# Anyone lived in Shanghai for a long time ?



## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

Talking with an ex-colleague we harkened back to the days of China in the early 90's and the fun time we had flying in and out of the Shanghai airport when it was a military airport and the place really was undeveloped.

We spent two happy weeks in Shanghai in '93 and wondered what happened to the hotel and exhibition hall we worked in.

From what we could remember we were at an exhibition which was in what we were told was the old Russian embassy. It certainly seemed to fit as the building has a lot of Sickles and Star carvings on the outside. The exhibition was contained in a large ballroom, which has rows of large lightbulbs arranged in rows along the curved ceiling so it was like bring in a hemispherical pipe and being grilled lightly all day. I also recall that the suits I wore were trashed at the end as there was no aircon, it was June and the cleaning at the hotel was a bit rough to say the least.

We stayed at hotel which we think was called the Portman Shangri-La and it was right across a small road from the exhibition hall. We can remember it had a bar in a sort of concrete canopy over the entrance with outdoor escalators to get there. There was a restaurant called Shanghai Jacks on the outside.

We also seem to recall that the swimming pool was on a high floor in the hotel and had a glass wall so you could swim from the inside to the outside and bathe in the smog and pollution.

So, is my memory faulty or does this make sense to anyone living in Shanghai years ago ?

An do either of the building stills exist ?


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## cschrd2 (Oct 31, 2011)

Think your thinking about the Russian gift to china on Nanjing rd. across the road there is indeed a Portman hotel in the Shanghai centre. The building is still in use as exhibition center.
http://www.meet-in-shanghai.net/venues_exhibition_center.php


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## nssan (Jan 8, 2015)

since I am new, I can't post links but if you go to Shanghaiist site, there are some pictures of Shanghai from 1985 that might jog up your memories.


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