Why I Love Shanghai

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Shanghai

Shanghai’s Top 13

What’s New

Need to Know

Top Itineraries

If You Like…

Month by Month

With Kids

Like a Local

For Free

Eating

Drinking & Nightlife

Entertainment

Shopping

Explore Shanghai

Neighbourhoods at a Glance

The Bund & People’s Square

Old Town

French Concession

Jing’an

Pudong

Hongkou & North Shanghai

Xujiahui & South Shanghai

West Shanghai

Day Trips from Shanghai

Sleeping

Understand Shanghai

Shanghai Today

History

Arts

Architecture in Shanghai

Survival Guide

Transport

Directory A–Z

Language

Welcome to Shanghai

The engine of China’s future, Shanghai dazzles, beckoning millions with promises of reinvention and glamour.

Architecture

Pudong wasn’t built in a day, but it sure didn’t take much longer than that. And while Shanghai may be renowned for its record-setting skyscrapers – there was nothing but farmland on the other side of the river in the early 1990s – it’s the sheer diversity of building styles that makes the city unique. By no means should you skip out on a night in one of the world’s highest hotels, but don’t forget to do some exploration at ground level too: from Jesuit cathedrals, Jewish synagogues and Buddhist temples to streamlined art-deco apartment blocks and the home-grown longtang laneway housing, Shanghai’s architectural heritage is like nowhere else.

Cuisine

Shanghai is most alive at the end of the day, when workers pour out of the offices, the neon lights flicker on and the restaurants begin to fill up. As in the rest of China, food is at the centre of social life. It’s over a meal that people catch up with friends, celebrate and clinch business deals, and – newsflash – Shanghai has the most exciting culinary scene in the Middle Kingdom. So whatever it is you’re hungry for, make sure you do as the Shanghainese do and dig in with those chopsticks.

Shopping

As modern China’s ground zero, the city exudes a style that’s unlike anywhere else in the country. Often portrayed as a blend of East and West, Shanghai, with its voracious appetite for new styles and trends, is above all cosmopolitan and cutting edge. Pop-up boutiques, bustling markets and new brands created by the aspiring young designers flocking to the city – these are only some of the pleasures of shopping in China’s fashion capital. There’s no doubt you could create an entire itinerary devoted solely to the art of retail therapy: the question is, what are you waiting for?

Entertainment & the Arts

Beijing often takes all the credit as China’s cultural nexus, but for what is essentially a town of wheelers and dealers, Shanghai is surprisingly creative. Many art galleries are first-rate, offering a window into the contemporary Chinese art scene, while nightlife offerings have expanded exponentially in the past decade. Massage is always a favourite with visitors, as is the inevitable acrobatics show. Even Shanghai’s music and club scene has made great strides: from unpretentious jazz and indie venues to all-night hip-hop and electro dance parties, the city swings with the best of them.

DANITA DELIMONT / GETTY IMAGES ©

Why I Love Shanghai

By Christopher Pitts, Author

My favourite thing to do in Shanghai is to roll out of bed, grab my notebook and maps and head straight for the nearest hand-pulled noodle stall. Like all megacities, Shanghai can be overwhelming at times, but it’s while watching the crowds hurry by as I plan my day that I feel most connected to the place and the people in it. It’s that rare moment of early morning tranquillity, when the day feels ripe with promise, and you think: anything could happen today. And then I finish my noodles, scribble a few more notes, take one last look at the map and dive in.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14