While World Expo 2010 has been the focus of attention in Shanghai for the past six months (it ends at the end of October) the city is well worth exploring to see its many other attractions.
As the financial capital of China it bursts with energy and clearly there are a lot of people making lots of money. The roads are crammed with cars, many of the luxury variety, but for the tourist the best way the get around the city is by the excellent metro system.
Your first experience of the metro should be the superb maglev train from the Pudong International Airport where you are whisked into its city terminus , the 30km covered in less than 8 minutes. The first time I rode the train it reached 431kmh but on a recent visit it only went up to 301kph. The cost one way is 50RMB, about $8.50.
The metro is inexpensive with most rides in the city area only 4RMB. If staying more than a couple of days it is a good idea to buy a transportation card (20RMB)and put money on it. Each time you pas through the gates it calculates the fare for you – saves having to carry lots of change. Alternatively taxis are cheap at 12RMB for flag fall and first three kilometres – a real bargain.
The Huangpu River flows through the centre of Shanghai and on both sides of the central section the financial heart of the city beats. The Bund is a popular promenade at all times of the times (very crowded at weekends) but just watching the crowd is entertaining. I found my grey beard and shaved head led to many people wanting to be photographed with me – I should have charged a fee.
along the Bund
Adjacent to the Bund are some famous buildings. The Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank was possibly the most important bank in Shanghai during the early years of the century. In 1996 the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank took over and have restored the marvellous marble columns and interior, the crystal mirrors and the frescoes that represent the overseas offices of the original owners and the ceiling painted with the signs of the zodiac.
Perhaps the most famous is the Peace Hotel on the corner of Nanking Road. It recently reopened after major refurbishment undertaken by the Fairmont Group and from a brief inspection they have done a superb, elegant job capturing the timeless charm of the building. The reception foyer and lounge areas are fantastic and the famous jazz band is back in operation each night.
The newish Bund Sightseeing tunnel takes you under the river by pilotless train from the Bund to the Oriental Pearl Tower. Once there you can take the elevator to the observation platform of the Pearl Tower or, if you want to go higher, to the platform on the Shanghai World Financial Centre. On the 100th floor it is the highest outdoor viewing platform in the world. The views are spectacular and the glass floor allows you to look down at antlike people and vehicles – if you are game!
One of my favourite places in Shanghai is the wonderful Shanghai Museum, one of the great museums of the world. The exhibition rooms on each of the four floors contain wonderful examples of the treasures of China from calligraphy to paintings, ceramics, furniture, pottery, coins and seals. The workmanship is dazzling and even some of the oldest items look remarkably modern in design. Until 12 December there is a bonus in an exhibition of works from the collection of Catherine the Great at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg- and it is all free.
Pottery teapot from 2000BC, Shanghai Museum
Shanghai has had many building styles over thew centuries and around the turn of the 20th century many people lived in houses in the Shikumen style, not Chinese nor western.. Meaning literally ‘stone gate’ reflecting the entrance way, one of these houses has been beautifully restored; the guided tour explains the different rooms and living quarters of a typical family.
The Shikumen house is in the Xintiandi area south of the People’s Square and this refurbished area contains many trendy restaurants, cafes and bars as well as the original headquarters of the Chinese Communist party, now open for tourists to visit.
For those looking for something different to the upmarket shopping along Nanking Road then a visit to the Dongtai Road Antique market is just the place. Lots of old gear (much from the Mao years) as well as hidden treasures like ivory handled walking sticks or a pack of playing cards based on Saddam Hussein and his henchmen.
Stall at Dongtai Road Ancient Market
I am always intrigued at the number of Chinese praying or lighting joss sticks at temples and one of the best in Shanghai is Jing’an Temple, a Buddhist Temple located in West Nanjing Road and whose history dates for 17 centuries. Rather garish it has a huge bell over 3.5 tons.
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