What to do in Shanghai
February 5, 2010
Some of the really cool things we did ... and things we didn't get a chance to do, but definitely put on your list if you're in town!
Yu Yuan Gardens: In the center of Old Town, just southwest of the Bund, the Garden of Peace and Comfort offers an escape from the fast pace of the surrounding city. With 30 pavilions and over 5 acres, this 16th century garden can be explored for days. Of the many temples and halls, the Grand Rockery is the most popular. Two thousand tons of rare yellow stones are combined with rice glue to form a massive sculpture that stands 46 feet high. There is also a lot of tourist shopping, with shops going on for what feels like miles! Since this is a very tourist area, be cautious on the prices you pay for souveniers.
The Bund: This famous waterfront has been Shanghai’s center since the mid-1800’s. It offers a taste of the past with the colonial structures along the promenade and a view of the future across the river in Pudong. The city’s historical landmarks as well as new 21st century structures can all be seen along the 1 mile walk. This is one of the oldest parts of Shanghai in the West River district called Puxi (Poo-shee)
The local alleyways: When you are in Puxi, near the Bund and Yu Yuan Gardens, walk around and take a look into some of the alleys. They will be selling foods, candied fruit on a stick or even critters on a stick. Most of these old apartments are only 1-2 rooms, and were built before they had indoor electricty and running water. Look around at the water spikets outside (where the residents get their water and take back to their apartment). Most families live together with an extended family - so it is not unlikely for a family of 6+ to be living in a small one room apartment here. Note the power lines strung all through the alleys to give the apartments electricity that was put in at a much later time.
ERA - Circus City: What an amazing show of Acrobatic Artistry! http://www.era-shanghai.com/en/
The Maglev Train to/from the airport: This is the world's fastest train. In 8 minutes you can go from Metro Line #2 station to the Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG)! In a taxi, it's about a 40 minute drive! For 50RMB (about $7) you can take this elevated magnetic train and WOOOSH, you're at the airport!
Shanghai World Financial Tower Observatory: This was the slated to be the tallest building in the world when it went under construction in 1997. During the construction. the Asian Financial Crisis caused the work to cease for 2 years. The original design was 84 floors, which would have made it the tallest building in the world- the Patronas Towers in Kauala Lumpur opened in 1998 and beat the SWFT by 4 floors - so the redesigned the construction and added an additional 17 floors to the plan to top it out at 101 floors, which delayed construction an additional 4 years. Construction resumed in 2004, with the final floor being completed in 2007. The elevator was added in 2008, and it opened its doors on August 28, 2008. Due to a structural limit it never surpassed Taipai 101, it was officially opened as the 2nd tallest building in the world. Currently #3, after the Burj Khalifa building in Dubai opened in 2009.
Shanghai is the home to 13 of the top 200 tallest buildings.
Chicago is home to 13 of the top 200
New York City is the home to 16 of the top 200
Dubai is home to 25 of the top 200 --- CRAZY!!
Oriental Pearl Tower Observatory: Right down in the financial district of Pudong, the Oriental Pearl Tower is one of the most recongized icons of the Shanghai skyline.
Puxi (Pu-shee): The old town of Shanghai. Pu: "River" Xi: "West"
People's Square: Much like the Central Park+Times Square of NYC, the are around this large green space is filled with many businesses, shopping and of course ... the park. The comparable Square that you've probably heard of in Beijing is Tiananmin Square. Remember the student riots in Beijing in the late '90s?
The Fabric Markets: Have cashmere coats, rain coats, leather coats, shirts, suits, pants ... anything you want custom tailored to YOU! I highly recommend Sun Juan's store which is located on the 2nd floor (Store 250) of the Shanghai Shilupu Cloth Market at 168 Dongmen Rd in Puxi.
Science & Technology Museum: http://www.sstm.org.cn/structure/english2/eindex China is very focused on being bigger and better than anyone else. We never made it to the Museum, but the reviews are amazing! They have 5 main interactive exhibits and two 3D IMAX theaters.
Dongtai Road: http://www.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1851908_1851830_1851810,00.html We didn't make it here, but it is on the Top 10 list of many, many Top 10 lists! It looks very cool and it would have been fun to buy some more authentic stuff while we were here.
Blind Person Massage: For a mere 65RMB (about $10US) you can get a WONDERFUL 60 minute foot massage. For a great recommendation on masseuse: try #66, 36, 37, 10 or 26. They are all incredible!!! For such a cheap price - you can afford to get a massage every week!
Jade Buddha Temple: http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2761785-jade_buddha_temple_shanghai-i;_ylt=AqJnPNsW7s9cYgYU_JznWBo4FWoL?rsort=helpful#descsummary We also didn't make it here, but have heard great things from some of my other colleagues who did get the chance to come here. Shanghai’s most famous temple is known for it’s white jade Buddhas carved from a single slab of Burmese jade. Brought to Shanghai in 1881, the statues are housed in separate houses amongst beautiful jewels and stones. In addition there are also ancient carvings, paintings and precious Buddhist cultural relics.
Xiang Yang Market: Or, better known as "the knock-off market". Located underground at the Science & Technology Metro stop - this place is HUGE! You can not cover the entire place in a few hours - but many of the stores carry the same things ... just different people selling. You can find almost anything you like - and it's all about the negotiations. The better you are, the better price you will get.
Super Brand Mall: http://www.superbrandmall.com/index/index_en.asp A HUUUUGE 10 story mall, with every store you can possibly imagine. They have many popular European and American stores
I'm sure there are a million more things to do while you are here, but these things will certainly take up a good portion of your time. Check the times that places are open. The Fabric Market closes at 6pm during weeknights, and the knock-off market closes at 8pm. So, you have to schedule your time accordingly. Our "normal" office hours here were 9am-6pm, so in order to get to the fabric market one weeknight, we had to leave the office by 5pm.
FYI - most of the taxi drivers do NOT speak any English, so make sure you have a "TAKE ME TO" taxi card. All businesses will have a taxi card (which are the size of a business card), so you can get to where you want to go and they are usually written in both English & Chinese. Make sure you have one for your hotel so you can get home!!!
Yu Yuan Gardens: In the center of Old Town, just southwest of the Bund, the Garden of Peace and Comfort offers an escape from the fast pace of the surrounding city. With 30 pavilions and over 5 acres, this 16th century garden can be explored for days. Of the many temples and halls, the Grand Rockery is the most popular. Two thousand tons of rare yellow stones are combined with rice glue to form a massive sculpture that stands 46 feet high. There is also a lot of tourist shopping, with shops going on for what feels like miles! Since this is a very tourist area, be cautious on the prices you pay for souveniers.
The Bund: This famous waterfront has been Shanghai’s center since the mid-1800’s. It offers a taste of the past with the colonial structures along the promenade and a view of the future across the river in Pudong. The city’s historical landmarks as well as new 21st century structures can all be seen along the 1 mile walk. This is one of the oldest parts of Shanghai in the West River district called Puxi (Poo-shee)
The local alleyways: When you are in Puxi, near the Bund and Yu Yuan Gardens, walk around and take a look into some of the alleys. They will be selling foods, candied fruit on a stick or even critters on a stick. Most of these old apartments are only 1-2 rooms, and were built before they had indoor electricty and running water. Look around at the water spikets outside (where the residents get their water and take back to their apartment). Most families live together with an extended family - so it is not unlikely for a family of 6+ to be living in a small one room apartment here. Note the power lines strung all through the alleys to give the apartments electricity that was put in at a much later time.
ERA - Circus City: What an amazing show of Acrobatic Artistry! http://www.era-shanghai.com/en/
The Maglev Train to/from the airport: This is the world's fastest train. In 8 minutes you can go from Metro Line #2 station to the Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG)! In a taxi, it's about a 40 minute drive! For 50RMB (about $7) you can take this elevated magnetic train and WOOOSH, you're at the airport!
Shanghai World Financial Tower Observatory: This was the slated to be the tallest building in the world when it went under construction in 1997. During the construction. the Asian Financial Crisis caused the work to cease for 2 years. The original design was 84 floors, which would have made it the tallest building in the world- the Patronas Towers in Kauala Lumpur opened in 1998 and beat the SWFT by 4 floors - so the redesigned the construction and added an additional 17 floors to the plan to top it out at 101 floors, which delayed construction an additional 4 years. Construction resumed in 2004, with the final floor being completed in 2007. The elevator was added in 2008, and it opened its doors on August 28, 2008. Due to a structural limit it never surpassed Taipai 101, it was officially opened as the 2nd tallest building in the world. Currently #3, after the Burj Khalifa building in Dubai opened in 2009.
Shanghai is the home to 13 of the top 200 tallest buildings.
Chicago is home to 13 of the top 200
New York City is the home to 16 of the top 200
Dubai is home to 25 of the top 200 --- CRAZY!!
Oriental Pearl Tower Observatory: Right down in the financial district of Pudong, the Oriental Pearl Tower is one of the most recongized icons of the Shanghai skyline.
Puxi (Pu-shee): The old town of Shanghai. Pu: "River" Xi: "West"
People's Square: Much like the Central Park+Times Square of NYC, the are around this large green space is filled with many businesses, shopping and of course ... the park. The comparable Square that you've probably heard of in Beijing is Tiananmin Square. Remember the student riots in Beijing in the late '90s?
The Fabric Markets: Have cashmere coats, rain coats, leather coats, shirts, suits, pants ... anything you want custom tailored to YOU! I highly recommend Sun Juan's store which is located on the 2nd floor (Store 250) of the Shanghai Shilupu Cloth Market at 168 Dongmen Rd in Puxi.
Science & Technology Museum: http://www.sstm.org.cn/structure/english2/eindex China is very focused on being bigger and better than anyone else. We never made it to the Museum, but the reviews are amazing! They have 5 main interactive exhibits and two 3D IMAX theaters.
Dongtai Road: http://www.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1851908_1851830_1851810,00.html We didn't make it here, but it is on the Top 10 list of many, many Top 10 lists! It looks very cool and it would have been fun to buy some more authentic stuff while we were here.
Blind Person Massage: For a mere 65RMB (about $10US) you can get a WONDERFUL 60 minute foot massage. For a great recommendation on masseuse: try #66, 36, 37, 10 or 26. They are all incredible!!! For such a cheap price - you can afford to get a massage every week!
Jade Buddha Temple: http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2761785-jade_buddha_temple_shanghai-i;_ylt=AqJnPNsW7s9cYgYU_JznWBo4FWoL?rsort=helpful#descsummary We also didn't make it here, but have heard great things from some of my other colleagues who did get the chance to come here. Shanghai’s most famous temple is known for it’s white jade Buddhas carved from a single slab of Burmese jade. Brought to Shanghai in 1881, the statues are housed in separate houses amongst beautiful jewels and stones. In addition there are also ancient carvings, paintings and precious Buddhist cultural relics.
Xiang Yang Market: Or, better known as "the knock-off market". Located underground at the Science & Technology Metro stop - this place is HUGE! You can not cover the entire place in a few hours - but many of the stores carry the same things ... just different people selling. You can find almost anything you like - and it's all about the negotiations. The better you are, the better price you will get.
Super Brand Mall: http://www.superbrandmall.com/index/index_en.asp A HUUUUGE 10 story mall, with every store you can possibly imagine. They have many popular European and American stores
I'm sure there are a million more things to do while you are here, but these things will certainly take up a good portion of your time. Check the times that places are open. The Fabric Market closes at 6pm during weeknights, and the knock-off market closes at 8pm. So, you have to schedule your time accordingly. Our "normal" office hours here were 9am-6pm, so in order to get to the fabric market one weeknight, we had to leave the office by 5pm.
FYI - most of the taxi drivers do NOT speak any English, so make sure you have a "TAKE ME TO" taxi card. All businesses will have a taxi card (which are the size of a business card), so you can get to where you want to go and they are usually written in both English & Chinese. Make sure you have one for your hotel so you can get home!!!
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