建住宅区和农田的模糊风景之中，以268英里时的速度呼啸而过，从太平洋海岸线驶向了上海的中心。这段车程虽然不算特别平稳——能感受到速度——但令人兴奋。几分钟后，我在19英里(约合30公里)外的龙阳路下了车，脑子有些发蒙。
Despite this high-tech arrival system, Shanghai is, in a way, a late bloomer. Cities like Beijing and Xian have been political and commercial powerhouses for centuries. Heading into the 19th century, Shanghai was a modest trading port that exploded after being “opened” to the world by Western imperialism. What became known as the Paris of the East laid the groundwork for what Shanghai is today: an unparalleled economic powerhouse and megacity of 24 million people. Packed with luxury brands and overrun with shiny Bentleys and Audis, it’s also impossibly expensive — kryptonite for a penny-pincher like me. Luckily, I was able to spend a four-day weekend there denting, but not breaking, the bank.
撇去这个高科技的到达系统不说，上海，在某种程度上，是一个后起之秀。如北京和西安这样的城市，数个世纪以来都是政治和商业重镇。而在迈入19世纪之时，上海还是一个被西方帝国主义“打开”了大门后突然出现的、不算太大的通商口岸。后来，东方巴黎的名声奠定了今天的上海：无可比拟的经济发动机，有着2400万人口的巨型都市。而这个充斥着奢侈品牌、宾利和奥迪横行的城市，也贵得令人难以置信——对我这样的吝啬家伙来说是个致命伤。不过幸好，此次上海周末四日游虽然让我花费不菲，但还不至于破产。
You can start saving money by staying on the fringes of the city center, where rooms at the Peninsula can run $900 per night. I settled on the Jinjiang Metropolo Hotel Classiq Shanghai, just north of the Huangpu River in Hongkou, and paid 576 yuan per night, about $90, for a perfectly comfortable “Extreme Sassy” double room. (The hotel has since been rebranded as the Golden Tulip Bund New Asia. Things move fast in Shanghai.)
要想省钱，可以从住在城市的外围开始，市中心半岛酒店每晚的房价可以高达900美元。我在虹口的锦江都城经典酒店入住，在黄浦江北岸，每晚576元，约合90美元，要了一间特别舒适的“至尊豪华”双人间。(该酒店后来改名为上海外滩郁锦香新亚酒店。上海的一切都很快。)
After the rush of the maglev train, getting there on the subway felt like a mere crawl. Still, it was relatively efficient and definitely cheap — expect to pay between 3 and 5 yuan for a one-way journey. And the location near Tiantong Road was ideal — I could either hop directly on the subway or take a short walk over the Suzhou River into the Huangpu District, giving me easy access to the Number 2 subway line, one of the two main underground east-west thoroughfares in the city. It’s also just a few minutes’ walk to the Bund, the famous waterfront area where old European banking and trading houses gaze over the river at the new, towering financial centers of Pudong. China is platitudinously described as a compelling mix of ancient and modern — but in Shanghai, there’s ample reason.
经过了磁悬浮列车的激情，乘坐地铁去往酒店感觉就像是缓慢爬行。然而这是相对高效并且绝对便宜的——单程票预计花费在3至5元之间。位置接近天潼路，非常理想——我可以直接乘坐地铁，也可以从苏州河上走一小段路进入黄浦区，能很方便地搭乘联通城市东西向的两条主要地铁线路之一——地铁2号线。步行到外滩只需几分钟，老的欧洲银行和商贸建筑在这块滨江地区里，眺望着江对面高耸入云的新浦东金融中心。说中国是古老与现代的魅力结合，是一种陈词滥调——但在上海，却理由充足。
Walking in Shanghai, though, can be an adventure. As you might expect from a city of more than 20 million people, it’s constant and not-always-controlled chaos. Still, between the nonstop dodging of cars and motorbikes, it’s fairly doable — and a great way to work up an appetite. And while Shanghai itself is high-priced (a cold brew and pizza slice at the world’s largest Starbucks will set you back $20), true Shanghainese cuisine happens to favor the frugal, in the form of one of my favorite types of food: dumplings.
但走在上海，可能是一种冒险。正如你对这个有着超过2000万人口的城市所预计的一样，它有着长期而往往不受控制的混乱。尽管如此，不止歇地穿行于汽车和摩托之间，还算能接受——也是一种改善食欲的绝佳方法。尽管上海标价高昂(在世界上最大的星巴克买一杯冷饮和一片披萨要让你破费20美元)，但真正的上海菜却简单廉价，是我最喜欢的那种食物：包子。
The first dumpling to get to know is the xiao long bao, or soup dumpling, a regional specialty that’s long been popular in the States. The steamed dumplings, usually filled with pork or crab meat, have delicate, nearly translucent skins — but not too thin that they might break, losing the valuable liquid inside.
要说的第一类包子是小笼包，或叫汤包，是上海一直备受欢迎的地方特色。一般用猪肉和蟹肉作馅料的蒸包有着近乎透明的精致外皮——但也不至于薄到破裂，漏出里面宝贵的汤汁。
My first of many great xiao long bao came from Papa Chan’s Shanghai Dumplings, a fairly sizable restaurant on Sichuan Middle Road. Around late morning, I noticed a mob of people forming in the lobby and decided to join them. I was glad I did — while I ended up mistakenly getting four orders of dumplings (10 yuan each) instead of one order of four dumplings (my Chinese is a little rusty), they were perfectly petite and bite-size, and exploding with porky soup flavor. I’d snarfed down a dozen before I’d even gotten wind of the sizzling jian bao — a thicker, doughier fried dumpling — down the street.
我吃了许多美味的小笼包，第一次是在Papa Chan上海小笼包吃的，那是四川中路上挺大的一家店面。在上午晚些时候，我看到大厅里聚集了一群人，便决定加入他们。很满意自己的这个决定——虽然我不小心点成了四份包子(一份10元)，而不是一份四个(我的中文有些生疏)，但它们十分娇小，可以一口一个，每一个都会爆出醇厚的猪肉汤的味道。在我听到街上滋滋作响的生煎之前——一种面皮更厚的煎包，我已经吞下了十几个小笼包。
At Lao Sheng Xing, another quick casual midday hot spot, a man wielding two pairs of industrial pliers poured a steady stream of grease out of a wide, shallow pan. The two dozen or so golden brown dumplings, stuffed with beef and chopped vegetables, bubbled and sputtered. I ordered three big fried dumplings, each about the size of a baseball, for a total of 9 yuan. The drill at most of these places is the same: Order at the counter and hand your receipt to a server or, in this case, the guy making the dumplings. Grab your food, an available seat and enjoy.
在另一家非常著名的休闲快餐厅老盛兴，一个男人用两把钳子夹着一口浅沿大平底锅往外倒油。二十多个金黄色的煎包里塞满了牛肉和切碎的蔬菜，浸在冒泡的热油中噼啪作响。我点了三个大煎包，每一个都和棒球差不多大，总共九元。在这些地方，大部分步骤都一样：在柜台点餐，把小票递给服务员或者店里做煎包的那个人。拿到美食，然后找个空位坐下来享用。
Other quality dumpling houses abound, and special mention should go to Ling Long Fang for its casual, appealingly dingy atmosphere and excellent xiao long bao (16 yuan a dozen) — which you can see being made while you wait. The real M.V.P. of Shanghai dumplings, though, is the sheng jian bao. At the intersection of steamed bun, fried pot sticker and soup dumpling, you’ll find the sheng jian bao (not to be confused with the regular jian bao mentioned above). They are fried in a shallow pan, then steamed, and finished off with a smattering of scallions and sesame seeds. They also drench the palate with hot juice upon the initial bite.
其他高品质的包子铺也有很多，特别值得一提的是麟笼坊。这家店环境休闲，看似有些破败，但却有味道极好的小笼包(16元12个)。等餐期间，你还能亲眼看到小笼包的制作过程。但是上海包子里的至尊还要算是生煎包。它是馒头、锅贴和汤包相结合的产物(不要和上面提到的普通煎包混淆)。先在浅平底锅里用油煎，然后上屉蒸，最后撒上少许青葱和芝麻。咬第一口时，滚热的汤汁四溢而出。
You can get your fix at Da Hu Chun, a warm and homey storefront with shared tables and four pork-filled dumplings for 7 yuan. Of nearly as good quality are the ones at Yang’s Dumplings, a popular chain — get the sheng jian bao stuffed with shrimp (four for 18 yuan). The best I had, though, were during a two-hour morning food tour I purchased through Lost Plate, a food tour outfitter (300 yuan, includes food). Our guide, Nick, started us off at Xiahai Miao (Under the Sea), a Buddhist temple with an adjacent vegetarian restaurant (the Eight Treasure Noodles were quite good), then walked us through the former Jewish Ghetto, where 20,000 refugees lived during World War II.
还可以在大壶春满足你的胃。这是一家温暖朴实的店，店里餐桌共用，猪肉包四个七元。小杨生煎是一家备受欢迎的连锁品牌，它的生煎包里包的是虾，品质也差不多(四个18元)。不过，我吃到的最好吃的生煎包，是我在通过美食游供应商Lost Plate购买的晨间美食游(为期两小时，费用300元，包括用餐费)期间吃到的。导游尼克带领我们从佛寺下海庙动身，它旁边有一家素食餐厅，里面的八宝面很好吃。然后他带我们步行穿过从前的犹太人居住区。二战期间，那里生活着20000名难民。
Winding our way through the nongtang (old-fashioned alleyways) passing humble apartment blocks with European-style balconies, we ended up near the intersection of Dongyuhang and Anguo Roads, where I found the sheng jian bao of my dreams in a small storefront. They were fluffy on top, crunchy on the bottom and filled with savory, fatty juice. They were included in the price of the tour, but would have cost just 6 yuan for an order of four.
我们穿过弄堂(老式的巷子)，经过带欧式阳台的简陋公寓楼，最后来到东余杭路和安国路交汇的路口。我在这里的一家小店找到了梦寐以求的生煎包，上软下脆，汤汁肥厚。这家店的生煎包四个只要六元，但我吃的这一顿包含在了我购买的美食游价格内。
While I was beguiled by the food of Shanghai (as you might be able to tell), I was equally smitten with the numerous historical, artistic and musical options the city has to offer. After the tour ended, I went to the nearby Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum (20 yuan), which elucidates the history of Jewish refugees in Shanghai, highlighting in particular the lives of Jakob Rosenfeld, an Austrian doctor who fought with the People’s Liberation Army, and Ho Feng Shan, a diplomat sometimes called the Chinese Schindler for issuing visas against orders.
尽管上海的美食让我迷恋(也许你已经看出来了)，但这座城市众多同历史、艺术和音乐有关的去处同样让我倾倒。美食游结束后，我去了附近的上海犹太难民纪念馆(门票20元)。纪念馆介绍了犹太难民在上海的历史，尤其突出了雅各布·罗森菲尔德(Jakob Rosenfeld)与何凤山的生平。罗森菲尔德是一位奥地利医生，曾与中国人民解放军并肩作战。何凤山则是一名外交官，因为不顾命令向犹太人发放签证，他有时候被称作中国的辛德勒。
Elsewhere, the M50 Art Industry Park is a huge arts community set in a prewar textile manufacturing complex. Most of the dozens upon dozens of galleries are free to browse — including the Chenglin Art Gallery, home to the playful and colorful paintings of Chenglin Huang — though a handful charge admission. I also stopped in at the gallery of Bu Bai Liao, who happily showed me several of his rock ‘n’ roll-inspired portraits. Mr. Bu said he enjoyed M50, but added that communal gallery life has a downside: “I think artists need the freedom to communicate with other people.”
另一处坐落着M50艺术产业园，它是一个大型艺术社区，由二战前一个纺织厂建筑群改造而来。那里的几十个画廊大多是可以免费参观的，比如承林艺术中心，里面展示黄承林风趣多彩的绘画，不过也有少量画廊是收费的。我还去了布白寮(音)的画廊，他愉快地向我展示了他的几幅以摇滚乐为灵感来源的肖像画。他说自己很喜欢M50，但他也表示，社区画廊生活有一个缺点：“我认为艺术家需要有同其他人交流的自由。”
One of the most entertaining galleries is island6, home of the Shanghai-based art collective Liu Dao. It draws heavily from technology in its pieces, with plenty of video game references and an inevitable tongue-and-cheek critique of capitalism. A work called “Cheongsam Kingdom” featured a painting of a classic automobile superimposed over a looped video of a young woman in traditional dress behind the wheel, blowing LED smoke through a cigarette.
上海艺术团体“六岛”的工作室是最好玩的画廊之一。它的作品中含有大量科技元素，经常借用电子游戏，难免也有对资本主义的随意批判。有一个作品名为《旗袍王国》，一辆老爷车的绘画叠映在一段循环播放的视频之上，在视频中，一个身穿旗袍的年轻女子坐在方向盘后面，吸着电子香烟，吞云吐雾。
The M97 Gallery on Changping Road is smaller, more intimate and free — and is easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. I was interested by a macabre, slightly disturbing multimedia installation called “The Theater of Apparitions,” by Roger Ballen, as well as work that involved the beautiful layering of Chinese calligraphy and traditional darkroom techniques by Sun Yanchu.
昌平路的M97画廊规模更小，更私密，更自由——如果不留意的话，很容易错过。我感兴趣的作品包括罗杰·巴伦(Roger Ballen)设计的一个恐怖的、有点令人不安的多媒体装置，名为《幽灵剧场》(The Theater of Apparitions)，以及孙彦初的一个作品，把中国书法的美丽层次和传统的暗室技术结合起来。
Another worthwhile art destination — in the southeast corner of the city center and marginally harder to get to — is the state-run Power Station of Art, formerly the Nanshi Power Plant. Admission is free, but I paid an additional 50 yuan to see the special exhibition dedicated to the Italian design collective Superstudio(through March 11). The concept of a government-supervised contemporary art museum is intriguing, to say the least, and it’s interesting to see how Chinese artists navigate the boundaries of harsh censorship.
另一个值得一去的艺术景观是政府资助的上海当代艺术博物馆，它位于上海市中心的东南角，略微偏远，是由南市发电厂改造而来。门票是免费的，但我额外花了50元，观看意大利设计团体超级工作室(Superstudio)的特别展(截至3月11日)。政府监管的当代艺术博物馆这个概念至少很有趣。看看中国的艺术家们如何在严格的审查制度边缘游走也很有趣。
The music in Shanghai is as compelling as its art, and I saw a number of live music shows over the course of my stay. Jazz is one popular import, and I headed out one night to watch the smoking-hot Ulysses Owens Jr. Quartet at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai — yes, that Lincoln Center. The club was swank and intimate, and the music as good as any you’ll see in New York City. A highlight was the vocalist Alicia Olatuja joining for a sultry rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature.” Tickets (180 yuan) were reasonable, though the servers didn’t care much for the fact that I passed on ordering dinner and had only a Qingdao beer (55 yuan).
上海的音乐和它的艺术一样引人注目，我在逗留期间观看了很多现场音乐表演。爵士乐在中国是一种很流行的舶来品。一天晚上，我去林肯爵士乐上海中心观看了炙手可热的小尤利西斯·欧文四重奏乐团(Ulysses Owens Jr. Quartet)的表演——是的，这个俱乐部跟纽约的林肯中心有关系。它又时髦又亲切，音乐和你在纽约能听到的一样棒。一个亮点是歌手艾丽西娅·奥拉图贾(Alicia Olatuja)加入乐队，以分外撩人的方式演唱了迈克尔·杰克逊(Michael Jackson)的《人性》(Human Nature)。门票(180元)价格合理，不过侍者没怎么招待我，因为我没点正餐，只点了一瓶青岛啤酒(55元)。
On a different end of the spectrum was a Leonard Bernstein retrospective I attended at the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1879 as the Shanghai Public Band and billed as Asia’s oldest orchestra. The conductor, Zhang Jiemin, exhibited masterful control, and she led the orchestra through a program that included the overture to “Candide” (one of my favorites), as well as Bernstein’s “Jeremiah” symphony. The 80-yuan tickets were sold out when I went to the box office, so I took the next best at 180 yuan. (Upon arriving at the symphony hall, for what it’s worth, I noticed plenty of scalpers looking to unload tickets.)
另一方面，我观看了上海交响乐团带来的莱昂纳德·伯恩斯坦(Leonard Bernstein)的回顾演出。该乐团成立于1879年，原名上海公共乐队，被誉为亚洲最古老的管弦乐队。指挥张杰敏表现出高超的控制力，带领乐团演奏了一组曲目，其中包括《贛第德》(Candide)序曲(我最喜欢的乐曲之一)，以及伯恩斯坦的《耶利米交响曲》(Jeremiah)。我赶到售票处时，80元的票已经卖光了，所以我买了第二佳选择：180元的票(到达音乐厅时，我注意到很多黄牛在兜售演出票)。
On my last day, I indulged a touristic whim and headed to the observation deck at the top of the Shanghai Tower (180 yuan). There are a number of interesting things about the building itself — an innovative rain-collecting system reduces water consumption by 25 percent, for example — which helped make up for the hazy, less-than-stellar view at the top. At 2,073 feet tall, it’s the second-tallest building in the world, behind the Burj Khalifa.
在上海的最后一天，我听任自己突发奇想，去了上海中心大厦顶端的观景台(180元)。置身塔顶，只能看到一片模模糊糊、不甚迷人的景观，不过这栋建筑本身有许多有趣之处——比如说，创新的雨水收集系统可以减少该楼25%的用水量——这多少弥补了一点遗憾。这栋大厦高达2073英尺(约合632米)，是世界第二高建筑，仅次于哈里发塔(Burj Khalifa)。
As if sensing impending disappointment, our elevator operator proudly pointed out that the elevator we were riding, at 45 m.p.h., was in fact the fastest in the world. In Shanghai, the competitive fire always burns.
电梯操作员仿佛感觉到我们的失望情绪，于是骄傲地指出，我们乘坐的电梯时速高达每小时45英里(约合72公里)，是世界上最快的电梯。在上海，竞争之火永远在燃烧。
