DISCOVER SHANGHAI

Shanghai, with a population of more than 18 million (and over 5.8 million migrants), is one of the most populous and most developed cities in the People's Republic of China. Shanghai was the largest and most prosperous city in the Far East during the 1930s, and remained the most developed city in Communist China. In the 1990s Shanghai again became an attractive spot for tourists worldwide.

Shanghai is a fascinating mix of East and West. It has historic shikumen houses that blended the styles of Chinese houses with European design flair, and it has one of the richest collections of art deco buildings in the world. Because there were so many Concessions (designated districts) to Western powers during the turn of the 20th century, at times the city has the feel of Paris or Montreal, while Tudor style buildings give a German flair, and the 1930s buildings put you in New York or Chicago.

In the beginning of the 1990s, the Shanghai government launched a series of new strategies to attract foreign investments. The biggest move was to open up Pudong, once a rural area of Shanghai. The strategies succeeded, and now Pudong has become the financial district of Shanghai, with numerous skyscrapers.

Today Shanghai's goal is to develop into a world-class financial and economic center of China, and even Asia.

In achieving this goal Shanghai faces competition from Hong Kong, which has the advantage of a stronger legal system and greater banking and service expertise. Shanghai has stronger links to the Chinese interior and to the central government in addition to a stronger manufacturing and technology base. Since the handover of Hong Kong to the PRC, Shanghai has increased its role in finance, banking, and as a major destination for corporate headquarters, fueling demand for a highly educated and westernized workforce.

Due to rapid industrial and economic development, as well as lax governmental environment policies, Shanghai has recently been ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the world. Individuals with asthma or respiratory issues should be prepared when visiting the city.

Shanghai is one of China's main travel hubs and getting in from pretty much anywhere is easy.

DISTRICTS OF SHANGHAI

Shanghai is split in two by the Huangpu River, with the older town on the west bank known as Puxi and the brash new development on the east side being Pudong.

Areas within Puxi include:

The Bund - the colonial riverside of old (and reborn) Shanghai, including the Yuyuan Gardens
French Concession - the leafy district once known as the Paris of the East, including the refurbished shikumen houses of Xintiandi
Xujiahui - Southwest part of Shanghai
Gubei - Close to the Hongqiao airport, a Carrefour, and with a large expat population
Nanjing Road - One of China's most famous shopping streets, it passes Jing'an, leading to People's Park and The Bund.
Hongkou - home of Fudan and Tongji university, plus a park and museum for famed writer Lu Xun.
Yangpu - contains the excellent and spacious gongqing forest park

and across the river:

Jing'An Temple - commercial area on Nanjing Rd.
Pudong - the skyscraper-laden new financial and commercial district on the east bank of the river

Outlying districts include Jiadìng, Qingpu, Jinshan, Nanhui, Songjiang, and Baoshan.

POPULAR THINGS TO SEE IN SHANGHAI

Where in Shanghai to go depends largely on your time period of interest.

For a feel of the China of yesteryear, check out Yuyuan Gardens, which is loaded with classical Chinese architecture. Although Chinese in design, nearly every building in the area has been built within the last 10 years. Despite the Chinese flavor, it is a bit of a tourist trap.
For 1920s Shanghai, head for the stately old buildings of the Bund. Or pay a visit to The French Concession, in Xuhui District, generally bound by Shan Xi Road to the East, Jian Guo Road to the South, Hua Shan Road to the West and Chang Le Road to the North. Some of the best sections are along Hu Nan Road, Fu Xing Road, Shao Xing Road and Heng Shan Road.
For 21st-century Shanghai, cross the river to gawk at the skyscrapers of Pudong. The area surrounding People's Square is also great for skyscrapers, as well as Nanjing West Road.
To find some peace, you should visit the Longhua Temple. It takes a while to get there but it's not as busy as the Jade Buddha Temple and the experience is fulfilling. You can also have a nice vegetarian Buddhist meal in both Temples.
Visit the Moganshan Road area for an insider's look into the hot contemporary Chinese art scene.

POPULAR THINGS TO DO IN SHANGHAI

Walk Along the Fuxing Rd to see the old buildings and enjoy the neatness of the road
Take an elevator to the top of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the tallest TV tower in Asia with the height of 468 meters, and on a good day the sprawling views are spectacular!
Enter Shanghai Xintiandi, Lane 181, Taicang Road. A small pedestrianised area of the city featuring rebuilt traditional shikumen [stone gate] houses. Housing a cinema complex,mall, numerous bars, cafes and art galleries marketed towards foreign visitors and the more affluent locals. Close to where the communist party headquarters were located.
Visit Shangnghai International Convention Center Shanghai International Convention Center was opened for business in August 1999. The '99 Fortune Global Forum was held here. It is located in the southwest of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in Pudong. It covers an area of 45,000 square meters with a landscaped square of 30,000 square meters. There are several impressive halls, There are 259 guest rooms, including presidential suites, executive suites, standard rooms, Chinese and Western restaurants, a coffee room, a nightclub, a show room, a gym, a swimming pool, a bowling room, a billiard room, a sauna bath and a shopping arcade,
See the giant panda and many more exotic animals at the Shanghai Zoo. Located nearby Hongqiao airport, this is a spacious and modern zoo that's for the most part a far cry from the concrete animal prison in Beijing. Please follow the signs (even if the locals do not) and do not feed or tease the animals.
Walk along Nanjing Dong Lu in the evening. Start at People Square and enjoy the bright neons and lights of this pedestrian road. For a longer walk, continue your way to the Bund and enjoy the bright lights of Pudong. Be careful of pick-pockets and and people that come up to you for a chat. Usually, they have something to sell or a service to offer that is not in your best interest.

FOOD AND DRINK IN SHANGHAI

Shanghainese cuisine is one of the lesser-known types of Chinese food, generally characterized as sweet and oily. The name "Shanghai" means "above the sea", so unsurprisingly seafood predominates, the usual style of preparation being steaming. Some Shanghainese dishes to look out for:

xiao long baozi (lit. buns from the little steaming cage, or little dragon buns), probably the most famous Shanghai dish: small steamed dumplings full of tasty (and boiling hot!) broth and a dab of meat. The connoisseur bites a little hole into them first, sips the broth, then dips them in rice vinegar to season the meat inside.
dazha xie (hairy crabs), best eaten in the winter months (Oct-Dec) and paired with Shaoxing wine to balance out your yin and yang
xiefen shizitou (lit. crab powder lion heads), actually pork meatballs containing crab meat
zui ji (lit. drunken chicken), chicken steamed then marinated in rice wine, usually served cold
you tiao (lit. oil stick) , are a long, deep-fried donut one kind of breakfast that is very popular in Shanghai. typically consumed in the morning with soy milk

For cheap Chinese eats, head for the alley known as Wujiang Road. For fancier food in nicer surroundings, try the upmarket restaurants of Xintiandi.

Tap water is not drinkable, but generally OK if boiled, though you may not like the taste. Tap water is also said to contain a high amount of heavy metals. Bottled water (and beer) are widely available. When buying bottled water you will easily find a wide range of varieties.

The prices of drinks in cafes and bars in Shanghai vary wildly depending on the location and target customers.

Tsingtao Beer and Snow Beer are widely available, and both are considered to be China's best all-around options. Brands like Budweiser, Heineken, and Carlsberg are brewed either locally or somewhere else in China and are also relatively inexpensive. There is also a local brew known as REEB (beer spelled backwards).

Shanghai is filled with amazing nightlife, complete with both affordable bars and nightclubs that are jam-packed with beautiful people

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SHANGHAI TOURS & TRAVEL

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A vast, spectacular, beautiful country of contrasts in landscape, climate and culture, where peaceful rice fields and monastery villages exist alongside buzzing ultramodern mega-cities.