Spoil of the Opium Wars, Shanghai was opened to trade in 1842 and subsequently carved up into concessions by foreigners from around the world – an experiment that gave the city its global soul, its thirst for progress and its knack for international commerce. However, such foreign dominance also created a cauldron for resentment, and the Chinese Communist Party held its first meeting here in 1921. Revolution marched alongside old Shanghai’s decadent ways, finally winning over the city in May 1949. Since the beginning of the era of ‘reform and opening up’ in 1978, Shanghai has been on a vast growth trajectory, transforming its skyline and economy, building, booming and innovating. The result? A truly global city for the 21st century.
The Oriental Pearl Tower
Dreamstime
The routes in this book, arranged geographically, take in the different parts of the multilayered Shanghai story – old and new, international and Chinese, business and cultural.
Getting a good view of Pudong
David Shen Kai/Apa Publications
Navigating the city
Shanghai borders the East China Sea to the east, Hangzhou Bay to the south, and the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the west. The limits of this maritime city’s neighbourhoods are also defined by its waterways; the Huangpu River separates Shanghai’s newest district, Pudong (‘east of the Huangpu’) from the rest of the city, Puxi (‘west of the Huangpu’, pronounced ‘poo-shee’). The Suzhou Creek divides Puxi’s thriving heart from its quieter northern suburbs.
Lanterns inside the Jade Buddha Temple
Ryan Pyle/Apa Publications
Shanghai Municipality covers roughly 6,340 sq km (2,450 sq miles), within which lie its 17 districts. New district boundaries have been drawn, but the shape and feel of the old foreign settlements and Nanshi (‘the old Chinese City’) are still discernible. Streets run north to south and east to west in grid-like fashion, except for oval-shaped Nanshi, which follows the lines of the old city wall, and People’s Square, defined by the ghost of the old racetrack. The major streets run the length of the city and have directional tags: Huaihai Road West, Central and East, for example. Buildings are usually numbered sequentially (but not always); odd numbers on one side of the street and even numbers on the other; the numbering on residential lanes (longtang) that run off the main streets bears no relation to the main street numbering.
The 98km (61-mile) outer ring road, the A20, takes a lap outside the city limits, while the inner ring Zhongshan Road loops around the perimeter of Puxi and Pudong, changing its name in Pudong and east Hongkou before turning back into Zhongshan Road. The city is bisected from east to west by the Yan’an Road Elevated Highway. Crossing the Huangpu River to Pudong from Puxi can be done via ferry, metro, 12 bridges including Nanpu, Yangpu and Lupu, or 13 tunnels.
Street signs are written in pinyin romanisation (or in some cases, in English) and Chinese characters, but most locals and taxi drivers know streets only by their Chinese names. Public transport is modern, clean, efficient and wide-reaching. It’s also fairly accessible for foreigners in that most signage and announcements are in both Chinese and English (bus stop signs are the one exception). However, very little English is spoken by drivers and other transport workers.
History and architecture
Shanghai’s history stretches back to the year 751, when Huating County was officially recognised. By 1292, the central government had established Shanghai County, acknowledged as a direct ancestor of contemporary Shanghai. The character of Shanghai as we know it today, however, was most profoundly shaped in the aftermath of the first Opium War in 1842. The treaty that ended that war divided the city into international concessions and brought in a cosmopolitan mix of traders, adventurers and people from around the world fleeing from poverty, revolution and war. Fortunes were made (and lost), and Shanghai began to develop the glamorous sheen and business acumen that it retains today. For key dates for more information, click here.
Soaring skyline
This influx also exerted a profound influence on the city’s built environment. Architects from China and around the world created buildings in international styles. Neoclassical, Tudor Revival, Mediterranean, Italianate and most notably Art Deco all feature in Shanghai’s landscape. Even the city’s domestic longtang lanes and shikumen houses are an East–West hybrid, unique to Shanghai (for more information, click here).
Shanghai’s economic rise since the mid-1990s echoes the 1930s boom with a brand-new skyline and a particular fondness for skyscrapers. The city has thousands of high-rises, with thousands more planned, and three of the world’s 12 tallest buildings rise up proudly (the Shanghai Tower, World Financial Centre and Jinmao Tower).
Shoppers pose for pictures in Xintandi
Ryan Pyle/Apa Publications
The Shanghai Science and Technology Museum
David Shen Kai/Apa Publications
Playing Chinese chess in People’s Park
David Shen Kai/Apa Publications
Climate
Shanghai’s northern subtropical monsoon climate means plenty of rainfall during the summer months, and four distinct seasons: a hot, humid summer; a damp, cold winter; and crisp, if brief, spring and autumn, which are the best times to visit (for more information, click here).
The Shanghainese
Shanghai’s population of 23 million is made up of 14.12 million registered Shanghai residents and a further 9 million with household registrations outside the city. The city’s burgeoning expatriate population – more than 164,000 from around the world – lends the city a vibrantly cosmopolitan feel.
Shanghainese are considered to be smart, hip – and a little arrogant. The men have a reputation for being shrewd businessmen, but docile at home – Shanghai men famously, uncomplainingly, carry their girlfriends’ handbags. The women are just as sharp as the men when it comes to business, and very well turned out. Impressions count a great deal here: visitors from Beijing chuckle that even the undersides of the city’s elevated highways are painted. Shanghainese are conspicuous consumers, with a passion for upmarket brands, luxury cars and fine dining. The city’s history of amalgamating East and West gave rise to a style called hai pai, which translates today to an openness to Western ideas and customs.
Local customs
Shanghai has a relentless big-city pace, rising early and going to bed late. By 7am, the tai chi practitioners and ballroom dancers are going through their paces in the parks, and the markets are buzzing. Offices, banks and museums are open by 9am, while shops open between 10 and 11am, and restaurants begin serving lunch by 11.30am.
Shanghai has a lively nightlife scene, and the city’s bars and clubs keep going well into the early hours, with some remaining open all night.
Speaking English
The city has the largest population of English-speakers in the country, yet there are still numerous situations in which very little English is spoken – these include taxis, markets, shopping centres, public transport (though the signs are bilingual), police, local hospitals (though some have a ‘foreigners’ section’) and some government offices. In most public places, however, you will probably find English-speaking locals, who are usually happy to help.
Besides an English newspaper (Shanghai Daily) and a TV channel with 24-hour English and Japanese programmes, there is also a service hotline (tel: 962288) with 15 languages to assist foreigners in Shanghai.
Don’t leave Shanghai without...
Strolling along the Bund. Take a leisurely wander along Shanghai’s iconic waterfront promenade admiring the historic stone edifices of the former ‘Wall Street of Asia’. Take the obligatory snap of the futuristic towers that face-off across the river then retire to one of the Bund’s glam restaurants or bars. Our pick: The Long Bar or M on the Bund terrace. For more information, click here.
Taking in sky-high views. Ascend one of Pudong’s glittering skyscrapers (for more information, click here) for vertiginous views across the vast metropolis. The 100-storey glass-bottom bridge atop the Shanghai World Financial Centre is presently the city’s tallest.
Discovering Chinese contemporary art. Check out the cutting edge of Chinese contemporary art at M50 art district beside Suzhou Creek, filled with small galleries and working artist studios. For more information, click here.
Experiencing Shanghai’s legendary nightlife. Shanghai is at its best after dark. Don your glad rags and join the all-night party at one of the glamorous cocktail lounges or clubs along the Bund (for more information, click here). Or visit a live jazz bar (for more information, click here) – the soundtrack to Shanghai’s 1930s golden age.
Exploring atmospheric old lanes and heritage villas. Despite the onslaught of high-rise development, Shanghai has managed to hold onto many of its old neighbourhoods. Lively residential lanes lined with traditional shikumen houses remain in areas around Nanjing Road West (for more information, click here) and the former French Concession (for more information, click here). Here, you can also visit the well-preserved former residences of luminaries such as Sun Yat-Sen, Zhou Enlai and Soong Qingling (for more information, click here).
Revving through the lanes in a sidecar motorcycle. There’s no more thrilling way to explore Shanghai’s colourful neighbourhoods than by vintage sidecar motorcycle. Shanghai Insiders (for more information, click here) offers narrated tours of the city in a Changjiang 750cc, a replica of the Russian Ural sidecar that was formerly used by China’s People’s Liberation Army.
Daytripping through classical Chinese landscapes. Hangzhou (for more information, click here) and Suzhou (for more information, click here) are famed throughout China for their idyllic gardens and lakes. High-speed road and rail links mean that both are easily accessed from Shanghai.
Chowing down on local dumplings. Shanghai’s dumplings are justly famous. Savour the juicy steamed xiaolongbao at Din Tai Fung or Nanxiang (for more information, click here) and the hearty, pan-fried shengjianbao at Yang’s Dumpling (for more information, click here). Bite carefully as they are filled with scalding broth!
Getting a grasp on past and future. A visit to the excellent Shanghai Museum is a great way to learn about Shanghai’s long history and put the modern city into some sort of context. Close by, the Urban Planning Centre gives a view on what’s still to come. For more information, click here.
Politics and economics
Shanghai is known for sending its politicians on to bigger jobs in Beijing. Jiang Zemin and Zhu Rongji are both former mayors who went on to become president and premier respectively. Xi Jinping, a former Shanghai Communist Party Secretary – the top-ranked position – is now the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee.
China’s financial capital
Shanghai is China’s beating economic heart, and its financial capital. It is also the location for China’s first free trade zone, which was launched in September 2013, part of a state-planned agenda for the city to be a fully-fledged global financial centre by 2020. With just 0.06% of the nation’s land area, Shanghai still manages to contribute more than four percent of China’s GDP.
Per capita GDP in 2012 was RMB85,373 (around USD14,120 at early 2014 exchange rates), on a par with a medium-sized developed country. In recent years, the city has witnessed unprecedented economic expansion in tandem with impressive infrastructure development – much of which was completed in time to host the record-breaking 2010 World Expo. Even as the pace slows as the national economy matures, GDP still increased by 7.5 percent in 2012. Overall optimism continues and consumer spending is strong; with retail sales rising 8.8 percent in 2012, and 8.7 percent in the first 10 months of 2013.
The government’s massive investments during the 2008 financial crisis and Expo kept the Shanghai economy vibrant, but recognising that a more sustainable model was needed to the long-term, it is now focused on the transition to a consumption-driven economy even at the cost of lower GDP growth rate. The second area of long-term focus is the movement from being the world’s factory – ie manufacturing – to a more creative, or innovation-oriented society: from ‘Made in China’ to ‘Invented in China’. These transitions will help the government achieve its goal of becoming an international economic, financial, trade and shipping center by 2020.
Hand-in-hand with the economic policies designed to assure a well-off society, the government is also working to accelerate social development with the focus of improving livelihoods. To date, they have provided 17 million square metres of low-income housing, and the average living space of urban residents has been improved to 17 square metres. More resources have been invested in community nursing services for the elderly, and significant reform of the city’s medi-care system is on the way.
Animal statue in the Shanghai Museum
Ryan Pyle/Apa Publications
In Yuyuan Garden
David Shen Kai/Apa Publications
Girls in Qing Dynasty attire showing tea art at a festival
David Shen Kai/Apa Publications
What this means for the visitor is that Shanghai offers luxuries that few other Chinese cities can afford, with rates to match. Top-end hotels and restaurants command international price tags – and these are now being targeted more and more at the increasingly wealthy domestic market.
Top tips for visiting Shanghai
Getting around. Most taxi drivers in Shanghai speak no English so it’s a good idea to carry the names of the places you want to visit written in English, pinyin and Chinese characters (the Chinese characters for the driver, the English for you, and the pinyin so you can confirm phonetically what the driver is saying). Your hotel concierge should be able to help.
Addresses. As many of the streets in Shanghai are very long, it is best to know the closest cross street to your destination – taxi drivers will be grateful.
Kids’ entry prices. Ticket prices for children are most often determined by height, rather than age – if they’re under 1.4m (4.6ft), they’ll pay the reduced rate.
Maps. Free tourist maps of Shanghai in English are available at the airport (pick one up before you reach Customs) and at concierge desks of most hotels.
ATMs. International credit cards and bankcards (Cirrus, Plus, Visa, MasterCard, American Express) can be used to withdraw local currency from the ATMs of Chinese and foreign banks, which are easily found throughout the city.
Mobile SIM cards. To avoid roaming charges, get a pre-paid SIM card with a local number and fixed number of minutes. Many phone providers, hotels, convenience stores and self-serve kiosks at airports sell them in denominations of RMB100.
Theatre tickets. For a detailed list of arts and cultural performances in Shanghai, check out www.culture.sh.cn. You can book tickets via the website hotline (6217 2426) or directly with the venue.
Airports. Check your air ticket carefully as Shanghai has two airports: Pudong International Airport (30km east of city – code PVG) is mainly for international flights. Hongqiao Airport (15km west of city – SHA) is for domestic flights and some Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korean routes.
French Concession walking tours. Shanghai’s historic preservation group, Historic Shanghai (info@historic-shanghai.com), leads a monthly walking tour of the former French Concession. Led by Chinese-speaking historians and sinologists, the tours take you into homes, courtyards and hidden lanes to meet the locals and reveal layers of Shanghai’s fascinating history.
Train timetable. High-speed trains tend to be most convenient for short-haul travel within China. Train timetables in English can be found at Travel China Guide (www.travelchinaguide.com/china-trains), which also has a handy app called China Trains that enables ticket bookings. ‘G’ trains are the fastest.
Huangpu ferry. A fun way to cross the river between Puxi and Pudong is via a local ferry. It costs just RMB2 and the views are priceless.