I’m off to Shanghai in September with a friend in the furniture business. I’ll likely be doing a lot of shopping and site-seeing, but I was curious if anyone here is or knows of any uilleann pipers in Shanghai. A long-shot I’m certain, but in a seemingly shrinking world, it’s not beyond imagination.
My husband travels to Shanghai fairly often and he hasn’t found any pipers. He says there is a nice jazz band there, though, I think they play at the Hilton.
J.
A friend of mine has been to a session at O’Malley’s. Says the music was not great, but it might at least be a point of contact there.
Paul, When you’re walking around, especially in Pu Dong across the river keep your wits about you at all times. Shanghai has lots and lots of pickpockets and it’s super crowded there. I had a digital video camera boosted out of a closed case I was carrying last time I was there. Even though I noticed right away he disappeared very quickly into the huge crowd.
Thanks, Paul. I’ve heard that more than once. Apparently, it is a profession to take advantage of tourists for profit. They’re looking for people just like me to swindle or receive attention from prostitution. A friend told me that there was a student artshow simply contrived to promote introductions to prostitutes, and so on … Lucky for me I’m going with someone who’s been there several times. It’s definitely a “keep your wits about you” kind of place. My camera bag will be securely positioned around my neck and shoulders 
Are you sure you’re going of your own volition?
djm
yeah… the “I need to go to Shanghai for the art show” line used to work…
In Beijing, my sister had the side of her handbag cut open and her purse removed. She suspects it happened on a bus she took at about 10 in the morning but she didn’t realise until she tried to pay for lunch. Her reaction to the experience is stoic. She says “I enjoy working with professionals”!
I’m going for the noodles. I’ll make my art at home 
Leaving on Thursday. 
O’Malley’s is indeed, a good contact point.
Apart from that, Shanghai is a great city to visit - don’t be afraid of the dangers - they exist, of course, but in 20 years of visiting regularly, I’ve never had any problems in Shanghai.
Keep your cash in as many pockets as possible, not in a wallet. And if your have pockets with zips or velcro, that’s even better. (I’d recommend North Face combat pants: lots of zips & velcro, a hidden inside pocket, and they’re light enough to be comfortable in hot weather.)
Don’t carry more cash than you need for the day, and leave your passport in the hotel safe.
If you take a camera or a phone, take an old model: they’ll only steal the latest ones! (True - a friend of mine had his old phone stolen and then returned to him on the streets of Shenzhen last year!)
And above all - don’t be afraid of the food: Shanghai is one of the best places in the world to eat, and its food is unique. If you eat at 5-star hotels or western hamburger joints, you probably have more chance of getting sick than you will if you eat at popular restaurants at busy times.
Be careful about salads and ice-cubes, and choose quick-fried dishes rather than cold ones - but don’t miss the Drunken Chicken! It’s wonderful, and I guess all the alcohol it’s marinated in will just about sterilise it! And the Tang Bao - giant ravioli filled with crab soup! Soft-shelled crabs! Crispy beef with chillies! oh yes…
have a great time!
b
Thanks Brian - all good things to be aware of. I consider myself to be a reasonably savvy traveller, but then again I’ve never been east of Belgium - this is sure to be a new experience!
I am taking some serious photo kit with me, it’d kill me not to bring my gear. I’m also not sure how much cash to carry, and I hear some vendors will take VISA - what’s your take on that? I’d probably carry C$100 or ¥650.
I’d like to buy a few instruments while I’m over there; zheng, pipa, erhu, dizi, xiao or even DMQ’s favourite: sheng. After all, there are so many more instruments I could be playing barely adequately beyond the pipes 
There’s also this double reed nightmare.
Mmmmm… crispy beef with chillies…
I second this assessment. The food in Shanghai is amazing. I’d go back to Shanghai just for the food alone…Damn. Now I’m hungry AND full of wanderlust…
Shanghai is one of the most amazing, beautiful, ugly, freaky, wonderful cities I’ve ever been to. I hope you have an amazing trip, Paul.
The only drawback to the trip is that I won’t be sharing it with my wife - I’m sure I’ll have a fantastic trip regardless. The pleasure will be in discovery.
Pleasure brings me there, not necessity.
I would play down the “pleasure” bit when recounting the trip to your wife.
djm
Looks like I’ll be in Shanghai from Sept. 19th through Oct. 10th. I won’t be bringing my pipes which is too bad as I just got a cracking new set. I’ll be spending my time wandering around dangerous neighborhoods looking for dumplings and noodles. Mmmmm, dumplings.
hi
Y650 is a LOT of money to be carrying on a daily basis: you can eat well, with a few beers for well under Y100! I usually carry Y3-4OO, with a back-pocket stash of another couple of hundred.
Don’t assume Visa (or other credit cards) will be accepted everywhere - 5-star hotels and upmarket shopping malls will mostly take credit cards, but out on the streets, no.
Most music shops, if they’re state owned (and this goes for the Friendship Stores) don’t keep their musical instruments in playing condition, so be prepared for a fair bit of fettling if you buy there. Your hotel concierge should point you to specialist music stores - the cross-streets on Nanjing Rd would be a good bet (once upon a time, there was a whole street of music shops there , but I don’t know if that has survived…)
cheers
b