City of decadent exoticism in the 1920s and 30s, theater of vicious conflict during wartime invasions, cradle of Chinese Communism, flag bearer of modern China’s market reforms, Shanghai has been the inspiration for novels, films – and a cocktail or two. Replete with hundreds of futuristic skyscrapers, glitzy restaurants, bars and hotels, Shanghai’s levels of urban affluence, brand awareness and shopping savvy compete with rival Asian cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok.
Shanghai by the Numbers
1 Chinese Renminbi (or Yuan) RMB1 = £0.07; US$0.14; €0.09
Currency conversion rates as of February 2008
Population
17. 7 million (city); 22 million (metropolitan area). (2005 official figures)
Time Zone
GMT + 8.
Average January Temperatures
3°C (45°F).
Average July Temperatures
28°C (77°F).
Annual Rainfall
1,200mm (47.2 in).
Getting Around
The Shanghai metro (operates 05:00-23:00) is clean, efficient, and easy to navigate. Stations have a red sign resembling an “M.� Tickets are available from machines and ticket offices near the entrance. Prices vary depending on the number of stops. Integrated metro, bus, ferry and taxi travel cards are also available if you think your Mandarin is up to asking for one. Signs and station announcements in trains are in Mandarin Chinese and English.
Shanghai taxis are reliable, plentiful, cheap and safe. A variety of fleet companies operate Shanghai taxis, which are almost uniformly locally manufactured Volkswagens. All taxis are metered. Maps and addresses written in Chinese characters are essential tools for foreigners, as taxi drivers rarely speak any English.
The Huangpu River separates west (Puxi) and east (Pudong) Shanghai, with the historic Bund promenade on one side and the futuristic Pudong New Area on the other.
The Bund
Shanghai’s most popular tourist attraction, the Bund features a one-mile strip of dozens of historic riverfront buildings, separated from the Huangpu River by a raised terrace embankment. The grand remnants of colonial power are crowded along the Bund. These include the Customs House (with its famous bell “Big Chingâ€?); the former Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank HQ (now Shanghai Pudong Development Bank); the Peace Hotel (one of Asia’s art deco masterpieces); and the former Bank of China. Four buildings (Numbers 3, 5, 6 and 18) have been lavishly refurbished and now contain high-end retail, arts and restaurant complexes. This parade of Shanghai’s past faces-off with the futuristic skyline of Pudong on the opposite riverbank.
Shanghai Museum
201 Renmin Dadao, Renmin Square, Huangpu
www.shanghaimuseum.net/en
Rebuilt in the shape of an ancient Chinese bronze ritual vessel in 1994, the Shanghai Museum houses over 120,000 historical and artistic treasures and is one of the city’s cultural gems. It presents a chronological and stylistic tour of China’s greatest artistic traditions, with bronzes, sculptures, ceramics, paintings, calligraphy, jades, coins, furniture and ethnic minority folk art, as well as special exhibitions.
Yu Gardens and Bazaar
Old Town, from Fuyou Lu to Fangbang Dong Lu
Opening hours: Daily 0830-1700.
Yu Gardens and Bazaar cover several blocks of the historic downtown area, where souvenir shops and eating houses are packed together in brightly colored alleys. A haven of tranquility after the throngs of tourists in the bazaar, the Yu Gardens offer an exquisite array of tunnels and grottos, a stone boat for staging river parties, quiet pools and a Chinese opera stage.
I Like the Nightlife, Baby
Shanghai has a frenetic nightlife scene, with an eclectic, international strain that makes it very welcoming to outsiders. As ever, the major hotels (Grand Hyatt, Hilton, JW Marriott, Four Seasons, Portman Ritz-Carlton and Westin, in particular) have fine high-class bars. Be warned: bar prices can be surprisingly hefty. Details of the best venues are carried in 8 Days (website: www.8days.sh), That’s Shanghai (website: www.thatssh.com) and City Weekend (website: www.cityweekend.com.cn) city listings magazines.
Restaurants
Shanghai is an omnivore’s dream destination. From the simple to the utterly bizarre, you’ll find all manner of comestibles here. But don’t leave without trying the city’s signature dish – sheng jian bao (soup dumplings).
A Future Perfect
Building 16, 351 Huashan Lu (near Changshu Lu)
Partially hidden down a narrow alley not far from the Hilton hotel, this small, contemporary restaurant opened in late 2005 and is now one of the hottest tables in town. With a bright and stylish interior, the menu wanders along many paths, frequently straying into the realm of German, French, Asian, North American and Latin American cuisines.
Azul/Viva
18 Dongping Lu (by Hengshan Lu)
Nuevo Latino cuisine blended with Mediterranean and Asian flavors. It sounds surreal, but it really works. Located on two floors, both restaurants serve the same eclectic mix of tapas and main courses, to-die-for desserts and good wines.
Yang’s Fry-Dumpling
Huanghe Lu
This hole in the wall is a Shanghai institution. That much is clear from the throngs of impatient diners, clutching their receipts and salivating with heightened anticipation for their soupy mouthfuls of goodness.
Large circular trays of sheng jian bao dumplings punctuated by sesame seeds and scallions simmer away. These dumplings require an eating style that throws Western table manners to the winds: biting a small hole in the top and slurping out the soup before tackling the pork filling. Novices who chomp straight in are distinguished by soup-explosion stains down their shirtfronts.
Shanghai Uncle
Yan’an Dong Lu 222
If you only get to try one Shanghainese meal, let it be at this cavernous and brash red-themed restaurant in the basement of the Bund Center, where old Shanghai favorites are given a modern makeover. Menu favorites include the unbelievably tender pine seed pork rip, Shanghai traditional smoked fish and Uncle’s crispy pork of flame (cooked five ways while preserving its crispy skin and tender flesh). The inspired dry scallop and dry shrimps on Peking pancakes with XO sauce take even the most jaded Chinese diners by wonderful surprise.
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