The Ninth Harbour › China
Shanghai
Art Deco boulevards facing a skyline from the future.
Shanghai faces itself across the Huangpu River: the grand 1920s banks and hotels of the Bund on one side, the glittering towers of Pudong on the other. In between are leafy lanes of the old French Concession, soup dumplings and some of Asia’s best cocktail bars.
Best time to visit: March to May and September to November. Language: Mandarin (Shanghainese locally). Currency: Chinese yuan (CNY).
Did you know?
- At 632 metres, the Shanghai Tower is one of the tallest buildings in the world.
- The Port of Shanghai is the busiest container port on earth.
- The Shanghai Maglev is one of the fastest commercial trains anywhere, linking the airport to the city in minutes.
Things to do in Shanghai
- Oriental Pearl Tower (Observation tower): The Oriental Pearl Tower is a futurist TV tower in Lujiazui, Shanghai.
- Shanghai Museum (Museum): The Shanghai Museum is a public municipal museum of ancient Chinese art, situated on the People's Square in the Huangpu District of Shanghai, China.
- Yu Garden (Park, free): Yu Garden or Yuyuan Garden is an extensive Chinese garden located beside the City God Temple in the northeast of the Old City of Shanghai at Huangpu District, Shanghai.
- People's Square (Square, free): People's Square is a large public square in the Huangpu District of Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Grand Theatre (Concert hall): The Shanghai Grand Theatre is a complex located at the intersection of Renmin Avenue and Huangpi North Road in the northern part of the People's Square in the Huangpu District of Shanghai.
- Jade Buddha Temple (Buddhist temple, free): The Jade Buddha Temple is a Buddhist temple in Shanghai.
- Saint Ignatius Cathedral (Cathedral, free): The Cathedral of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, also known as the Xujiahui Cathedral or sometimes known as the Xujiahui Catholic Church, is the Catholic cathedral of the Latin Church diocese of Shanghai, located in Xujiahui,
- Jing'an Temple (Buddhist temple, free): Jing'an Temple is an esoteric Tangmi Buddhist temple on West Nanjing Road in Shanghai.
- Shanghai Science and Technology Museum (Museum): Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is a large museum in Pudong, Shanghai, close to Century Park, the largest park within the inner districts of the city.
- China Art Museum (Art museum): China Art Museum, Shanghai is a municipal art museum of Shanghai City.
- Xiaotaoyuan Mosque (Mosque, free): The Xiaotaoyuan Mosque, formerly known as the Islamic Western Mosque or the Shanghai Western Mosque, is a mosque in Huangpu District, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center (Museum): The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center is located on People's Square, Shanghai, adjacent to the municipal government building.
- Shanghai Zoo (Zoo): Shanghai Zoological Park, or commonly Shanghai Zoo in short, is one of the two main zoos in Shanghai.
- Longhua Temple (Buddhist temple, free): The Longhua Temple is a Buddhist temple dedicated to the Maitreya Buddha in Shanghai.
- Lu Xun Park (Park, free): Lu Xun Park, formerly Hongkou Park, is a municipal park in Hongkou District of Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Art Museum (Museum): The Shanghai Art Museum was an art museum in the city of Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Natural History Museum (Museum): The Shanghai Natural History Museum is a museum dedicated to natural history in the city of Shanghai.
- Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum (Synagogue): The Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum is a museum commemorating the Jewish refugees who lived in Shanghai after fleeing Europe to escape Nazi persecution.
- Site of the First Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (Museum): The Site of the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party is now preserved as a museum in Shanghai, China.
- Fuyou Road Mosque (Mosque, free): The Fuyou Road Mosque, also known as the North Mosque, is a mosque in the Huangpu District of Shanghai, China.
- Jiangwan Mosque (Mosque, free): The Jiangwan Mosque is a mosque in Yangpu District, Shanghai, China.
- Pudong Mosque (Mosque, free): The Pudong Mosque is a mosque in Pudong, Shanghai, China.
- Saint Peter's Church (Church, free): St Peter's Church is a Catholic church in Huangpu District, Shanghai.
- Century Park (Park, free): Century Park is the largest park in Shanghai, located at the end of Century Avenue on Jinxiu Road, in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai, near the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum.
- People's Park (Park, free): People's Park is a public park in Huangpu District of central Shanghai.
- Shanghai Botanical Garden (Botanic garden): The Shanghai Botanical Garden is a botanic garden located in the southwestern suburbs of Shanghai, China, in the Xuhui District.
- Saint Joseph's Church (Church, free): St.
- Gongqing Forest Park (Park, free): Gongqing Forest Park is the second-largest park in the city of Shanghai.
- St. Francis Xavier Church (Church, free): The St.
- Huangpu Park (Park, free): Huangpu Park is the name of the triangular stretch of green at the northern end of the Bund in Shanghai, the oldest and smallest park of the city.
- Huxi Mosque (Mosque, free): The Huxi Mosque is a mosque in Putuo District, Shanghai, China.
- Zhenru Temple (Buddhist temple, free): Zhenru Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Putuo District of Shanghai, China.
- Jinjiang Action Park (Amusement park): Jinjiang Action Park is a large amusement park at No.
- Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai (Art museum): The Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai is a contemporary art museum in the city of Shanghai, China.
- Long Museum (Art museum): The Long Museum is a private art museum in Shanghai, China, founded by Liu Yiqian and his wife Wang Wei.
- Changfeng Park (Park, free): Changfeng Park is a landscaped park in the west of Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Concert Hall (Concert hall): Cadillac·Shanghai Concert Hall is located on the intersection of Yan'an Road and South Tibet Road of Huangpu District, Shanghai.
- Xujiahui Park (Park, free): Xujiahui Park is a park in Xuhui District, Shanghai.
- Shanghai Ocean Aquarium (Aquarium): The Shanghai Ocean Aquarium is a public aquarium located in Shanghai, China.
- Gucun Park (Park, free): Gucun Park is a large park located in Gucun, Baoshan District, Shanghai, China.
- Chenxiang Pavilion (Buddhist temple, free): Chenxiang Pavilion or Chenxiangge Nunnery is a Buddhist temple located in the Huangpu District of Shanghai.
- Monument to Frederic Chopin in Shanghai (Monument, free): The Frédéric Chopin Memorial is a bronze sculpture in Shanghai, China, in the Zhongshan Park, within the Changning district.
- Dajing Ge Pavilion (History museum): The Dàjìng Gé Pavilion is a museum and ancient temple of Shanghai, incorporating the last remaining portions of the walls of the Old City of Shanghai.
- Fuxing Park (Park, free): Fuxing Park is located in the former French Concession of Shanghai, China, in Luwan District near Nanchang Road; the main entrance is at the cross street of Fuxingzhong Road and Chongqingnan Road.
- Jing'an Park (Park, free): Jing'an Park is a park located in the Western section of Nanjing Road, just opposite the Jing'an Temple in Shanghai, China.
- Propaganda Poster Art Centre (Museum, hidden gem): The Propaganda Poster Art Centre is a museum located in Shanghai which exhibits posters from the Maoist period of communist China, especially from the Cultural Revolution period.
- Rockbund Art Museum (Art museum, hidden gem): The Rockbund Art Museum is a contemporary art museum in central Shanghai.
- Guilin Park (Park, free, hidden gem): Guilin Park is a public park in Shanghai, China.
- Gucheng Park (Park, free, hidden gem): Gucheng Park is a park located at the east end of Renmin Road in Shanghai, China.
- C. Y. Tung Maritime Museum (Museum, hidden gem): The C.
- Shanghai Expo Park (Park, free, hidden gem): Shanghai Expo Park is a park in the district of Pudong within Shanghai.
- Shanghai Railway Museum (Museum, hidden gem): Shanghai North railway station, located on East Tianmu Road, was the main railway station of Shanghai during most of the 20th century.
- Xiao Hui Wang Art Museum (Art museum, hidden gem): The Xiao Hui Wang Art Museum is a contemporary art museum in Suzhou.
- Majestic Theatre (Theatre, hidden gem): Cinema in Shanghai.
Where to eat and drink in Shanghai
- Din Tai Fung, Xintiandi: Famously precise xiaolongbao soup dumplings.
- Jia Jia Tang Bao, Huangpu: A local favourite for soup dumplings since the 1980s.
- Lost Heaven on the Bund, The Bund: Yunnan cooking in a candlelit Bund townhouse.
- Bar Rouge, The Bund: Rooftop terrace facing the Pudong skyline.
- Fabula, Shanghai: Contemporary Cantonese and Ningbo cooking.
- Akanee, Shanghai: Modern Thai cooking.
- Pepite, Xuhui: A French seafood spot in the former French Concession.
- Juniper, Suzhou Creek: Restaurant and bar with a vast gin collection by Suzhou Creek.