Shanghai Travel Guide

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City Introduction

Shanghai has great historical appeal and is a lively and interesting Chinese metropolis. Shanghai is one of China’s financial locomotives, and it has so many sights and modern landmarks, which is a showcase for the entire world of Chinese progress and prosperity in the global economy.

Enjoy the view of all the high-rise buildings and exciting works of modern architects, not least along the city’s port, where the district of Pudong rises impressively towards the old center. Skyscrapers stand beautifully next to each other, and from several of them you can enjoy a magnificent panoramic view of Shanghai.

Shanghai is not only made of modern glass and steel, on the contrary, it has buildings and cultural influence from both ancient China and from the colonial powers that have traded there. Some of Asia’s best-known European-style buildings at The Bund provide a fine perspective on the city’s history.

You will also find Chinese temples that complete the impression of new and old from different cultures being close together. And if you fly to Shanghai Airport you can take a Maglev train ride to the city center at up to 431 kilometers per hour/267 miles per hour. That is unforgettable as well.

Top Attractions

The Bund, Shanghai

  • The Bund/外灘: The Bund Street is unique throughout Southeast Asia due to the more than 50 European-style buildings built here in the early 1900s. See i.a. Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank, Custom House and Peace Hotel when you stoll the popular promenade.
  • Shanghai Maglev/线 磁浮 示范 运营 线: Between Shanghai and the city’s airport you can try a Maglev train on a magnetic track, which on the stretch achieves a top speed of 431 kmh/267 mph. The 30 kilometers/18 miles are completed in just 7 minutes.

Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai

  • Yùyuán/豫园: This is a beautiful old garden that was laid out in the 16th century during the Ming Dynasty. The garden offers classic facilities such as artificial hills, cliffs, carp ponds, dragon paintings, zigzag bridges and pavilions.
  • Jing’an Temple/静安 寺: This is a temple in southern Chinese style with China’s largest jade statue of Buddha. The present buildings were erected during the Qing Dynasty and they are beautifully maintained and offering a lovely ambiance to visitors.

Shanghai Tower

  • Shanghai Tower/大厦 中心 大厦: When you look at Pudong’s skyline from eg The Bund, skyscrapers stand next to each other on the entire horizon, and among them you will find Shanghai Tower. The building is 632 meters/2,073 feet high with a viewing deck 550 feet/1,800 feet up.
  • Shanghai Zoo/上海 动物园: Shanghai Zoo is one of the best places in the world to see pandas native to China. A visit here is therefore like seeing the pandas at home, and of course there are many other animals as well.

Other Attractions

City God Temple, Shanghai

  • City God Temple/城隍庙: Located in Shanghai’s Old Quarter, this temple is a beautiful classical Chinese-style temple complex. The Temple of the City God dates back to the beginning of the 15th century and is therefore a contrast to the surrounding modern city.
  • Nanshi/南市: Shanghai consisted for a long time of an English, a French, an American and a Chinese district. Nanshi was the Chinese, where narrow streets and a nice atmosphere from the city of yesteryear can still be experienced.

Peace Hotel, Shanghai

  • Peace Hotel/和平 饭店: Peace Hotel was built by Victor Sassoon 1926-1929 as Shanghai’s most glamorous hotel named Cathay Hotel. It was also the city’s tallest house until 1934, and the hotel is known for jazz music, atmosphere and a lovely roof terrace.
  • The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel/外灘 觀光 隧道: This is a tunnel under the Huangpu River from The Bund to the Pudong District. Modern technology provides a wonderful sound and light experience on the short ride that takes place in driverless carriages.
  • Harbor cruise/旅 海港 之 旅: At The Bund, next to Jinling Lu Street, you can board a boat trip on the Huangpu River and the smaller Wusong north of The Bund. The trip offers an excellent view of the impressive city from the water level seeing The Bund, Pudong and more.

Pudong, Shanghai

  • Pudong/浦东 新区: Pudong is a district known as the modern high-rise neighborhood, located on the eastern bank of the Huangpu River. The district impresses with its tall buildings and the fact that almost everything was built after 1990.
  • Oriental Pearl Tower/塔 明珠 塔: Oriental Pearl Tower is Shanghai’s iconic television tower and is located as one of the city’s landmarks in the Pudong district. The tower was built 1991-1995 and was China’s tallest building until 2007.
  • Shanghai World Financial Center/中心 环球 金融 中心: This skyscraper at 492 meters/1,614 feet in height opened in 2008 as the world’s tallest. The building is one of Pudong’s modern landmarks, and there is an observation deck almost at the top.

Nanjing Lu, Shanghai

  • Nanjing Lu/南京 路: Nanjing Lu is Shanghai’s main street. It is a vibrant street with great opportunities for shopping and to indulge the big city atmosphere. The street is located on both sides of the People’s Park, and the stretch to the east is the most exciting.
  • Shanghai Museum/上海 博物館: This is a distinguished museum with large collections of jade, paintings, bronze, etc. The many exhibited objects give a good impression of Chinese cultural history in the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties in particular.

Day Trips

Hangzhou, China

  • Hángzhōu/杭州: The city of Hangzhou is one of China’s seven ancient capitals. It was founded more than 2,000 years ago during the Qin Dynasty, and there are many things to see here. This is where you can see the famous West Lake and the Six Harmonies Pagoda.
  • Zhōuzhuāng/周庄: The relatively small town, Zhouzhuang, is much visited for its many lakes and canals as well as the preserved historic residential houses and neighborhoods that can be seen by the canals through the city center. You can experience the atmosphere on a nice boat trip.

Nanjing, China

  • Nánjīng/南京: Nanjing is the ancient southern capital that housed President Chiang Kai-shek until 1949. It is a city of temples and sights such as the Presidential Palace, a historical museum, and the mausoleum of the first Ming emperor.
  • Sūzhōu/苏州: Suzhou is one of the area’s interesting cities. Its history dates back over 2,500 years, and here you can visit temples, gardens, city gates and much more. The city’s famous gardens were laid out during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Shopping

  • Adolescent Shopping Center, Nanjing Dong Lu 328
  • Baisheng Shopping Center, Huaihai Zhonglu 918
  • Huijin Department Store, Zhaojiabang Lu 1000
  • New Shanghai Shopping City, Pudong
  • Shanghai Silk Market, Tianping Lu 139
  • Spring Department Store, Sichuanbei Lu 521
  • Shopping streets: Nanjing Lu, Huaihai zhong Lu, Sichuan bei Lu, Xujiahui, Yu Yuan

With Kids

  • Theme Park: Dino Beach / Redai Fengbao Shuishang Leyuan / 上海 熱 帯 風暴 水上 園, Xin Zhen Lu 78, www.dinobeach.com.cn
  • Amusement Park: Jin Jiang Amusement Park / Jin Jiang Le Yuan / 錦江 樂園, Hongmei Lu 201
  • Zoo: Shanghai Zoo / Shanghai Dong Wu Yuan / 上海 動物園, Hongqiao Lu 2831
  • Aquarium: Shanghai Ocean Aquarium / Shanghai Haiyang Guan / 上海 海洋馆, Yincheng Bei Lu 158 / 银 城 北路 158 号, www.aquarium.sh.cn

Practical Links

City History

The area’s early settlement
Shanghai’s history goes far back, and before the actual urban development, the area was part of Songjiang Province, which was ruled from nearby Suzhou. With the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the development of the area began into a small town that primarily played a role as a port.

Shanghai was founded
in 1553 is considered to be Shanghai’s beginnings as a real city. It was here that city walls were built that created a structure in the scattered settlements. The city continued to play an important role as a port, but it was not until the 19th century that a major development of the city took place. Despite Shanghai’s size today, it is a relatively young city where there are not many old traditional Chinese buildings, such as Beijing and Nanjing.

Great development and Opium of the 19th Century
In the 19th century, Shanghai’s commercial significance increased due to its favorable location close to the mouth of the Yangze River. In particular, this was attractive to Western countries that would otherwise not have access to the closed ports of China.

The first opium war ended with the signing of the Nanjing Treaty in 1842. Here, China had to relinquish Hong Kong to the British as well as open some ports for Western trade access, including Shanghai, which was perhaps the most interesting of them all. Other agreements in the following years expanded the foreign rights of the city and the port.

Taiping 1850
The national Taiping rebellion started in 1850 and lasted until 1864. It became one of the bloodiest times in Chinese history, where defeat to foreign powers and natural disasters occurred repeatedly, in the rebels’ opinion, without the proper reactions of the Manchurian Qing- dynasty. Shanghai’s territories under foreign rule remained out of conflict and were therefore targets of many refugees from the many battles in China.

After some fighting in Shanghai’s area in 1853, a city government was established the following year. The overseas territories were intended to be coordinated, not least by the increasing number of Chinese migrants.

Years around 1900
During the war against Japan in 1894-1895, China had to renounce Formosa, present-day Taiwan, and Japan, alongside England, France, Russia and the United States, became one of the foreign nations with dominion in part of Shanghai.

The Japanese were the first to build factories in the city, and soon after, others of the foreign powers also followed. It became the starting point for Shanghai’s major industrialization, which over time made Shanghai the absolute economic powerhouse in the country, based on more than just the major port and financial sector, which was the largest and most developed in the Far East.

The growth also led to an expansion, where in the early 1900s the city’s old defense walls were demolished.

Continued boom
Shanghai’s great importance to China eventually required a special establishment of the political organization in the city. In the period until 1927, Shanghai was part of Jiangsu Province, whose main city was Nanjing, but now the city was established as a special administrative zone that was equated with China’s provinces. In 1930, Shanghai formally became its own municipality, its own province, allowing for even better structuring and planning of the city’s future.

1930s to the People’s Republic
At the beginning of the 1930s, there was a growing need for independence among the Chinese in the partly foreign city. Japan carried out bombings in the city in 1932, and after a few years of fighting and rebellion, the city was conquered by Japan in 1937. The Japanese era lasted until 1945.

During World War II, Shanghai became a refuge for Jews, among others. The historical role of the city as a very international and tolerant city was thereby maintained.

In May 1949, the Chinese Communist Party seized power in the city, which meant the relocation of many foreign companies and trade offices that instead chose British Hong Kong as the seat of the Far East.

Communism and Shanghai Today
In the 1950s and 1960s, Shanghai again experienced a great industrial growth period. In the People’s Republic of China, Shanghai was the center of production and trade throughout the years. With modern China’s new economic boom initiated in Guangdong Province in 1980, Shanghai came to the fore as one of Asia’s economic mastodoners.

Developments really took off after 1991, when new initiatives to achieve both Chinese and foreign investment were implemented. The People’s Republic leader, Jiang Zemin, was former mayor of Shanghai, and he led the establishment of the new and impressive city you meet today.

With some of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, the district of Pudong is the best example of what has shot up in recent decades. One of the crowns of the work was Shanghai’s status as host of the 2010 world exhibition, Expo2010.

Geolocation

In short

Overview of Shanghai

Shanghai has great historical appeal and is a lively and interesting Chinese metropolis. Shanghai is one of China’s financial locomotives, and it has so many sights and modern landmarks, which is a showcase for the entire world of Chinese progress and prosperity in the global economy.

 

Enjoy the view of all the high-rise buildings and exciting works of modern architects, not least along the city’s port, where the district of Pudong rises impressively towards the old center. Skyscrapers stand beautifully next to each other, and from several of them you can enjoy a magnificent panoramic view of Shanghai.

 

About the upcoming Shanghai travel guide

  • Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
  • Published: Released soon
  • Author: Stig Albeck
  • Publisher: Vamados.com
  • Language: English

 

About the travel guide

The Shanghai travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Chinese city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.

 

Shanghai is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.

 

Read more about Shanghai and China

 

Buy the travel guide

Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.

 

Use the travel guide

When you buy the travel guide to Shanghai you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.

The Bund • Oriental Pearl Tower • Maglev • Lovely Gardens • Temples

Overview of Shanghai

Shanghai has great historical appeal and is a lively and interesting Chinese metropolis. Shanghai is one of China’s financial locomotives, and it has so many sights and modern landmarks, which is a showcase for the entire world of Chinese progress and prosperity in the global economy.

 

Enjoy the view of all the high-rise buildings and exciting works of modern architects, not least along the city’s port, where the district of Pudong rises impressively towards the old center. Skyscrapers stand beautifully next to each other, and from several of them you can enjoy a magnificent panoramic view of Shanghai.

 

About the upcoming Shanghai travel guide

  • Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
  • Published: Released soon
  • Author: Stig Albeck
  • Publisher: Vamados.com
  • Language: English

 

About the travel guide

The Shanghai travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Chinese city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.

 

Shanghai is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.

 

Read more about Shanghai and China

 

Buy the travel guide

Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.

 

Use the travel guide

When you buy the travel guide to Shanghai you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.

Other Attractions

City God Temple, Shanghai

  • City God Temple/城隍庙: Located in Shanghai’s Old Quarter, this temple is a beautiful classical Chinese-style temple complex. The Temple of the City God dates back to the beginning of the 15th century and is therefore a contrast to the surrounding modern city.
  • Nanshi/南市: Shanghai consisted for a long time of an English, a French, an American and a Chinese district. Nanshi was the Chinese, where narrow streets and a nice atmosphere from the city of yesteryear can still be experienced.

Peace Hotel, Shanghai

  • Peace Hotel/和平 饭店: Peace Hotel was built by Victor Sassoon 1926-1929 as Shanghai’s most glamorous hotel named Cathay Hotel. It was also the city’s tallest house until 1934, and the hotel is known for jazz music, atmosphere and a lovely roof terrace.
  • The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel/外灘 觀光 隧道: This is a tunnel under the Huangpu River from The Bund to the Pudong District. Modern technology provides a wonderful sound and light experience on the short ride that takes place in driverless carriages.
  • Harbor cruise/旅 海港 之 旅: At The Bund, next to Jinling Lu Street, you can board a boat trip on the Huangpu River and the smaller Wusong north of The Bund. The trip offers an excellent view of the impressive city from the water level seeing The Bund, Pudong and more.

Pudong, Shanghai

  • Pudong/浦东 新区: Pudong is a district known as the modern high-rise neighborhood, located on the eastern bank of the Huangpu River. The district impresses with its tall buildings and the fact that almost everything was built after 1990.
  • Oriental Pearl Tower/塔 明珠 塔: Oriental Pearl Tower is Shanghai’s iconic television tower and is located as one of the city’s landmarks in the Pudong district. The tower was built 1991-1995 and was China’s tallest building until 2007.
  • Shanghai World Financial Center/中心 环球 金融 中心: This skyscraper at 492 meters/1,614 feet in height opened in 2008 as the world’s tallest. The building is one of Pudong’s modern landmarks, and there is an observation deck almost at the top.

Nanjing Lu, Shanghai

  • Nanjing Lu/南京 路: Nanjing Lu is Shanghai’s main street. It is a vibrant street with great opportunities for shopping and to indulge the big city atmosphere. The street is located on both sides of the People’s Park, and the stretch to the east is the most exciting.
  • Shanghai Museum/上海 博物館: This is a distinguished museum with large collections of jade, paintings, bronze, etc. The many exhibited objects give a good impression of Chinese cultural history in the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties in particular.

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