Thursday May 19 saw eight Guytais take a road trip to Sheshan, a small hill one hour west of downtown Shanghai. For those of you who don’t know it, it’s about the only hill anywhere close to the Shanghai delta. The hill is visible for miles around and it's notable for a cathedral and an observatory on the top. The hill itself is covered in trees and is a well known Shanghai beauty spot which attracts thousands of visitors on weekends. The cathedral was designed by Portugese missionaries and was built between 1939 and 1958. It was gutted during the Cultural Revolution and the stained glass windows were destroyed, but it was restored later on and today it’s an imposing structure and it’s the largest Christian church in Asia. The observatory was built back in the 1920’s with involvement from the French. Today it’s a museum.

The eight Guytais set off in two cars from Shanghai at 9am and arrived in Sheshan around 10am. We walked up the hill to the cathedral and observatory. The weather was kind – hot but with a good breeze. There was a Chinese church service at the cathedral with around 150 people – an unexpected and atmospheric event with hymns and choirs accompanying our stroll around the top of the hill. Then it was back down the hill with a visit along the way to a statue of the Virgin Mary with candles and incense and people praying. All in all an uplifting day with exercise along the way. Then it was time for beer and lunch at a five star hotel close to the hill – a resort style hotel with pool, sandy beach and loungers. We Guytais have a tough life! Then it was back to Shanghai. A great Guytai day out!