Shanghai is busy reclaiming its position as China's most cosmopolitan and exciting city. The dour ideological past has been thrown aside, and the city is getting back to what it does best - making money, having fun and looking good while doing so. Tourism in Shanghai is increasing, particularly in the run up to the World Expo in 2010, and Shanghai is making the most of what it has to offer. The following is a fairly arbitrary list of things a visitor should check out.
Visit the Shanghai Museum
The Shanghai Museum is widely considered to be the best museum in China. Home to a collection of some 120,000 objects dating from the Neolithic period to modern times, it gives a fascinating, if overwhelming, insight into the breadth of Chinese culture.
The museum is located on Renmin Avenue, in Shanghai’s People’s Square. Open from 9am to 5pm, entrance is free.
See Shanghai From Above
There are a number of ways to get a bird’s eye view of Shanghai. Most of them can be found in Pudong, in the forest of skyscrapers that has sprouted up on the east side of the Huangpu River. Here, the elegant shape of the Jinmao Tower stands out. Inspired by that most Chinese of architectural shapes, the pagoda, the silvery building’s 88th floor is home to the biggest observation deck in China. For the appropriate sum of 88 yuan, two high-speed elevators take visitors from the basement to the 88th floor in a mere 45 seconds.
The sleek, and even taller, form of the World Financial Center stands next door to the Jinmao Tower. For an expensive but stunning view of both the city and the Jinmao, the Hyatt on the Park hotel cocktail bar on the 91st floor is the place to be.
The Jinmao Tower and World Financial Center are on Century Avenue, near the Lujiazui subway station.
Have Tea at the Yuyuan Gardens
Probably the most popular, and crowded, site in Shanghai, the Yuyuan Gardens are a reminder of the old Shanghai. The landscaped traditional Chinese gardens date back to the Ming Dynasty, and their ingenious design makes them seem much larger than they are. The zigzag causeway leading to the Pavilion Teahouse, probably the most famous teahouse in China, by the entrance to the gardens is supposed to thwart evil spirits, who can only travel in straight lines.
The Gardens are open from 8.30am.
Spend a Night on the Town in Shanghai
Finding something to do at night in Shanghai is not difficult. Clubs and bars abound, particularly in the French Concession, which once more reverberates to the sounds of jazz, much as it did during its naughty 1920s heyday. The Bund, the promenade lining the west bank of the Huangpu River, is also a promising place at night, for those with deeper pockets.
Some places have been around for a while – the JZ Club, the House of Jazz and Blues, Brown Sugar – but if anything is certain in Shanghai it’s that venues come and go regularly. To get an up-to-date picture of what’s on in the city, get a copy of listings magazine that’s shanghai, available at hotels and restaurants.
Visit the Fabric Market
Prepare to be overwhelmed when visiting the Fabric Market. Spread over three floors, the place is a veritable Aladdin’s Cave of fabrics and designs. The best approach is to wander back and forth at leisure, bargain hard, and be measured. Suits, little black dresses, blouses and skirts – they can all be made to measure and ready to collect within a week.
The Fabric Market is on the corner of Lajiabang Road and Nancang Street, near Nanpu Bridge metro station, and is open seven days a week.
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