Advertisement

Shanghai Express

The financial and commercial district on the east bank of the Huangpu River: Pudong.
The financial and commercial district on the east bank of the Huangpu River: Pudong.

One of the most expensive cities to live in the world, Shanghai is revered as the birthplace of everything considered modern in China with its ever-changing cityscapes and developments happening all around. While it is the most populous and most developed city in China, it is not as expensive as Beijing, the capital city. In fact, whether you love luxury or are budget-savvy, Shanghai is a great city to visit. From the gorgeous architectural beauties that line the Huangpu River, the sprawling and vibrant urban park, to the pedestrianized shopping strip, down to that shop-around-the-corner serving delectable age-old recipes of steaming meat buns, Shanghai is packed of surprises just waiting to be discovered.

The HSBC building on the Bund. (Photo by Karla Rey)
The HSBC building on the Bund. (Photo by Karla Rey)


1. Get familiar and have a plan.
Huangpu River runs through Shanghai and divides it into two major districts: Puxi and Pudong. Puxi is home to old Shanghai. Even with the rampant redevelopments, the old city retains some buildings of traditional styles. A good example would be that of the City God Temple, right at the center of Old Shanghai. Puxi is also home to a number of architecturally distinctive buildings that have sprung up in Shanghai. Notable examples include the Shanghai Museum and the Shanghai Grand Theatre in the People’s Square area. The People’s Square is the center of downtown Shanghai, a stop of the Metro Station (so getting there is easy), and separates Nanjing Road into West and East. From the People’s Square to anywhere, be prepared for a flood of people so keep each other within line of sight. The good news is that there are lots of shopping and eating places all around Nanjing Road. The terminus when you walk the entire length and more of the Nanjing Road towards the east is the Bund. The Bund is perhaps the most famous tourist spot here with dozens of historical buildings of the early 20th century architecture and highlights the fact that Shanghai has one of the world’s largest numbers of art deco buildings. Visible from the Bund, is Pudong, the skyscraper-laden financial and commercial district on the east bank of the Huangpu River, is recognizable to many, as its newer, sci-fi-reminiscent skyline is usually seen on postcards.

Meanwhile, the Huangpu River Cruise is a different way of enjoying the Pudong district’s skyline. Head to the Bund promenade to purchase tickets and a service will take you to the embarkation area at the end of the promenade. In addition to the historical buildings of the Bund, the tour also highlights Pudong’s display of skyscrapers, many of which are ranked among the tallest in the world. Three of these are the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jing Mao Tower, and the Shanghai World Financial Center. The Oriental Pearl Tower is one of the tallest structures in Asia, providing visitors with city views and an addition of free light shows at night. The Jin Mao Tower is the second tallest tower in Shanghai, only a few storeys shorter than the tallest, Shanghai World Financial Center. The latter is the tallest skyscraper in China and the third tallest in the world.

Must-eat in Shanghai: xiao long bao. (Photo by Thinkstock)
Must-eat in Shanghai: xiao long bao. (Photo by Thinkstock)


2. Be ready for a shopping and eating adventure.
All kinds of souvenirs at City God Temple—from traditional-looking pieces as well as the more modern cultural baubles that carry the face of Mao Zedong—at prices you better bargain for.  There are also restaurants and food stalls that sell traditional Chinese fare as well as fusion cuisine. Must-eat in Shanghai is xiao long bao, a small steamed bun usually confused as a dumpling that comes with boiling hot broth with ground meat, then enveloped in a thin shell. While there are plenty of restaurants here that serve this dish, some have found ways of jazzing it up, serving bigger buns that can accommodate a straw to safely sip the broth. Snails are also a big hit here.
On your way to the Bund from Nanjing Road, try Zhan Lao Da Fang, a brand established in 1899 that serves meat buns that are worth the long queue. After the Huang Pu River tour, you can also head out to Pudong and shell out a few hundreds of Chinese yuan to have access to the viewing area of the Shanghai World Financial Center and have coffee and cakes at the Park Hyatt Shanghai, which occupies floors 79 to 93 of the building, making it one of the highest hotels in the world.

If you intend to stay at the Puxi side and do not really care for the brands at Nanjing, head out to the Shanghai South Bund Material Market. Ride the Metro and get off at Nanpu bridge. From the station exit, make a left and then another left on the traffic light. You are looking for Luijabang Road, which should be on your right after about 200 meters. The Shanghai South Bund Material Market houses three floors of tailors and their materials like silk, cashmere and wool. There are also tons of bargain clothes that are all-original and not mere knock-offs of Western brands, as well as tailor-fit clothes made for you overnight at this market. The area around Luijabang Road is also a quaint, old-style Chinese neighborhood perfect for plain exploration. It is also near the World Expo Site.

Nanpu Bridge (Photo by Karla Rey)
Nanpu Bridge (Photo by Karla Rey)


3. Being smart travellers won’t hurt.
For hotel bookings, check out <www.ctrip.com>. It offers great deals on rooms as well as tour packages for groups.

For DIY travel, moving around the city is also easy as one can rely on the Metro for fast, cheap, air-conditioned, and fairly user-friendly travel. Most of the signs and station arrival announcements are now in English with self-serve automated ticket booths everywhere, thus allowing non Mandarin-speakers an easy mode of purchasing tickets. For tourists, the best way to get around town is through a combination of trains and taxis. Hence, it is better to have places, complete addresses even, you want to visit in Chinese. Print them out before you travel. For those you did not plan for, take a photo and show it to your driver.

If you have a sensitive stomach and yet want to be adventurous with the food, make sure to bring your own medicine. You don’t want to ruin your and everyone else’s schedule with a bad stomach.

Yahoo #DTBY Exclusive: click now for special Singapore Airlines Don't Travel By Yourself offers to many exciting destinations!