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In ancient times, Shanghai was known as the “Paris of the East”. To know why, just walk through the various parts of the city including the now non-functional brothels in the Former French Concession and the art-deco architectural marvels found on the Bund. The modern city life, classy gourmet restaurants, and state-of-the-art architecture all go to display the ‘lifestyle revolution’ that Shanghai is going through.

This city is now the hub of today’s progressive, cosmopolitan China.

This Shanghai destination guide, together with our tour suggestions, will tell you all you need to know about the not-to-be-missed highlights of Shanghai. And be sure to check out some general China travel information, as well as some of the local highlights of Beijing, Xian, or China's neighbours, Mongolia and Vietnam.

Things to See & Do in Shanghai

Shanghai is a very interesting and fast city. You might not come across many historical locations but one should definitely pay attention to the old cafes and art-deco structures with their delicate workmanship. Walking around the city you will come across beautiful parks, gardens, pretty shops, great views and narrow lanes. Apart from these splendours, there are the typical bowling alleys, computer game and karaoke centres, all of which are the favourite haunts of the Chinese. The natives of Shanghai also love Tai Chi, an interesting pastime and form of exercise, especially after a long day in the city. Another unique experience would be to take an early morning stroll around the Bund.

Yuyuan Garden
The Bund
Shanghai Museum
Shopping on Nanjing Dong Lu
Jade Buddha Temple
Jingan Temple
Oriental Pearl Tower and Jinmao Tower
The Former French Concession
Hengshan Community Church
Dongtai Lu Antiques Market
Xintiandi
Massage
Longhua Temple
People's Square
The Former Residence of Lu Xun
Shanghai Culture

Yuyuan Garden

The Yuyuan Garden is a beautiful combination of the architectural techniques of the Ming and the Qing dynasties. This is biggest garden of ancient Shanghai, with six uniquely designed divisions. The most popular part is The Grand Rockery located in the heart of the garden.

Right in the middle of the city, you can enjoy the serenity and splendour of this Garden’s trees, rocks and walls built in the shape of bridges, pergolas and dragons. You can also take a tour to explore the gardens.

The Bund

This popular riverside drive is dotted with souvenir shops and art-deco structures. It’s a nice place to spend your time or take a tour. Shop for fashionable outfits, check out Shanghai’s favourite eateries or just relax and watch life go by! This is also a great place to catch a magnificent view of the modern Pudong skyline.

The Bund is just not a tourist hot spot but also a local favourite. Come here at dawn and you can see people perfecting their dancing or Tai Chi skills. During the day, business is at full swing in the establishments here. Sunset brings a romantic atmosphere, with couples walking down the boulevard hand-in-hand, taking in the beautiful views of the illuminated city. All this just reiterates the belief of Shanghai being a product of Western influence.

Shanghai Museum

With a fantastic collection of works of art like sculpture, calligraphy, furniture, ceramics, bronzes and paintings, this is the greatest museum in China. This building was made to look like a Chinese cooking pot, with a perfect finish and proportions. At night steam seems to drift out through the museum’s roof – this is a must-see!

Shopping on Nanjing Dong Lu

This used to be the best shopping area in China and people still throng this place. No vehicles are allowed on this street. This rather old-fashioned and crowded place is now being given an entirely new look. Modern day designers are setting up shop, rubbing shoulders with the ancient silk dealers and the supermarkets popularised in the 1960s.

Jade Buddha Temple

Known as Yufo Si, this temple was constructed by the Qing Dynasty in the times of the Guangxu (1875-1909 AD). The early 20th century witnessed the burning down of this temple, and its reconstruction in 1918 on Anyuan Road.

Based on the Song Dynasty’s architectural pattern, the Jade Buddha Temple is divided into the Main Hall, Hall of the Jade Buddha, Halls of Heavenly Kings and Hall of the Sleeping Buddha.

Apart from an entire collection of Buddhist texts (in print) belonging to the Qing Dynasty and over 7000 rare religious texts, this temple has various paintings and statues. The Shanghai Buddhist Institute is located within the Temple’s premises. The Temple today is home to Buddhist monks.

A great way to see the Jade Buddha Temple is on a tour.

Jingan Temple

The Jingan Temple is still in use and to experience the authentic, magical reverberations of Chinese Buddhism just check the timings of the prayer chants with the monks here.

Many temples are said to have been built on this popular temple site way back in 247 AD during the period of the Eastern Wu dynasty. The Qing dynasty re-erected this temple in its present structure and it has been subsequently refurbished in the years 1953, 1984 and 2000.

Oriental Pearl Tower and Jinmao Tower

The Jin Mao designed on the lines of a pagoda and the Pearl Tower based on the Jetsons kitsch art of the 1960s dominate the skyline of Shanghai. Both these skyscrapers in Pudong offer a breathtaking panorama of the city and its milieu. From the top of these towers, one cannot help but notice the hundreds of cranes put to work in refurbishing the city. People love to admire the dazzling illuminations of the city from Cloud Nine, a bar attached to the Grand Hyatt located in the Jin Mao.

The Former French Concession

A walk or tour through these lanes is an interesting way to spend your afternoons. This place has something to interest everyone, be it a tourist, a photographer, a lover of architecture or simply a dreamer. Stroll through the lanes of Fuxing Lu and Sinan Lu to witness some splendid structures. The Fuxing Park is another favourite, with its assortment of trees that give pleasant protection from the sweltering sun, especially in the peak summer season. This well planned park is the only park in Shanghai with a French design. Walk around at leisure, pausing for a break at the boutiques or cafeterias.

Hengshan Community Church

This grand and rather isolated church is in the French Concession, on one of Shanghai’s prettiest and most important streets. A subway to the station at Hengshan Road will get you here.

With financial contributions from the Chinese living abroad, the construction of this Church was finished in 1925.The elegant shades of red brick in this modern Gothic creation make the Church stand out amidst the other conventional structures on this road.

Protestant Church services are conducted regularly on Sundays and Wednesdays. Different types of musical and community programmes are organised here and the church is known for its superb choir.

Dongtai Lu Antiques Market

This market is most recommended for buying knick-knacks. Of course you will need to be prepared to do a lot of bargaining. Once here, you will not only carry home souvenirs with you but also a taste of the delightful daily life in Shanghai. This market is a great place to spend your time amidst old people enjoying their chess, cute Chinese babies or even a wedding party.

Xintiandi

This is a favourite place to pass time and observe the local life. Xintandi has an interesting assortment of bars, museums, restaurants and shops, especially the lovely designer stores. All of these are brought together in the old stone gate or shikumen houses that have been renovated. Make it a point to visit the museums – they have an interesting collection of objects associated with the history of the Communist Party and even the city of Shanghai.

Massage

Unlike in the rest of the world, getting a massage is not a luxury in China. It is medically prescribed. The time-honoured science of medicine has proved that a good massage will aid in an unrestricted and regulated energy flow (known as qi) in the body.

You can certainly choose between the basic and the luxurious massage even in Shanghai. A very unusual feature is massage done by blind masseurs who are gifted in soothing the tender and aching points in the body. There are lots of such parlours all over Shanghai that provide good service, though they are very basic and economical.

If you are in the mood for some indulgence, then visit the spas and health clubs in the big hotels. Get treated like a king and also pay like one!

Longhua Temple

This temple was renovated and popularised by the Qing Dynasty in the Guangxu era, though it was initially built during the Song Dynasty. In the entire area of Shanghai, this is the biggest and most ancient temple.

The Song Dynasty Buddhist style is maintained, but in terms of design and construction, it resembles a complete temple complex. It houses some lovely statues dating back to the Qing, Tang and Ming Dynasties, as also religious Buddhist texts.

Shanghai’s best-conserved pagoda, the Longhua Pagoda majestically sits facing the temple. This pagoda is 40.4 metres tall and is a 7-level brick tower in the shape of an octagon. The Longhua Pagoda dates back to 249 AD.

People's Square

A splendid place right in the middle of Shanghai, The People’s Square was earlier a gambling point, a racecourse and a stadium. After the war, the western portion of Nanjing Lu was transformed into the People’s Square. Quite different from most of the concrete, brick and mortar squares in China, this is a huge space full of greenery, with attractive buildings around it.

The Square as it stands today spans a total 140,000 metres in area. The Shanghai Museum is the most distinctive building in the square. The Municipal Government Mansion on the north is a practical, business-like structure with admission restricted only to the officials. The Shanghai Grand Theatre is on the northwest. This gigantic building is mostly made from glass. On the east is a relatively new building, the Exhibition Hall for City Planning.

The rather unusual Bird and Flower Market occupies a corner in the northwest. Off Huangpi Lu, these streets stand out distinctively from the square’s contemporary buildings. This market is known for its collection of caged birds, fish, plants and other trinkets.

Just stand here for a while and you will be awed by all the most stylish and gigantic structures around you. This view of modern Shanghai is quite different from what one gets to see at the Bund. This Square clearly represents the fast evolving, fashionable Shanghai.

The Former Residence of Lu Xun

Lu Xun, one of the finest writers of 20th century China, was born in the year 1881 in a town called Shaoxing, in the south of Shanghai. This great writer, who came from a very simple background, based most of his works on the downtrodden classes. He adopted a genre of simple prose to put forth his ideas.

Lu Xun lived in Shanghai from 1927 until he passed away in 1936. Earlier he lived in the north of Suzhou Creek, in the former Japanese Concession.

Shanghai Culture

As in the past, Shanghai remains the hub of Chinese amusement and entertainment. Nowhere in China can one find such a choice of theatre, art and film and variety of bars and restaurants. Not only the numbers but also the elegance and refinement of these places are fit to give any Western city stiff competition.

Don’t miss the acrobatic performances during a visit to Shanghai. Anybody witnessing these shows will be awed by the astonishing skill and suppleness displayed by the artistes.

Your next stop must be at The Grand Theatre where plays, operas (both Western and Chinese) and classical music concerts are regularly staged. Some cinemas also screen Western films.

There is a lot for art lovers to do too. Shanghai, which has always been known as a seat for radical thought, is now a favourite haunt for youngsters and aspiring artists who are encouraged to put their creations on display. The Shanghai Museum conducts interesting exhibitions. Also, there are many art galleries like the EastLink on Fuxing Road and ShangArt in Fuxing Park that display contemporary work.

Shanghai Destination Guide