Okura Garden Shanghai Towers

Okura Garden Shanghai Towers.

Overview

City of sin and decadent exoticism in the 1920s and 30s, theatre of vicious conflict during wartime and Japanese invasions, cradle of Chinese Communism but neglected during the Cultural Revolution, flag bearer of modern China's market reforms, inspiration for lurid novels, films and cocktails - Shanghai is probably the most evocative city for an outsider in the whole of China. Beijing may be more mysterious but Shanghai offers a headier brew of half-digested, semi-mythical images and preconceptions.

For the second city of the world's oldest surviving ancient civilisation, Shanghai is surprisingly new. Literally ‘Above the Sea', Shanghai is a port city on the Huangpu River, where the Yangtze River empties into the East China Sea.

The Yu Gardens in Shanghai's Old Town is all that remains of the city's pre-colonial past. Colonialism is visible in the period architecture of the former French Concession, as well as the grand old buildings along the riverfront Bund and dotted around People's Square.

Across the river from the original settlement of Puxi is Shanghai's future, the Pudong New Area, with its emblematic Orient Pearl Tower, soaring modern art-deco JinMao Tower and, topping the lot, the 101-floor World Financial Centre, featuring a new Park Hyatt hotel.

In 2004, Shanghai hosted the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix and later that year Time magazine called it the ‘world's most happening city.' In October 2007 it hosted the first Special Olympic Games held in Asia and centre-stage status will follow, in 2010, when Shanghai hosts World Expo.

Easily China's richest city, Shanghai is now a blueprint for the country, one that developing cities across the country seek enviously to emulate - replete with hundreds of futuristic skyscrapers, glitzy restaurants, bars, hotels and levels of urban affluence, brand awareness and shopping savvy that compete with rival Asian cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok.

Shanghai experiences climatic extremes, with bitter winters and hot and humid summers. The best time for visitors to plan a trip to the city would be during the autumn or spring months.

Tourist Information

Walking Tours
There are no official organised walking tours available in Shanghai. However, the former French Concession, Bund and Yu Gardens and Bazaar are perhaps the best areas for tourists to explore on foot, seeing as they are compact and possess great character. Walking aimlessly through the tree-lined former French Concession streets is one of Shanghai's great delights. Many of Shanghai's residents stroll along the Bund at weekends, while the many parks are pleasant refuges.

Self-guided tours of beautiful Fuxing Xi Lu in the former French Concession are a relaxing way to discover this area, formerly known as Avenue De Boissezon. In the 1920s and 30s it was an elegant place for Shanghai's fashionable elite. Today its plane trees and European architecture complement the beautiful gift shops, galleries, cafes and bars that have made a home here. Pamphlets documenting the avenue's highlights can be picked up at Skylight Shop (28 Fuxing Xi Lu), the first stop on the tour.

Bus Tours
Grayline Shanghai (tel: (21) 6150 8061; www.graylineshanghai.com) and City Discovery (www.city-discovery.com) conduct full- and half-day tours around Shanghai's main sights; specialized Chinese massage and Chinese acrobatic tours; as well as trips further afield to Suzhou, and Zhouzhuang, and Tongli water villages, Zhu Jia Jiao and Hangzou. Bespoke tours where visitors choose their own itinerary are another option.

The Shanghai Transportation Bureau excursion buses, some with commentary (in Chinese only), travel from the east side, Xu Jia Hui (parking lot 4) of Shanghai Stadium, out of metropolitan Shanghai and pass through some major sightseeing destinations. The routes taken vary. For instance, the Bus Line 3 departs every 30 minutes 0700-1730 to Pudong, while the Bus Line 10 goes every 15 minutes 0630-1930 to Huaihai Dong Lu and Nanjing Dong Lu. Trip costs vary.

Huangpu River Trips
Several licensed operators are clustered along the quay at the south end of the Bund, all offering 1-hour pleasure boat trips along the Huangpu river (prices vary, be prepared to barter if travelling with a group). Day and night, these make for an enjoyable and picturesque ride past the Bund and Pudong riverfronts offering plenty of good photo opportunities. Some operators also offer longer trips (around 3 hours return) to the mouth of the Yangtze river.