Shanghai
The former Paris of the East is still China’s most cosmopolitan city. Shanghai crackles with the energy of Hong Kong or New York City. It’s an exciting, exotic, yet accessible city, and makes the ideal entry point into the Middle Kingdom.
Activities and Attractions:
Get your bearings by ascending to the top of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, just across the river from Shanghai in Pudong. The view from 1,500 feet will confirm what you already suspected: Shanghai’s forest of skyscrapers goes on as far as the eye can see.
There is some method to the madness behind the layout of this sprawling city. Learn all about it at the excellent Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, which has bilingual signage.
Shanghai doesn’t have the ancient palaces and temples that Beijing does, but the Shanghai Art Museum does have one of the best collections of Chinese art on the mainland.
Many of Shanghai’s neighborhoods reward exploration at leisure. The former French Concession is a refreshingly low-rise, tree-lined borough. It’s also home to Xintiandi, Shanghai’s hippest shopping area. Nanshi, the old Chinese city, is a rapidly disappearing warren of alleyways and shikumen (traditional stone houses) that should be visited before they’re all gone. Don’t miss the Bund, Shanghai’s waterfront promenade lined with neo-classical buildings constructed by the city’s former colonial powers.
Before you go, try some regional cuisine, such as “drunken chicken” marinated in rice wine. In the fall, treat yourself to hairy crab. Any time of year, snack on the city’s signature xiaolongbao, dumplings filled with ground meat and a rich, savory broth.
Insider Tip:
Get up early one morning and see Shanghai at its most unguarded. Head for any city park and you’ll see workers getting in a round of badminton before work, elderly couples ballroom dancing, and ranks of fresh-air fiends practicing tai chi.
-Exclusively for Perfect Escapes by Nicole Clausing |
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