Introduction of Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the largest city proper by population in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities of the PRC, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010. It is a global city, with influence in commerce, culture, finance, media, fashion, technology, and transport. It is a major financial center and the busiest container port in the world.

Located in the Yangtze River Delta in eastern China, Shanghai sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River in the middle portion of the Chinese coast. The municipality borders Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces to the west, and is bounded to the east by the East China Sea.

Once a fishing and textiles town, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to European recognition of its favorable port location and economic potential. The city was one of several opened to foreign trade following the British victory over China in the first opium war and the subsequent 1842 Treaty of Nanking which allowed the establishment of the Shanghai International Settlement. The city then flourished as a center of commerce between east and west, and became the undisputed financial hub of the Asia Pacific in the 1930s. However, with the Communist Party takeover of the mainland in 1949, the city's international influence declined. In the 1990s, the economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping resulted in an intense re-development of the city, aiding the return of finance and foreign investment to the city.

Shanghai is a popular tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks such as The Bund, City God Temple and Yuyuan Garden, as well as the extensive and growing Pudong skyline. It has been described as the "showpiece" of the booming economy of mainland China.

Below are the attractive places in Shanghai:

Nanjing Road

If People Square are the main square in the city center, Nanjing Road is the main avenue in Shanghai. It is one of the first places a foreign tourist will visit.

Nanjing Road (or Nanjing Lu) is split in two. On the west side we have West Nanjing Road, with its shops and malls; and on the east side, we have East Nanjing Road.

East Nanjing Road stretches from People's Square to the Bund Waterfront. This street is usually overcrowded, especially late in the afternoon and during weekends. Shops, malls, restaurants and cafés attract locals and visitors alike. This street is traffic-free. A walk along this street will keep you entertained for a while.

Nanjing Road is an excellent place to start your visit to Shanghai. Here you will see how Western Shanghai is.

Access:

To East Nanjing Road: Take bus 14, 33, 37, 65, 66, 108, 123, 135,220, 251, 305, 306, 307, 314, 317, 330, 868, 910, 928, 929, 940,Tourism Bus Route 8, Subway Line 10 or Subway Line 2 andget off at East Nanjing Rd. Station;

To West Nanjing Road: Take bus 23, 24, 36, 57, 76, 109, 148, 206,304, 323, 451, 738, 933, 974 or Subway Line 2 and get off at WestNanjing Rd. Station.

Subway: Line 1, Subway Line 2 or Subway Line 8 and get off at People's Square which is located in the joint area of west and east Nanjing Road.

Oriental Pearl tower

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is the symbol of today's Shanghai. It sits on the East river bank, Pudong, right opposite the Bund. With its 1,536 feet (468 m), the tower is one of the tallest communication towers in the world.

 

The tower has three observation levels. The highest one is called the Space Module, and it is on the top sphere at 1150 feet (or 350 m). This sphere also contains shops and restaurants (one of them rotating).

The second highest observation deck is the Sightseeing Floor, at 850 feet (260 m). It is the big sphere you see in the middle of the tower.

The large lower sphere is at 300 feet (90 m). It is called the Space City, and has a futuristic space city and a sightseeing hall. Between the two main spheres are five smaller ones that accommodate a 20-room hotel, the Space Hotel.

Access:
Buses: Take bus 81, 795, 799, 870, 961, 971, 985, 993, 996, Cai Lu Special Line or City Sightseeing Bus and get off at Dong Fang Ming Zhu (Oriental Pearl) Station.
Subway: Take Subway Line 2 and get off at Lujiazui Station. Get out from Exit 1 and you can see the tower.

Operate & Price:

Tickets	Time	Price/person
Entrance Fee (including the visit to the sightseeing hall on the second sphere)	08:30-21:30	CNY 100
sightseeing hall on the second sphere and Shanghai Municipal History Museum	08:30-21:30	CNY 120
Shanghai Municipal History Museum (in the second sphere)	08:30-21:30	CNY 35
Through Ticket for Two Spheres (including the entrance fee and the fee for the Shanghai Municipal History Museum)	08:30-21:30	CNY 135
Through Ticket for Three Spheres (including the entrance fee, the fee for the Shanghai Municipal History Museum and the upper sphere - the Space Module)	08:30-21:30	CNY 150

Yuyuan Garden

Yuyuan Garden is a famous classical garden located in Anren Jie, Shanghai. The garden was finished in 1577 by a government officer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) named Pan Yunduan. Yu in Chinese means pleasing and satisfying, and this garden was specially built for Pan's parents as a place for them to enjoy a tranquil and happy time in their old age.

Yuyuan Garden occupies an area of 20,000 square meters (about five acres). However, the small size is not a representative of the attractions of the garden. The pavilions, halls, rockeries, ponds and cloisters all have unique characteristics. There are six main scenic areas in the garden: Sansui Hall, Wanhua Chamber, Dianchun Hall, Huijing Hall, Yuhua Hall and the Inner Garden. Each area features several scenic spots within its borders.

Sansui Hall was built in 1760 and was originally used to entertain guests. Later it became a place to hold ceremonies for the gentlemen and bookmen. With a height of nine meters (about 30 feet) and featuring five halls, it is the largest and most commodious structure in the garden. The name Sansui is derived from the bookHistory of the later Han Dynasty, and means 'propitious' and 'lucky'.

Wandering in the area of Yule Pavilion and Wanhua Chamber, you will find pavilions, corridors, courtyards as well as many other natural features. Wanhua Chamber is a delicately chased building surrounded by derious cloisters. Spring bamboos grow beside the cloisters. In front of Wanhua Chamber, there are two old trees. One is a maidenhair tree which is 21 meters tall (about 70 feet).It is said that the tree was planted by the host of the garden 400 years ago.

The Dianchun Hall area is located east of Wanhua Chamber, and includes Hexu Hall, Relic Hall, Ancient Well Pavilion, and the Acting-and-Sing Stage. Dianchun Hall was once the headquarters of Xiaodao Hui, a revolted group who fought against the government of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) during 1853-1855. The coins made by Xiaodao Hui and the bulletins they proclaimed are currently displayed in the hall.

The true treasure of Yuyuan Garden is the Exquisite Jade Rock. Located across from Yuhua Hall, it is one of the three famous rocks in the southern region of the Yangtze River. (The other two are Duanyun Feng in Suzhou and Zhouyun Feng in Hangzhou.) The rock is 3.3 meters (about 10.8 feet) in height and has 72 holes. What is interesting about this rock is that if you burn a joss stick just below the rock, the smoke will magically float out from all of the holes. Similarly, when you pour water into the rock from top, the water will flow out from each hole creating a spectacular sight to see. Pan Yunduan was very fond of the Exquisite Jade Rock, and he built Yuhua Hall facing the rock so it was convenient to sit in the hall and admire it. The furnishings in the hall were made of top grade rosewood of the Ming Dynasty, appearing both natural and graceful.

The Inner Garden was a separate garden built in 1709, but is now a part of Yuyuan Garden in the south. The Inner Garden is compact and exquisite, and the rocks, pavilions, ornamental ponds and flower walls offer some of the most attractive sceneries in Yuyuan Garden.

         

Admission Fee: 

CNY 40 (Apr.1-Jun. 30; Sep.1-Nov.30)
CNY 30 (Jul. 1-Aug.31; Dec.1-the next Mar.31)

Operate:

 8:30am-5:30pm (tickets unavailable after 5pm)

Access:

Buses: Bus 11, 26, 64, 730, 736, 801, 929, 932, 945, 969 or Fangchuan Line, and get off at Xinbeimen (Renmin Road Lishui Road) Station.

Subway: Subway Line 10 and get off at Yuyuan Station. Leave from Exit 1.

Jade Buddha Temple

In the western part of Shanghai, a very modern and flourishing city, there is a venerable and famous Buddhist temple, Jade Buddha Temple. In 1882, an old temple was built to keep two jade Buddha statues which had been brought from Burma by a monk named Huigen. The temple was destroyed during the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Fortunately the jade Buddha statues were saved and a new temple was built on the present site in 1928. It was named the Jade Buddha Temple.

The two precious jade Buddhist statues are not only rare cultural relics but also porcelain artworks. Both the Sitting Buddha and the Recumbent Buddha are carved with whole white jade. The sparkling and crystal-clear white jade gives the Buddhas the beauty of sanctity and make them more vivid. The Sitting Buddha is 190 centimeters high and encrusted by the agate and the emerald, portraying the Buddha at the moment of his meditation and enlightenment. The Recumbent Buddha is 96 centimeters long, lying on the right side with the right hand supporting the head and the left hand placing on the left leg, this shape is called the 'lucky repose'. The sedate face shows the peaceful mood of Sakyamuni when he left this world. In the temple there is also another Recumbent Buddha which is four meters long and was brought from Singapore by the tenth abbot of the temple in 1989. Furthermore there are many other ancient paintings and Buddhist scriptures distributed in the different halls of the temple.

Admission Fee:

CNY 30

Operate:

8:am-5pm (ordinary days)
5am-5pm (Lunar New Year's Day, the 1st and the 15th day of every lunar month)

Access:

Buses: Bus 19, 206, 738 and get off at Jiangning Road Anyuan Road Station; Bus 54, 68, 112, 206, 316, 738, 950 and get off at Jiangning Road Haifang Road Station.

Subway: Subway Line 7 to Changshou Road Station. Get out from Exit 5 and then walk along Xinhui Road, turn right till Jiangning Road to look for the temple on the right side.

Xin Tian Di

Located in the center of Shanghai City south of Huaihai Zhong Lu, Shanghai Xin Tian Di has become an urban tourist attraction that holds the historical and cultural legacies of the city. Shanghai Xin Tian Di is a fashionable pedestrian street composed of Shikumen and modern architecture style.

Shanghai Xin Tian Di is unique because of its concept of construction. It retains the antique walls, tiles and exterior of the Shikumen housing of old Shanghai. On the other hand, its interior embodies a totally different world of international gallery, bars and cafes, boutiques or theme restaurants. When you walk into Xin Tian Di, you will get the taste both of Shanghai in the 1920's and the sonic modern lifestyle of urbanites of the 21st century.

Xin Tian Di is divided into two parts: the South Block and the North Block. The South Block mainly consists of modern architecture with Shikumen architecture as an accompaniment. Its North Block kept the old Shikumen architecture style, forming a contrast to the modern South Block.

South Block: As the complex of shopping, entertainment and leisure, the South Block covers 25,000 square meters (6.2 acres) and opened in the middle of 2002. This glass wall building has a very modern atmosphere. Besides restaurants from all over the world, boutiques, fashionable ornament shops, food courts, cinemas and one-stop fitness centers provide places of leisure and entertainment for customers and tourists from home and abroad.

North Block: Composed of antique Shikumen buildings with inner modern design, decoration and equipment, the North Block features upscale stores and restaurants with cuisine from different countries such as France, Brazil, America, Japan, Germany and Italy, fully revealing the international level of Shanghai Xin Tian Di.

Access:

Buses: Take bus 146 and get off at Xingye Road Madang Road Station, or take bus 781, Tunnel Line 8 and get off at Taicang Road South Chongqing Road Station; Take City Sightseeing Bus and get off at Xin Tian Di.

Subway: Take Subway Line 1 and get off at South Huangpi Rd. Station.  Get out from Exit 3 and walk southwards along South Huangpi Roa; Take Subway Line 10 and get off at Xintiandi Station. Get out from Exit 6 to Madang Road, then walk a bit to the north to Xin Tian Di.