The city of Adventurers, the largest city of China mainland, or the city where Communist Party of China was established. Shanghai is the city of extreme contrasts that not only reflect in its architecture or landscape, but is on display in its social and cultural milieu.
The city is located in the North – East China on the mouth of Huangpu River. Years of close relationship with the best of western and eastern world in 19th and early years of 20th century blessed the city with some outstanding structures. Fourty years of communist rule in the second half phase of last century saw a lot new addition to the city landscape. Today, the city is getting back to its earlier glory as a major trading centre that excelled in every sphere of life. Old structures have been restored, roads have been broaden, and tourist facilities have been made world class. Undoubtedly, a visit to Shanghai is a must if you want to take home a slice of great Chinese culture and way of life.
What to do
Shanghai easily has the most exciting nightlife in China with a large number of pubs, nightclubs, bars, and exhibition centres. The city had a long relationship with the west interrupted by the long years of great Cultural Revolution in latter part of 20th century. If you are a first timer in Shanghai, start your journey in the city with sightseeing, go for the Huangpu River Trip in the evening, and enjoy Chinese food varieties in the numerous restaurants in the late evenings. Same schedule can be followed other days also though give adequate representation to shopping on those days. Remember that it is difficult to explore the entire city in one or two day.
City at a Glance
Latitude 31º12′N
Longitude 121º26′E
Population 14,640,000
Language Mandarin Chinese
Religion Buddhism, Islam
Telephone Code 021
History
Unlike, most other Chinese cities, Shanghai does not boasts of a long history. It was a small fishing settlement by the 16th century, which became a small seaport because of its booming cotton industry. Until mid-19th century, Shanghai remained as a seaport, when British forcibly occupied the city along with four other coastal cities for trade. Extensive funding, cheap labour, and unrestricted overseas trade, made Shanghai the hub of Chinese industrial revolution before the advent of communists. It was a special region in China where no territorial law of the country was applicable and this made it “Wickedest City in the World”. High rise buildings, big factories, hordes of adventurers, and druggists were the common feature. This honeymoon saw its abrupt ending in 1942-45, when Japan occupied Shanghai. With the rise of communists to the power in 1949, Shanghai saw exodus of most of the foreign companies. The city is seeing another industrial revolution happening after 40 years of stagnation and reclaiming its glory under the sun.
Weather and Best Season to Visit
Winters are cold here and the temperature can often go below zero. In total contrast to winter is Summer when temperature often go up beyond 40ºC and day’s are characterised by high humidity. The best time to visit this region is Autumn when climate remains dry and weather pleasant making it easy to move around.
Attractions
The Bund
Bund can be considered as the nerve-centre of the city of Shanghai and a must visit for every tourist travelling to Shanghai. Located on the eastern side of the city along river Huangpu, Bund is home to increasing numbers of banks, clubs, restaurants, and a number of western structures dating back to the first few decades of the 20th century.
Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank
Opened in 1925, the bank building is situated a little way south of Bund. Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank was considered as the largest bank in the Far-East at the time of the opening of this grand branch. A unique set of murals have been discovered during the renovation work that was done in not so distant past.
The Shanghai Museum
Shanghai Museum is a new addition amongst the tourist attractions in the city. With 120,000 relics displayed in pleasant environment, the museum is a wonderful change from other earlier apathy shown by the administration towards earlier endeavours. The building is designed on a Han-dynasty bronze ding or three-legged food bowl. The museum is standing in People’s Square (Tiananmen of Shanghai) that covers the site of the old racecourse along with People’s Park on the north.
The Old City
The old city was build around a defensive wall built in 1553 at the fag end of the Ming Dynasty. The wall was pulled down in 1911 after the fall of Qing Dynasty and the moat filled in soon after. Most of the old city is now filled with new traditional – style buildings, shops, and stalls. Yu Garden is a magnificent structure built in Ming style and covers an area of 12 acres. Huxingting Teahouse was once a part of Yu Gardens and was built in 18th century.
Nanjing Road
This is one of the best place to shop in Shanghai where old traditional shops and stalls vie for space with modern western chains. Though, the market lost some of its charm during the long years of strict communist rule, now it is making a good comeback with hordes of tourists thronging the streets all the time.
Important Festivals and Exhibitions
The most important festival in the city is Chinese New Year celebrated in February/March. This is the time when most of the hotels in Shanghai are packed to the full capacity. Other important festivals and events include Shanghai International Tea Culture Festival in April, Shanghai Marathon Cup in March, Shanghai Tourism Festival in March, Shanghai Beer Festival in July, and Shanghai Music Festival in May. Regular exhibitions are hosted in the famed Shanghai Museum making it a hot spot among the lovers of art and culture.
SHOPPING
Shanghai for long has remained a shopper’s paradise not only among the local, but also to the visitors coming from other countries. You should remembered that exporting antiques more than 150 years old is a criminal offence. Go to Dongtai Lu Antiques Market to bargain fon electronic goods, beautiful opium cases, and hatboxes. Fuyou Road Market is four-storey antique treasure house selling its items on highly flexible prices.
WHERE TO STAY
Shanghai is home to some of the better known names in international hotel fraternity like Hyatt ( Grand Hyatt Shanghai), Inter-Continental (Hotels Inter-Continental Pudong, Shanghai), Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Hilton, and Park. Despite all this, don’t expect the services to be of the highest class because of certain language barriers or some other cultural differences. Cheap accommodation options like hostels and backpackers accommodation are also available.
WHERE TO EAT
Fresh water hair crabs is popular dish among the locals from October to December. There are restaurants in the city that specialises in preparing all eight specialities from China, i.e. Beijing, Guangdong, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Anhui and Fujian. Dish ranges are vast and mind boggling varieties are on offer. In short, dining is a treat in a city that can be truly described as the home to the best cuisine on earth.
Travel Information
Air Travel resources
Pundong International Airport is the latest addition to Shanghai Air transport scene. The airport which is catering to some selected flights will soon be handling all international flights. Hongquio Airport is situated in the west of Shanghai and handles bulk of busy traffic. It takes around 45 minutes to reach Pundong International Airport while you can invest around 25 minutes to reach Hongquio. There are number of flights operating out of the city and connecting it to major destinations in China as well as Europe, North America, and South East Asia.
By Land and water
Shanghai is the transport hub of China connected to many parts of the country by direct trains and bus service. Boats and ships are the fastest and cheapest way of getting out of Shanghai. Regular boats and ships are available for travelling to Korea and Japan.
Local Transport
The city has around 47 km of elevated inner ring road that makes it easier to reach one part of the city from another. Taxis give you the best service in the city to move around, though it is always better for you to check whether the driver is smart enough to take you to your destination or not. Metro railway is a new addition to city transport system and helps in commuting from one place to other. The system is currently not opened fully
