I am so tired now.
The three projects have almost killed me...
3/19/2009
TRAVEL IN SHANGHAI part10
Get out
Jiading, an historic town about an hour NW of Shanghai by bus from Nanjing Xi Lu and Cheng Du Lu. The sights to see are Shanghai's F1 track, a Confucian garden, and a pagoda.
Shanghai F1 Circuit, special buses run from Shanghai Stadium metro stop and a few others around the city. They cost Y50 return and leave every few minutes when they fill up. On Friday and Saturday it takes an hour or so each way (so if you are staying somewhere in the centre of Shanghai budget 2 hours door to door), on Sunday it is significantly quicker. They also drop you as far away from the main stand as it is possible to get, so budget on another 20-30 minutes to get to your seats depending on where your seats are. On the way back, you are better off just to jump on any bus as they all take you back to a metro station and your door to door travel time should be about the same.
Qibao, a small ancient town, about 15km from Shanghai city, just in between the city and Minhang district. It resembles the more famous water town, Zhouzhuang.
Songjiang 松江, a county in Shanghai province, some 30km southwest of Shanghai city. It is less crowded than Shanghai and is a good daytrip. It is also now much more accessible with the opening of the new Metro line 9.
Xitang, an historic town SW of Shanghai. A few scenes from Mission Impossible 3 were filmed here. A picturesque canal town with old bridges and houses lining the canal lit up at night with red lanterns. You can even stay a night in one of the old houses and sleep in an old bed.
Zhujiajiao ☎ 021-59240077, 021-59245559, [44]. An historic town an hour by car west of Shanghai. Another of those picturesque canal towns dating from the Ming dynasty (14th to 17th centuries). The first modern post office in China was established here. Worth a look in spite of the abundance of souvenir stores, although not overrun with tourists. ¥10.
Nantong, north of Shanghai, a newly developing city. The city has a natural and open atmosphere. Nantong is a modern as well as historic city.
All the ''TRAVEL IN SHANGHAI''come from http://wikitravel.org/en/Shanghai
Jiading, an historic town about an hour NW of Shanghai by bus from Nanjing Xi Lu and Cheng Du Lu. The sights to see are Shanghai's F1 track, a Confucian garden, and a pagoda.
Shanghai F1 Circuit, special buses run from Shanghai Stadium metro stop and a few others around the city. They cost Y50 return and leave every few minutes when they fill up. On Friday and Saturday it takes an hour or so each way (so if you are staying somewhere in the centre of Shanghai budget 2 hours door to door), on Sunday it is significantly quicker. They also drop you as far away from the main stand as it is possible to get, so budget on another 20-30 minutes to get to your seats depending on where your seats are. On the way back, you are better off just to jump on any bus as they all take you back to a metro station and your door to door travel time should be about the same.
Qibao, a small ancient town, about 15km from Shanghai city, just in between the city and Minhang district. It resembles the more famous water town, Zhouzhuang.
Songjiang 松江, a county in Shanghai province, some 30km southwest of Shanghai city. It is less crowded than Shanghai and is a good daytrip. It is also now much more accessible with the opening of the new Metro line 9.
Xitang, an historic town SW of Shanghai. A few scenes from Mission Impossible 3 were filmed here. A picturesque canal town with old bridges and houses lining the canal lit up at night with red lanterns. You can even stay a night in one of the old houses and sleep in an old bed.
Zhujiajiao ☎ 021-59240077, 021-59245559, [44]. An historic town an hour by car west of Shanghai. Another of those picturesque canal towns dating from the Ming dynasty (14th to 17th centuries). The first modern post office in China was established here. Worth a look in spite of the abundance of souvenir stores, although not overrun with tourists. ¥10.
Nantong, north of Shanghai, a newly developing city. The city has a natural and open atmosphere. Nantong is a modern as well as historic city.
All the ''TRAVEL IN SHANGHAI''come from http://wikitravel.org/en/Shanghai
TRAVEL IN SHANGHAI part9
Nearby cities
Several other major Chinese cities are near Shanghai and conveniently reachable on the new high speed (over 200 km/hr) trains. These are comfortable and reasonably priced and except at holidays, are not too crowded since other trains are cheaper. Look for the separate ticket windows with "CRH" on the signs.
Hangzhou 杭州, about 75 minutes away by CRH, is China's number one domestic tourist attraction featuring the famous Xihu Lake.
Suzhou 苏州, a historic town under an hour away from Shanghai by train. The city has long been lauded by emperors, ancient poets, and scholars alike for its beauty and vitality. Due to its many canals and bridges, Suzhou has also sometimes been referred to as the "Venice of the East". Suzhou has many gardens that are worth visiting. The "Venice of the East" parts of Suzhou have all been over run with agressive beggars and pan handlers. Reserve Suzhou if it can be combined with a tour of other historic areas.
Nanjing, about two hours away, is a great place to escape the pace of citylife. Its also a great place to get a Chinese history lesson. From the city walls to the Presidential Palace, its a walkable, friendly place with a variety of hotels for all budgets. Well worth the effort. It is also home to the tombs of three prominent figures in Chinese history.
Shaoxing 绍兴, about three hours away, is traditional Chinese tourist attraction featuring the famous fish and rice hometown. The ancient quarry of Keyan is an incredible site. Be sure to take a trip on the local rowboat on the lake surrounding the rocky cliffs. The Jianhu Lake is another beautiful area. Lan Ting is a nice park with lots of stone monuments engraved with historical Chinese calligraphy. The Dayu Ling (Tomb of the Great Yu) is nice although feels disappointingly unauthentic.
Wuzhen is one of the water towns close to Shanghai, easy to reach on a day trip. Busses depart e.g. from Shanghai Stadium. Go and see how daily life was/is - weaving and coloring fabric, pottery, the Shadow Puppet Theatre is a great spectactle as well, with traditional Chinese stories and music played on traditional instruments. Well worth a visit, though it can be crowded at weekends..Wuzhen (乌镇) is located on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and also around a net-work of other smaller canals and rivers. The town has numerous bridges, ancient harbors and water-side pavilions, and makes an excellent complimentary side-trip for visitors staying in nearby Hangzhou. Buses ply the route from Hangzhou to Wuzhen.
Several other major Chinese cities are near Shanghai and conveniently reachable on the new high speed (over 200 km/hr) trains. These are comfortable and reasonably priced and except at holidays, are not too crowded since other trains are cheaper. Look for the separate ticket windows with "CRH" on the signs.
Hangzhou 杭州, about 75 minutes away by CRH, is China's number one domestic tourist attraction featuring the famous Xihu Lake.
Suzhou 苏州, a historic town under an hour away from Shanghai by train. The city has long been lauded by emperors, ancient poets, and scholars alike for its beauty and vitality. Due to its many canals and bridges, Suzhou has also sometimes been referred to as the "Venice of the East". Suzhou has many gardens that are worth visiting. The "Venice of the East" parts of Suzhou have all been over run with agressive beggars and pan handlers. Reserve Suzhou if it can be combined with a tour of other historic areas.
Nanjing, about two hours away, is a great place to escape the pace of citylife. Its also a great place to get a Chinese history lesson. From the city walls to the Presidential Palace, its a walkable, friendly place with a variety of hotels for all budgets. Well worth the effort. It is also home to the tombs of three prominent figures in Chinese history.
Shaoxing 绍兴, about three hours away, is traditional Chinese tourist attraction featuring the famous fish and rice hometown. The ancient quarry of Keyan is an incredible site. Be sure to take a trip on the local rowboat on the lake surrounding the rocky cliffs. The Jianhu Lake is another beautiful area. Lan Ting is a nice park with lots of stone monuments engraved with historical Chinese calligraphy. The Dayu Ling (Tomb of the Great Yu) is nice although feels disappointingly unauthentic.
Wuzhen is one of the water towns close to Shanghai, easy to reach on a day trip. Busses depart e.g. from Shanghai Stadium. Go and see how daily life was/is - weaving and coloring fabric, pottery, the Shadow Puppet Theatre is a great spectactle as well, with traditional Chinese stories and music played on traditional instruments. Well worth a visit, though it can be crowded at weekends..Wuzhen (乌镇) is located on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and also around a net-work of other smaller canals and rivers. The town has numerous bridges, ancient harbors and water-side pavilions, and makes an excellent complimentary side-trip for visitors staying in nearby Hangzhou. Buses ply the route from Hangzhou to Wuzhen.
TRAVEL IN SHANGHAI part8
Eat
Shanghai's cuisine, like its people and culture, is primarily a fusion of the forms of the surrounding Jiangnan region, with influences sprinkled in more recently from the farther reaches of China and elsewhere. Characterized by some as sweet and oily, the method of preparation used in Shanghai, it emphasizes freshness and balance, with particular attention to the richness that sweet and sour characteristics can often bring to dishes that are otherwise generally savoury.
The name "Shanghai" means "upper harbour"/"above the sea", but paradoxically, the local preference for fish often tends toward the freshwater variety due to the city's location at the mouth of China's longest river. Seafood, nonetheless, retains great popularity and is often braised (fish), steamed (fish and shellfish), or stir-fried (shellfish). Watch out for any seafood that is fried, as these dishes rely far less on freshness and are often the remains of weeks' old purchases.
Shanghai's preference for meat is unquestionably pork. Pork is ubiquitous in the style of Chinese cooking, and in general if a mention refers to something as "meat" (肉) without any modifiers, the safe assumption is that it is pork. Ground pork is used for dumpling and bun fillings, whereas strips and slices of pork are promulgated in a variety of soups and stir-fries. The old standby of Shanghainese cooking is "red-cooked [braised/stewed] pork" (红烧肉), a traditional dish throughout Southern China with the added flair of anise and sweetness provided by the chefs of Shanghai.
Chicken takes the honorable mention in the meat category, and the only way to savor chicken in the Chinese way is to eat it whole (as opposed to smaller pieces in a stir-fry). Shanghai's chickens were once organic and grass-fed, yielding smaller birds offering more tender and flavorful meat than its hormone-injected Western counterparts. Unfortunately, these hormones have found their way to China, and today most chickens are little different from what can be found elsewhere. Still, the unforgettable preparations (drunken, salt-water, plain-boiled with dipping sauce, etc.) of whole chickens chopped up and brought to the table will serve as a reminder that while the industrialization of agriculture has arrived from the West, the preservation of flavor is still an essential element of the local cooking.
Those looking for less cholesterol-laden options need not fret. Shanghai lies at the heart of a region of China that produces and consumes a disproportionately large amount of soy. Thinking tofu? There's the stinky version that when deep-fried, permeates entire blocks with its earthy, often offensive aroma. Of course there are also tofu skins, soy milk (both sweet and savory), firm tofu, soft tofu, tofu custard (generally sweet and served from a road-side cart), dried tofu, oiled tofu, and every kind of tofu imaginable with the exception of tofurkey. There's also vegetarian duck, vegetarian chicken, and vegetarian goose, each of which looks and tastes nothing like the fowl after which it is named but is rather just a soy-dish where the bean curd is expected to approximate the meat's texture. Look out also for gluten-based foods at vegetarian restaurants, which unlike tofu, do not come with the phyto-estrogens that have recently made soy controversial within American vegetarian circles. If you are vegetarian, do be conscious that tofu in China is often regarded not as a substitute for meat (except by the vegetarian Buddhist monks) but rather as an accompaniment to it. As such, take extra care to ensure that your dish isn't served with peas and shrimp or stuffed with ground pork before you order it.
Some other Shanghainese dishes to look out for:
xiao long bao (小籠包, lit. buns from the little steaming cage, or little dragon buns). Probably the most famous Shanghai dish: small steamed buns - often confused for dumplings - come full of tasty (and boiling hot!) broth inside with a dab of meat to boot. The connoisseur bites a little hole into them first, sips the broth, then dips them in dark vinegar (醋 cu) to season the meat inside.
sheng jian bao (生煎包, lit. raw fried buns). Unlike xiao long bao, these larger buns come with dough from raised flour, are pan-fried until the bottoms reach a deliciously crispy brown, and have not made their way to Chinese menus around the world (or even around China). Still popular with Shanghainese for breakfast and best accompanied by vinegar, eat these with particular care, as the broth inside will squirt out just as easily as their steamed cousins.
dazha xie (hairy crabs). Best eaten in the winter months (Oct-Dec) and paired with Shaoxing wine to balance out your yin and yang.
xiefen shizitou (蟹粉狮子头, lit. crab powder lion heads). Actually pork meatballs containing crab meat.
You Tiao (油条, lit. oil stick). Long, deep-fried donut. One kind of breakfast that is very popular in Shanghai. Typically consumed in the morning with soy milk (dou jiang 豆浆).
For cheap Chinese eats, head for the alley known as Wujiang Road. For fancier food in nicer surroundings, try the upmarket restaurants of Xintiandi.
Vegetarians should not miss Vegetarian Life Style [9] (258, Fengxian Road and 77, Songshan Road) where you can experience nice, affordable and organic vegetarian food resembling real meat or fish dishes in a fancy atmosphere.
Drink
Tap water is not drinkable, but generally ok if boiled, though you may not like the taste. Tap water is also said to contain a high amount of heavy metals. Bottled water (and beer) is widely available.
The prices of drinks in cafes and bars in Shanghai vary depending on the location and target customers. They can be cheap or be real budget-busters, with a basic coffee or beer costing anything from ¥10 to ¥40 and up if ordered in the "wrong" place.
When buying bottled water, you will come across a whole range of mineral water. Of course you could go for the "Evian", "Volvic", but you could also get yourself a bottle of the locally produced Nestle, Coca Cola, or Pepsi varieties. They will cost you about 2.5 RMB, 1.5 RMB respectively and are available nearly everywhere. Convenience stores have inundated Shanghai and there seems to be a few on every street corner. If you intend to stay for a longer period, you may want to buy yourself one of those plastic water dispensers. Those you can mount with those 8-10 l water tanks, which can be ordered via phone. Clean those units with a bottle of white vinegar. That way you can keep your machine free of any germs.
Tsingtao beer and Snow beer are widely available, and both are considered to be China's best all-around options. Brands like Budweiser, Heineken, and Carlsberg are brewed either locally or somewhere else in China and are also relatively inexpensive. There is also a local brew known as REEB (beer spelled backwards). A large bottle of any of these (640 ml) anywhere from 1.95 to 6 RMB.
Shanghai is filled with amazing nightlife, complete with both affordable bars and nightclubs that pulsate with a city energy.
Sleep
Accommodation in Shanghai is generally on the expensive side, by both Chinese and Western standards. There are two kinds of hotels: Western-style luxury hotels catering to international business travelers, and smaller hotels for local Chinese travelers. A few backpacker style options have cropped up though, mostly in the older parts of town near The Bund.
Shanghai's cuisine, like its people and culture, is primarily a fusion of the forms of the surrounding Jiangnan region, with influences sprinkled in more recently from the farther reaches of China and elsewhere. Characterized by some as sweet and oily, the method of preparation used in Shanghai, it emphasizes freshness and balance, with particular attention to the richness that sweet and sour characteristics can often bring to dishes that are otherwise generally savoury.
The name "Shanghai" means "upper harbour"/"above the sea", but paradoxically, the local preference for fish often tends toward the freshwater variety due to the city's location at the mouth of China's longest river. Seafood, nonetheless, retains great popularity and is often braised (fish), steamed (fish and shellfish), or stir-fried (shellfish). Watch out for any seafood that is fried, as these dishes rely far less on freshness and are often the remains of weeks' old purchases.
Shanghai's preference for meat is unquestionably pork. Pork is ubiquitous in the style of Chinese cooking, and in general if a mention refers to something as "meat" (肉) without any modifiers, the safe assumption is that it is pork. Ground pork is used for dumpling and bun fillings, whereas strips and slices of pork are promulgated in a variety of soups and stir-fries. The old standby of Shanghainese cooking is "red-cooked [braised/stewed] pork" (红烧肉), a traditional dish throughout Southern China with the added flair of anise and sweetness provided by the chefs of Shanghai.
Chicken takes the honorable mention in the meat category, and the only way to savor chicken in the Chinese way is to eat it whole (as opposed to smaller pieces in a stir-fry). Shanghai's chickens were once organic and grass-fed, yielding smaller birds offering more tender and flavorful meat than its hormone-injected Western counterparts. Unfortunately, these hormones have found their way to China, and today most chickens are little different from what can be found elsewhere. Still, the unforgettable preparations (drunken, salt-water, plain-boiled with dipping sauce, etc.) of whole chickens chopped up and brought to the table will serve as a reminder that while the industrialization of agriculture has arrived from the West, the preservation of flavor is still an essential element of the local cooking.
Those looking for less cholesterol-laden options need not fret. Shanghai lies at the heart of a region of China that produces and consumes a disproportionately large amount of soy. Thinking tofu? There's the stinky version that when deep-fried, permeates entire blocks with its earthy, often offensive aroma. Of course there are also tofu skins, soy milk (both sweet and savory), firm tofu, soft tofu, tofu custard (generally sweet and served from a road-side cart), dried tofu, oiled tofu, and every kind of tofu imaginable with the exception of tofurkey. There's also vegetarian duck, vegetarian chicken, and vegetarian goose, each of which looks and tastes nothing like the fowl after which it is named but is rather just a soy-dish where the bean curd is expected to approximate the meat's texture. Look out also for gluten-based foods at vegetarian restaurants, which unlike tofu, do not come with the phyto-estrogens that have recently made soy controversial within American vegetarian circles. If you are vegetarian, do be conscious that tofu in China is often regarded not as a substitute for meat (except by the vegetarian Buddhist monks) but rather as an accompaniment to it. As such, take extra care to ensure that your dish isn't served with peas and shrimp or stuffed with ground pork before you order it.
Some other Shanghainese dishes to look out for:
xiao long bao (小籠包, lit. buns from the little steaming cage, or little dragon buns). Probably the most famous Shanghai dish: small steamed buns - often confused for dumplings - come full of tasty (and boiling hot!) broth inside with a dab of meat to boot. The connoisseur bites a little hole into them first, sips the broth, then dips them in dark vinegar (醋 cu) to season the meat inside.
sheng jian bao (生煎包, lit. raw fried buns). Unlike xiao long bao, these larger buns come with dough from raised flour, are pan-fried until the bottoms reach a deliciously crispy brown, and have not made their way to Chinese menus around the world (or even around China). Still popular with Shanghainese for breakfast and best accompanied by vinegar, eat these with particular care, as the broth inside will squirt out just as easily as their steamed cousins.
dazha xie (hairy crabs). Best eaten in the winter months (Oct-Dec) and paired with Shaoxing wine to balance out your yin and yang.
xiefen shizitou (蟹粉狮子头, lit. crab powder lion heads). Actually pork meatballs containing crab meat.
You Tiao (油条, lit. oil stick). Long, deep-fried donut. One kind of breakfast that is very popular in Shanghai. Typically consumed in the morning with soy milk (dou jiang 豆浆).
For cheap Chinese eats, head for the alley known as Wujiang Road. For fancier food in nicer surroundings, try the upmarket restaurants of Xintiandi.
Vegetarians should not miss Vegetarian Life Style [9] (258, Fengxian Road and 77, Songshan Road) where you can experience nice, affordable and organic vegetarian food resembling real meat or fish dishes in a fancy atmosphere.
Drink
Tap water is not drinkable, but generally ok if boiled, though you may not like the taste. Tap water is also said to contain a high amount of heavy metals. Bottled water (and beer) is widely available.
The prices of drinks in cafes and bars in Shanghai vary depending on the location and target customers. They can be cheap or be real budget-busters, with a basic coffee or beer costing anything from ¥10 to ¥40 and up if ordered in the "wrong" place.
When buying bottled water, you will come across a whole range of mineral water. Of course you could go for the "Evian", "Volvic", but you could also get yourself a bottle of the locally produced Nestle, Coca Cola, or Pepsi varieties. They will cost you about 2.5 RMB, 1.5 RMB respectively and are available nearly everywhere. Convenience stores have inundated Shanghai and there seems to be a few on every street corner. If you intend to stay for a longer period, you may want to buy yourself one of those plastic water dispensers. Those you can mount with those 8-10 l water tanks, which can be ordered via phone. Clean those units with a bottle of white vinegar. That way you can keep your machine free of any germs.
Tsingtao beer and Snow beer are widely available, and both are considered to be China's best all-around options. Brands like Budweiser, Heineken, and Carlsberg are brewed either locally or somewhere else in China and are also relatively inexpensive. There is also a local brew known as REEB (beer spelled backwards). A large bottle of any of these (640 ml) anywhere from 1.95 to 6 RMB.
Shanghai is filled with amazing nightlife, complete with both affordable bars and nightclubs that pulsate with a city energy.
Sleep
Accommodation in Shanghai is generally on the expensive side, by both Chinese and Western standards. There are two kinds of hotels: Western-style luxury hotels catering to international business travelers, and smaller hotels for local Chinese travelers. A few backpacker style options have cropped up though, mostly in the older parts of town near The Bund.
TRAVEL IN SHANGHAI part7
Buy
Shop until you drop on China's premier shopping street Nanjing Road, or head for the Yuyuan Bazaar for Chinese crafts and jewelry not far from the Bund. Nanjing Road is a long street. The more famous part lies in the east near the Bund (Nanjing Road East), with a 1-km long pedestrian boulevard (Metro line 2 at Nanjing Road East station, formerly called Henan Road station) lined with busy shops. The wide boulevard is often packed with people on weekends and holidays. The shops are often targeted to domestic tourists, so the prices are surprisingly reasonable. Local people often look down on Nanjing Road and shop at Huaihai Road (another busy shopping boulevard with more upscale stores) instead. For the high end boutiques, go to the west end of Nanjing Road West near Jing'an Temple. Several large shopping malls (Plaza 66 aka Henglong Plaza, Citic Plaza, Meilongzhen Plaza, and others being built) house boutiques bearing the most famous names in fashion. No. 3 on the Bund is another high-end shopping center featuring Giorgio Armani's flagship store in China.
For those interested in boutique shopping, head to the French Concession Streets Xin Le Road (新乐路), Chang Le Lu (长乐路）and An Fu Lu (安福路） starting from east of Shan Xi Road (陕西路) (nearest metro station is South Shan Xi Road on line 1). This section of low rise building and tree-lined streets bustles with small boutiques of clothing and accessories, where young Shanghainese looking for the latest fashions shop.
The infamous Xiangyang Market was finally shut down for good in June 2006. The biggest "replacement" market is in the metro station (Line 2) at the Shanghai Science & Technology Museum (上海科技馆). The most common name for the market is "A.P. New XinYang Fashion Market." There are a number of variations, and the name really doesn't even matter. The easiest way to get there is by metro and there you can purchase all your knock-off products. The place is much more overrun by foreigners than Qipu Lu (below), and as such the prices are much higher.
The horrendously crowded Qipu Lu clothing market is a mass of stalls jammed into a warehouse sized building which would take the casual stroller most of a day to look through. You'll find the cheapest clothes in the city here, but even the trendiest styles are clearly Chinese. Bargain hard, in Chinese if you can and make friends with the shop owners. Many of them have secret stashes of knock-offs in hidden rooms behind the stall "walls." Avoid this place on weekends at all costs.
Another option is the Pearl Plaza located on Yan'an Xi Lu and Hongmei Lu as well as the unassuming shopping center located on the corner of Nanjing Xi Lu and Chongqing Lu. Haggling can be fun for those who are accustomed to it, but those sensitive to the pressure might want to steer clear. Not only can it be stressful to haggle, but just walking in to the buildings can bring a horde of people upon you trying to sell you bags, watches, DVDs and all assortment of goods.
But rather than pursuing knock-offs of Western brands, one of the more interesting things to do in Shanghai is to check out the small boutiques in the French Concession area. Some of these are run by individual designers of clothing, jewelry etc and so the items on sale can truly be said to be unique. Visitors from overseas should expect the usual problem of finding larger sizes.
Shanghai Foreign Languages Bookstore (Shanghai Book Traders) at 390 Fuzhou Road (near People's Square) offers a lot of books in English and other major languages, especially for learning Chinese. Just around the corner at 36 South Shanxi Road you will also find a small but well-stocked second-hand foreign-language bookshop. Fuzhou Road is also a good street to wander around and find Chinese calligraphy related shops.
Those interested in DVDs of movies and television shows have a wide variety of options. Aside from the people selling DVDs out of boxes on street corners you can also find a good selection of movies at many local DVD shops in most neighborhoods. Perhaps the best way to score a deal with a shop is to be a regular. If you provide them repeat business they are usually quite happy to give you discounts for your loyal patronage. Typically DVDs can cost anywhere from ¥5 for standard disks to ¥10-12 for DVD-9 format disks.
However, if you are short on time in Shanghai and don't have the means to form a relationship with a shop, many people recommend the Ka De Club. An expat favorite for years, they have two shops: one in 483, Zhenning Road and the other one in 505, Da Gu Road (a small street between Weihai Road and Yan'an Road). While the selection at the Ka De Club isn't bad the downside of this store's popularity is that with so many foreigners giving them business, you tend to get somewhat higher prices than at local shops and haggling and repeat customer bargains are pretty much non-existent.
Antiques, jade and communist China memorabilia can be found in Dongtai Road Antiques Market, where you must bargain if you want to get a fair deal. Yuyuan Gardens is another good option for antiques as well as all manner of cheaply made and priced souvenirs (teapots, paintings, "silk" bags, etc.). There are two basement markets. You will have to hunt for them, but they are worth the effort. As with any market in China, don't be afraid to bargain to get a fair price.
Xujiahui metro station is the place to go if you're after game consoles (the Wii is available here in relative abundance), computers, computer accessories, or the like. You'll find pretty much everything electronic there, but the cellphone selection is a bit lacking.
If you're after a new cellphone, go to the Shanghai Railway Station. You can find good deals on secondhand phones as well as new phones (the selection is a mixed bag; you'll find Chinese off-brands mixed with reliable big-name brands like Samsung and Nokia as well as cutting-edge Japanese phones; if you live in North or South America be careful about buying the off-brand phones as most do not support the necessary frequencies for use there. Also, in the secondhand section of the market some of the phones are of dubious origin; CDMA phones may have their ESNs blacklisted in their home countries, but for GSM/3G phones the only issue is an ethical one. Be careful about prices that are too good to be true.
Bu Ye Cheng Communications Market (不夜城), (Shanghai Railway Station, exit 4 from line 1 side, turn left and it's the large gold building). 10am-6pm. This is the one of the best-known open-style market for cellphones in Shanghai. 1F/2F for new phones (two-way radios too), 3F for various collectibles. They have pretty much everything under the sun from new Japanese phones to Chinese no-names or knockoffs. Any reputable vendor that sets up shop here will allow you to try before you buy- if they don't, leave. Best way to get a good (or uncommon) phone for cheap. edit
Tailored clothes
Shanghai South Bund Material Market: 399 Lujiabang Road (陆家浜路) You can take bus #802 or #64 from the Shanghai Railroad Station and stop at the final stop: Nanpu Bridge Terminal or you can take the Metro Line 4 to the Nanpu Bridge (南浦桥) Station (exit from gate #1, make a left from the exit and then left again on the light. You will see it to your right after walking about 200 to 250m. Hrs: 10 am to 6 pm. Three floors of tailors and their materials including silk, cashmere, merino wool. Have items measured, fitted and finished within two days or bring examples, samples or pictures. Bargain hard with the friendly tailors.
Shop until you drop on China's premier shopping street Nanjing Road, or head for the Yuyuan Bazaar for Chinese crafts and jewelry not far from the Bund. Nanjing Road is a long street. The more famous part lies in the east near the Bund (Nanjing Road East), with a 1-km long pedestrian boulevard (Metro line 2 at Nanjing Road East station, formerly called Henan Road station) lined with busy shops. The wide boulevard is often packed with people on weekends and holidays. The shops are often targeted to domestic tourists, so the prices are surprisingly reasonable. Local people often look down on Nanjing Road and shop at Huaihai Road (another busy shopping boulevard with more upscale stores) instead. For the high end boutiques, go to the west end of Nanjing Road West near Jing'an Temple. Several large shopping malls (Plaza 66 aka Henglong Plaza, Citic Plaza, Meilongzhen Plaza, and others being built) house boutiques bearing the most famous names in fashion. No. 3 on the Bund is another high-end shopping center featuring Giorgio Armani's flagship store in China.
For those interested in boutique shopping, head to the French Concession Streets Xin Le Road (新乐路), Chang Le Lu (长乐路）and An Fu Lu (安福路） starting from east of Shan Xi Road (陕西路) (nearest metro station is South Shan Xi Road on line 1). This section of low rise building and tree-lined streets bustles with small boutiques of clothing and accessories, where young Shanghainese looking for the latest fashions shop.
The infamous Xiangyang Market was finally shut down for good in June 2006. The biggest "replacement" market is in the metro station (Line 2) at the Shanghai Science & Technology Museum (上海科技馆). The most common name for the market is "A.P. New XinYang Fashion Market." There are a number of variations, and the name really doesn't even matter. The easiest way to get there is by metro and there you can purchase all your knock-off products. The place is much more overrun by foreigners than Qipu Lu (below), and as such the prices are much higher.
The horrendously crowded Qipu Lu clothing market is a mass of stalls jammed into a warehouse sized building which would take the casual stroller most of a day to look through. You'll find the cheapest clothes in the city here, but even the trendiest styles are clearly Chinese. Bargain hard, in Chinese if you can and make friends with the shop owners. Many of them have secret stashes of knock-offs in hidden rooms behind the stall "walls." Avoid this place on weekends at all costs.
Another option is the Pearl Plaza located on Yan'an Xi Lu and Hongmei Lu as well as the unassuming shopping center located on the corner of Nanjing Xi Lu and Chongqing Lu. Haggling can be fun for those who are accustomed to it, but those sensitive to the pressure might want to steer clear. Not only can it be stressful to haggle, but just walking in to the buildings can bring a horde of people upon you trying to sell you bags, watches, DVDs and all assortment of goods.
But rather than pursuing knock-offs of Western brands, one of the more interesting things to do in Shanghai is to check out the small boutiques in the French Concession area. Some of these are run by individual designers of clothing, jewelry etc and so the items on sale can truly be said to be unique. Visitors from overseas should expect the usual problem of finding larger sizes.
Shanghai Foreign Languages Bookstore (Shanghai Book Traders) at 390 Fuzhou Road (near People's Square) offers a lot of books in English and other major languages, especially for learning Chinese. Just around the corner at 36 South Shanxi Road you will also find a small but well-stocked second-hand foreign-language bookshop. Fuzhou Road is also a good street to wander around and find Chinese calligraphy related shops.
Those interested in DVDs of movies and television shows have a wide variety of options. Aside from the people selling DVDs out of boxes on street corners you can also find a good selection of movies at many local DVD shops in most neighborhoods. Perhaps the best way to score a deal with a shop is to be a regular. If you provide them repeat business they are usually quite happy to give you discounts for your loyal patronage. Typically DVDs can cost anywhere from ¥5 for standard disks to ¥10-12 for DVD-9 format disks.
However, if you are short on time in Shanghai and don't have the means to form a relationship with a shop, many people recommend the Ka De Club. An expat favorite for years, they have two shops: one in 483, Zhenning Road and the other one in 505, Da Gu Road (a small street between Weihai Road and Yan'an Road). While the selection at the Ka De Club isn't bad the downside of this store's popularity is that with so many foreigners giving them business, you tend to get somewhat higher prices than at local shops and haggling and repeat customer bargains are pretty much non-existent.
Antiques, jade and communist China memorabilia can be found in Dongtai Road Antiques Market, where you must bargain if you want to get a fair deal. Yuyuan Gardens is another good option for antiques as well as all manner of cheaply made and priced souvenirs (teapots, paintings, "silk" bags, etc.). There are two basement markets. You will have to hunt for them, but they are worth the effort. As with any market in China, don't be afraid to bargain to get a fair price.
Xujiahui metro station is the place to go if you're after game consoles (the Wii is available here in relative abundance), computers, computer accessories, or the like. You'll find pretty much everything electronic there, but the cellphone selection is a bit lacking.
If you're after a new cellphone, go to the Shanghai Railway Station. You can find good deals on secondhand phones as well as new phones (the selection is a mixed bag; you'll find Chinese off-brands mixed with reliable big-name brands like Samsung and Nokia as well as cutting-edge Japanese phones; if you live in North or South America be careful about buying the off-brand phones as most do not support the necessary frequencies for use there. Also, in the secondhand section of the market some of the phones are of dubious origin; CDMA phones may have their ESNs blacklisted in their home countries, but for GSM/3G phones the only issue is an ethical one. Be careful about prices that are too good to be true.
Bu Ye Cheng Communications Market (不夜城), (Shanghai Railway Station, exit 4 from line 1 side, turn left and it's the large gold building). 10am-6pm. This is the one of the best-known open-style market for cellphones in Shanghai. 1F/2F for new phones (two-way radios too), 3F for various collectibles. They have pretty much everything under the sun from new Japanese phones to Chinese no-names or knockoffs. Any reputable vendor that sets up shop here will allow you to try before you buy- if they don't, leave. Best way to get a good (or uncommon) phone for cheap. edit
Tailored clothes
Shanghai South Bund Material Market: 399 Lujiabang Road (陆家浜路) You can take bus #802 or #64 from the Shanghai Railroad Station and stop at the final stop: Nanpu Bridge Terminal or you can take the Metro Line 4 to the Nanpu Bridge (南浦桥) Station (exit from gate #1, make a left from the exit and then left again on the light. You will see it to your right after walking about 200 to 250m. Hrs: 10 am to 6 pm. Three floors of tailors and their materials including silk, cashmere, merino wool. Have items measured, fitted and finished within two days or bring examples, samples or pictures. Bargain hard with the friendly tailors.
TRAVEL IN SHANGHAI part6
Do
Shanghai is a huge city, so all individual listings should be moved to the appropriate district articles, and this section should contain a brief overview. Please help to move listings if you are familiar with this city.
Walk along Fuxing Rd (复兴路) to see classical old buildings and enjoy the neatness of the road.
Take an elevator to the top of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower (东方明珠), the tallest TV tower in Asia with the height of 468 meters, and on a good day, the sprawling views are spectacular!
Enter Shanghai Xintiandi (新天地), Lane 181, Taicang Road. A small pedestrianised area of the city featuring rebuilt traditional shikumen [stone gate] houses. Housing a cinema complex, mall, numerous bars, cafés and art galleries marketed towards foreign visitors and the more affluent locals. Close to where the Communist party headquarters were located.
Enter Shanghai International Convention Center. Shanghai International Convention Center was opened for business in August 1999. The '99 Fortune Global Forum was held here. It is located in the southwest of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in Pudong. It covers an area of 45,000 square meters with a landscaped square of 30,000 square meters. It consists of several modernized halls including a 42,000-sq.m multi-functional hall, a 25,000-sq.m exhibition hall, a 11,000-sq.m underground exhibition hall and 20 meeting rooms of different sizes. There are 259 guest rooms, including presidential suites, executive suites, standard rooms, Chinese and Western restaurants, a coffee room, a nightclub, a show room, a gym, a swimming pool, a bowling room, a billiard room, a sauna bath and a shopping arcade.
See the giant panda and many more exotic animals at the Shanghai Zoo. Located near the Hongqiao airport, this is a spacious and modern zoo that's for the most part a far cry from the concrete animal prison in Beijing. Open daily from 6:30 to 17:00 (16:30 in winter), tickets are ¥30, or ¥40 including an elephant show. One kid not taller than 1.2m gets in for free together with one paying adult. Take bus 925 from Renmin Square (¥3) for about 45 minutes. Please follow the signs (even if the locals do not) and do not feed or tease the animals.
Walk along Nanjing Dong Lu (南京东路) in the evening. Start at People Square (人民广场) and enjoy the bright neons and lights of this pedestrian road. For a longer walk, continue your way to the Bund and enjoy the bright lights of Pudong. Be careful of pick-pockets and and people that come up to you for a chat. Usually, they have something to sell or a service to offer that is not in your best interest.
Take a ride on the Maglev train either to or from the Pudong Airport. 431 K/hr is a cool ride. Taxi's are plentiful at the Maglev station.
Take photos of the old style buildings in the Laocheng (Old Town) Huang Miao shopping district. Come back at night after 6.30 pm when the lights are on for an experience. Eat upstairs at one of the restaurants overlooking the square on Yu Yuan Lu (a pond criss-crossed by a zig-zag bridge and tea room) and see the reflections of the night lights. (The entrance to Yu Yuan Gardens can be found in the centre of this interesting area)
Take a tour of Shanghai on a vintage 1930's sidecar motorbike. They are flexible on the tours you want to do: I chose the changing architecture of Shanghai. Afternoon tour is better. www.shanghaisideways.com.
Go to the electronic market right next to baoshan metro station, they sell electronics, but also all sorts of crazy stuff. not too many foreigners go there yet so enjoy while it lasts.
Learn
Shanghai urban development is all about the 'five year plan'. Visit the Urban Planning Museum in People's Square for a fascinating look into Shanghai's colourful past, and learn about development strategies for the future. There is a heavy focus on eco-friendly satellite cities with spacious public centres and loads of greenery. The trip is worth it just for the scale model of Shanghai in ten years. All is located on the fourth floor, including a virtual tour of up-and-coming large scale public projects, which encompasses the World Expo 2010 site. It is located just across from the Shanghei Museum.
Work
There is lots of work for expatriates in Shanghai today. Construction is proceeding at an incredible pace and the economy is booming.
Shanghai is a huge city, so all individual listings should be moved to the appropriate district articles, and this section should contain a brief overview. Please help to move listings if you are familiar with this city.
Walk along Fuxing Rd (复兴路) to see classical old buildings and enjoy the neatness of the road.
Take an elevator to the top of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower (东方明珠), the tallest TV tower in Asia with the height of 468 meters, and on a good day, the sprawling views are spectacular!
Enter Shanghai Xintiandi (新天地), Lane 181, Taicang Road. A small pedestrianised area of the city featuring rebuilt traditional shikumen [stone gate] houses. Housing a cinema complex, mall, numerous bars, cafés and art galleries marketed towards foreign visitors and the more affluent locals. Close to where the Communist party headquarters were located.
Enter Shanghai International Convention Center. Shanghai International Convention Center was opened for business in August 1999. The '99 Fortune Global Forum was held here. It is located in the southwest of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in Pudong. It covers an area of 45,000 square meters with a landscaped square of 30,000 square meters. It consists of several modernized halls including a 42,000-sq.m multi-functional hall, a 25,000-sq.m exhibition hall, a 11,000-sq.m underground exhibition hall and 20 meeting rooms of different sizes. There are 259 guest rooms, including presidential suites, executive suites, standard rooms, Chinese and Western restaurants, a coffee room, a nightclub, a show room, a gym, a swimming pool, a bowling room, a billiard room, a sauna bath and a shopping arcade.
See the giant panda and many more exotic animals at the Shanghai Zoo. Located near the Hongqiao airport, this is a spacious and modern zoo that's for the most part a far cry from the concrete animal prison in Beijing. Open daily from 6:30 to 17:00 (16:30 in winter), tickets are ¥30, or ¥40 including an elephant show. One kid not taller than 1.2m gets in for free together with one paying adult. Take bus 925 from Renmin Square (¥3) for about 45 minutes. Please follow the signs (even if the locals do not) and do not feed or tease the animals.
Walk along Nanjing Dong Lu (南京东路) in the evening. Start at People Square (人民广场) and enjoy the bright neons and lights of this pedestrian road. For a longer walk, continue your way to the Bund and enjoy the bright lights of Pudong. Be careful of pick-pockets and and people that come up to you for a chat. Usually, they have something to sell or a service to offer that is not in your best interest.
Take a ride on the Maglev train either to or from the Pudong Airport. 431 K/hr is a cool ride. Taxi's are plentiful at the Maglev station.
Take photos of the old style buildings in the Laocheng (Old Town) Huang Miao shopping district. Come back at night after 6.30 pm when the lights are on for an experience. Eat upstairs at one of the restaurants overlooking the square on Yu Yuan Lu (a pond criss-crossed by a zig-zag bridge and tea room) and see the reflections of the night lights. (The entrance to Yu Yuan Gardens can be found in the centre of this interesting area)
Take a tour of Shanghai on a vintage 1930's sidecar motorbike. They are flexible on the tours you want to do: I chose the changing architecture of Shanghai. Afternoon tour is better. www.shanghaisideways.com.
Go to the electronic market right next to baoshan metro station, they sell electronics, but also all sorts of crazy stuff. not too many foreigners go there yet so enjoy while it lasts.
Learn
Shanghai urban development is all about the 'five year plan'. Visit the Urban Planning Museum in People's Square for a fascinating look into Shanghai's colourful past, and learn about development strategies for the future. There is a heavy focus on eco-friendly satellite cities with spacious public centres and loads of greenery. The trip is worth it just for the scale model of Shanghai in ten years. All is located on the fourth floor, including a virtual tour of up-and-coming large scale public projects, which encompasses the World Expo 2010 site. It is located just across from the Shanghei Museum.
Work
There is lots of work for expatriates in Shanghai today. Construction is proceeding at an incredible pace and the economy is booming.
TRAVEL IN SHANGHAI part5
Talk
The language of the streets is Shanghainese, part of the Wu group of Chinese dialects, which is not mutually intelligible with Mandarin, Cantonese, Minnan (Taiwanese/Hokkien) or other Chinese dialects. However, with Shanghai having been the commercial centre of China since the 1920's, Mandarin is understood and spoken fluently by almost everybody, including most of the elderly.
While you are more likely to encounter an English speaker in Shanghai than in any other mainland Chinese city, they are by no means common so it would be wise to have your destinations and hotel address written in Chinese so that taxi drivers can take you to your intended destination. Likewise, if planning to bargain at shops, a calculator would be useful.
See
Where to go in Shanghai depends largely on your time period. See Shanghai for the first-timer for a sample itinerary.
For a feel of the China of yesteryear, check out Yuyuan Gardens, which is loaded with classical Chinese architecture. A lot of history resides in this little garden and temple. They were commissioned in 1559, built over the course of 19 years, destroyed in 1842 during the first Opium War, and later rebuilt and reopened to the public in their current incarnation in 1961. Pathways wind through rock gardens and bamboo stands, and stone bridges cross pools filled with bright carp. The word "yu" translates to "peace and health"—and the park was certainly designed with tranquility in mind.
For a taste of 1920s Shanghai, head for the stately old buildings of the Bund. Or pay a visit to The French Concession, in Xuhui District (徐汇区), generally bound by Shan Xi Road to the East, Jian Guo Road to the South, Hua Shan Road to the West and Chang Le Road (长乐路) to the North. Some of the best sections are along Hu Nan Road (湖南路), Fu Xing Road (复兴路), Shao Xing Road (绍兴路) and Heng Shan Road (衡山路). The area is fast becoming famous for boutique shopping along Xin Le Lu, Chang Le Lu and An Fu Lu (安福路), all of which also have interesting restaurants.
For 21st-century Shanghai, cross the river to gawk at the skyscrapers of Pudong. The area surrounding the People's Square is also great for skyscrapers, as well as Nanjing West Road (南京西路).
To get away from the frentic pace of Shagnhai, you should visit the Longhua Temple. It takes a while to get there but it's not as busy as the Jade Buddha Temple and the experience is fulfilling. You can also have a nice vegetarian Buddhist meal in both Temples.
For Shanghai's modern cultural innovations and a look into the hot contemporary art scene, head to the Tai Kang Road creative enclave. People from all walks of life converge amongst the traditional Shikumen thats home to design stores, fashion boutiques and cafes representing the best of Shanghai creativity. Unique local brands such as Vervia are amongst the most interesting, combining Eastern and Western influences to be at the forefront of modern Shanghai design.
The language of the streets is Shanghainese, part of the Wu group of Chinese dialects, which is not mutually intelligible with Mandarin, Cantonese, Minnan (Taiwanese/Hokkien) or other Chinese dialects. However, with Shanghai having been the commercial centre of China since the 1920's, Mandarin is understood and spoken fluently by almost everybody, including most of the elderly.
While you are more likely to encounter an English speaker in Shanghai than in any other mainland Chinese city, they are by no means common so it would be wise to have your destinations and hotel address written in Chinese so that taxi drivers can take you to your intended destination. Likewise, if planning to bargain at shops, a calculator would be useful.
See
Where to go in Shanghai depends largely on your time period. See Shanghai for the first-timer for a sample itinerary.
For a feel of the China of yesteryear, check out Yuyuan Gardens, which is loaded with classical Chinese architecture. A lot of history resides in this little garden and temple. They were commissioned in 1559, built over the course of 19 years, destroyed in 1842 during the first Opium War, and later rebuilt and reopened to the public in their current incarnation in 1961. Pathways wind through rock gardens and bamboo stands, and stone bridges cross pools filled with bright carp. The word "yu" translates to "peace and health"—and the park was certainly designed with tranquility in mind.
For a taste of 1920s Shanghai, head for the stately old buildings of the Bund. Or pay a visit to The French Concession, in Xuhui District (徐汇区), generally bound by Shan Xi Road to the East, Jian Guo Road to the South, Hua Shan Road to the West and Chang Le Road (长乐路) to the North. Some of the best sections are along Hu Nan Road (湖南路), Fu Xing Road (复兴路), Shao Xing Road (绍兴路) and Heng Shan Road (衡山路). The area is fast becoming famous for boutique shopping along Xin Le Lu, Chang Le Lu and An Fu Lu (安福路), all of which also have interesting restaurants.
For 21st-century Shanghai, cross the river to gawk at the skyscrapers of Pudong. The area surrounding the People's Square is also great for skyscrapers, as well as Nanjing West Road (南京西路).
To get away from the frentic pace of Shagnhai, you should visit the Longhua Temple. It takes a while to get there but it's not as busy as the Jade Buddha Temple and the experience is fulfilling. You can also have a nice vegetarian Buddhist meal in both Temples.
For Shanghai's modern cultural innovations and a look into the hot contemporary art scene, head to the Tai Kang Road creative enclave. People from all walks of life converge amongst the traditional Shikumen thats home to design stores, fashion boutiques and cafes representing the best of Shanghai creativity. Unique local brands such as Vervia are amongst the most interesting, combining Eastern and Western influences to be at the forefront of modern Shanghai design.
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