If you watched The Mummy: Curse of the Dragon Emperor, Empire of the Sun, and Mission: Impossible III, then you are familiar with the neon-lit streets of Shanghai. The city of Shanghai has long been a melting pot of European influences amidst the middle kingdom, a place of two cultures trade in material and ideas. Turned into a free port after the Opium War, Shanghai became an international settlement and has figured significantly in world events. Today, modern Shanghai is at the forefront of China’s economic growth, with buildings, highways, and bridges being built in anticipation of the boom in the coming decades. East and West, historical and modern, traditional and cutting-edge; all converge in this spectacular city.

Here are some attractions that give a glimpse of insight inside Shanghai.

The Bund - Shanghai’s famous waterfront offers a view of its colonial structures as well as its modern skycrapers. Banks, trading houses, consulates, and other heritage buildings, built by different European countries over a century ago line this four-kilometer stretch along the banks the Huangpu River. The Bund gets crowded during the day so its best to visit the 1-mile long stretch during the early morning or at night when the neon signs light up.

Nanjing Road - the world’ longest commercial street at 6 kilometers and certainly one of the world’s busiest. Both sides of this road is brimming with boutiques, restaurants, malls, bars, and entertainment centers. The focal point of the street is the centuries-old Central Market, where buyers can find all kinds of items for sale. During the Chinese New Year and other holidays, Nanjing Road becomes the venue for the city’s celebations.

Oriental Pearl Tower - located at the tip of Lujiazui along Huangpu River (opposite the Bund), this popular tourist attraction is supposed to be inspired by an ancient Chinese  poem about water droplets in the river. Visitors can pay a fee to visit the two enormous spheres, which contain a restaurant and observation platforms. The pavilion at the base of the tower contains the Shanghai History Museum, which recreates the streets, buildings, and people of old Shanghai in exquisite detail.

Jade Buddha Temple - one of the most visited temples in the city. The two-meter white jade Buddha statues housed here, each cut from a single slab of Burmese jade and encrusted with jewels, attract 20,000 visitors every year. The temple attracts the most number of visitors during the Spring Festival. Other attractions in the temple are the paintings, sculptures, and other Buddhist relics from the past.

Jinmao Tower - the fourth-tallest building in the world and second-tallest building in China. A popular office building, Jin Mao Tower  reserves its 88th floor for an observatory where people can see most of Shanghai. Its business hours are between 830am to 9pm. Try enjoying a drink in a restaurant and bar called Cloud 9, which is situated at the top floor and proudly proclaims itself the highest bar in the world.

Yu Yuan Garden - this 16th century complex is the largest of Shanghai’s gardens and has 30 pavilions spread over 5 acres and divided into six sections. The best known section is The Grand Rockery, where over 2,000 tons of rare yellow (huangshi) rock have been joined together by rice glue to form wondrous sculptures of caves, cliffs, and gorges.

Shanghai World Financial Center – shaped like a bottle cap opener, the tallest multi-purpose building in China (at 492 meters) contain offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and shopping malls. The observation decks alone have three levels at the 94th, 97th, and 100th floors of the building.

Huangpu River Cruises - there are many types of cruises to choose from, and all of them bask under the stately skyscrapers of the city. Select from a short 30 minute stint to a comprehensive 4-hour journey; you can even sign up for evening cruises, complete with dinner and romantic lights.

The best time to visit Shanghai is in mid-September during the Shanghai Travel Festival. A boat show, beer festival, carnivals, and a dozen other international events are organized to bring out the true cosmopolitan nature of the city. On the other hand, try avoiding the winter and summer seasons due to the unpleasant weather. as well as national holidays such as the Spring Festival when the streets get overcrowded. And don’t mind the spitting which takes place all over the streets; that’s just some of rural China spilling over this international destination.

Posted in Attractions, China

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 30th, 2008 at 4:37 pm and is filed under Attractions, China. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.