Neighbourhoods at a Glance

The Bund & People’s Square (Click here)

Shanghai’s most famous landmark is the Bund, the magnificent stretch of colonial-era buildings that lines the western bank of the Huangpu River. It’s the first stop for visitors, and the historic architecture here is home to an array of exclusive restaurants, bars, shops and hotels.

Running perpendicular from the waterfront is East Nanjing Rd – a maelstrom of shoppers, department stores and neon lights – which eventually gives way to the city’s heart, People’s Square. The de facto centre of town, this large open space is studded with museums and ringed by skyscrapers.

Old Town (Click here)

The original city core and the only part of Shanghai to predate the 1850s, the Old Town is a favourite with visitors hoping to get a glimpse of ‘traditional’ China. Many of the older buildings have been replaced with modern apartment blocks, but there are still more temples here than in the rest of the city combined, and pockets of atmosphere remain.

French Concession (Click here)

The most stylish part of town, the former French Concession is where the bulk of Shanghai’s disposable income is spent. The low-rise leafy backstreets are all about shopping, dining and entertainment, but a scattering of museums make the former concession – now an amalgam of several distinct neighbourhoods – a cultural destination as well.

Jing’an (Click here)

North of the French Concession extends the vibrant commercial district of Jing’an, an expat-friendly domain focused on the bustling West Nanjing Rd, with an abundance of period architecture, malls, top-end hotels and appealing longtang (laneway) architecture. Further away is the grittier railway station area, where the city’s most famous Buddhist temple and art enclave are located.

Pudong (Click here)

Needing little introduction, Pudong is new Shanghai, sprawling east from the Huangpu River’s opposite bank. A dazzling panorama of high-altitude five-star hotels, banks, Maglev trains, giant TV screens and, less glamorously, faceless residential towers, it’s all set to the constant roar of traffic and construction work.

Hongkou & North Shanghai (Click here)

Hongkou extends north from Suzhou Creek and the Bund, and is a less polished realm of old lanes and working-class textures. The former American- and later Japanese- controlled concession, Hongkou is slowly building up speed as a redevelopment area – the biggest project to open here recently was the International Cruise Terminal.

Xujiahui & South Shanghai (Click here)

An extension of the French Concession, Xujiahui’s Jesuit history and the prestigious Jiaotong University contrast spectacularly with the huge shopping centres that now surround its main intersection.

West Shanghai (Click here)

You don’t get a sense for just how vast the city is until you start to head west, where the residential and office towers, conference centres and busy highways of Shanghai’s suburban districts stretch into the horizon. The focal point here is Hongqiao’s airport and railway station, though the old canal town of Qibao is worth a visit.

The Bund & People’s Square

The Bund | People’s Square

For more detail of this area, see Offline map

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14