About Shanghai
What to see and do in Shanghai
Weather in Shanghai
Airport in Shanghai
Visa

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with over 20 million people. Located on China's central eastern coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the city is administered as a municipality of the People's Republic of China with province-level status.

Originally a fishing and textiles town, Shanghai grew to importance in the 19th century due to its favourable port location and as one of the cities opened to foreign trade by the 1842 Treaty of Nanking. The city flourished as a center of commerce between east and west, and became a multinational hub of finance and business by the 1930s.However, Shanghai's prosperity was interrupted after the 1949 Communist takeover and the subsequent cessation of foreign investment. As a Result of Economic reforms in 1990, intense development and financing in Shanghai has resulted , and in 2005 Shanghai became the world's busiest cargo port.

The city is an emerging tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks such as the Bund and Xintiandi, its modern and ever-expanding Pudong skyline including the Oriental Pearl Tower, and its new reputation as a cosmopolitan center of culture and design. Today, Shanghai is the largest center of commerce and finance in mainland China, and has been described as the "showpiece" of the world's fastest-growing economy.

Districts
Shanghai is split in two by the Huangpu River, with the older town on the west bank known as Puxi and the brash new development on the east side being Pudong.

Areas within Puxi:

The Bund - The colonial riverside of old (and reborn) Shanghai, including the Yuyuan Gardens.The Bund has dozens of historical buildings, lining the Huangpu River, that once housed numerous banks and trading houses from Britain, France, the U.S., Russia, Germany,and many other countries. A building boom at the end of 19th century and beginning of 20th century led to the Bund becoming a major financial hub of East Asia.

French Concession - The leafy district once known as the Paris of the East, includes the refurbished shikumen houses of Xintiandi. The blending of architecture styles, bustling street life, and wealth of international Shanghai fusion culture make the French Concession one of Shanghai's most rich and vibrant neighborhoods. You would be well advised to spend many a day (and night) here enjoying the pleasures of life.

Xujiahui - The southwest part of Shanghai; one of the city's business and upscale shopping districts.

Gubei - The center of expatriate life in Shanghai. A huge number of Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean, European, Australian, and North American workers reside in one of Gubei's many high rise apartment buildings and residential compounds. A large crop of international restaurants, often designed to provide the comforts of home to these expat populations, have cropped up as a result, as have a few department stores and hotels. A good place to go to check out how many foreigners live in Shanghai.

Nanjing Road - One of China's most famous shopping streets, it passes Jing'an, leading to People's Park and The Bund.

Hongkou - Home for famed writer Lu Xun, now including a Memorial Park and a museum, as well as a football (soccer) stadium. Once home to Shanghai's substantial Jewish population in the first half of the 20th century.

Yangpu - Where the famous Fudan University and Tongji University are located. Also contains the excellent and spacious GongQing forest park.

Jing'An Temple - Commercial area on Nanjing Rd.

Across the river:

Pudong - The skyscraper-laden new financial and commercial district on the east bank of the river

Outlying districts:

Jiading
Qingpu
Jinshan
Nanhui
Songjiang

What to see and do in Shanghai:

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, 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 to the North. Some of the best sections are along Hu Nan Road, Fu Xing Road, Shao Xing Road and Heng Shan Road. The area is fast becoming famous for boutique shopping along Xin Le Lu, Chang Le Lu and An Fu Lu, 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.

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.

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 to see classical old buildings and enjoy the neatness of the road.

Take an elevator to the top of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, 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, 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, caf's 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 RMB 30, or RMB 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 (RMB 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 in the evening. Start at People Square 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: 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.

Other places to visit in Shanghai:

50 Moganshan Road Art Centre
Chinese contemporary art has been the hottest thing in the art world for the last few years and there's no sign of the boom ending, with collectors paying record prices for the work of top artists. Traditionally Beijing dominates the art scene in China. But Shanghai has its own thriving artistic community, centred on this complex of industrial buildings down dusty Moganshan Rd and edging up Suzhou Creek in the north of town.

Art Scene China
Contemporary Chinese art is exhibited over two floors in this lovingly restored 1930s villa. Hidden away in a quiet alley off West Fuxing Rd, the white-painted house's French Concession interior is simple and uncluttered, with a pleasant garden and an absorbing range of contemporary Chinese art work.

Aura Gallery
This old warehouse space houses changing exhibits by young contemporary Chinese artists and is worth astop en route to or from the Jewish area. Check magazine listings to see what's on. While you're at it, check to see what's exhibiting at the 3rd-floor DDM Warehouse.

Baiyun Temple
Relocated from southwest of the Old Town, the port-red Taoist Baiyun (White Cloud) Temple stands separated from Dajing Pavilion by Dajing Lane and fronted by a twin-eaved entrance. Though nowhere near as big as its Beijing namesake, the temple is worth a peek for its colossal effigy of the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Dad') up the steps in the Xiaobao Hall (Xiaobao Dian), seated between two walls studded with smaller deities.

Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei
Established in 1847 by the local Jesuit mission, the imposing St Ignatius Catholic Library (Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei) shelves 560,000 volumes in Greek, Latin and other languages. The reading room upstairs in the adjacent four-storey building (the one with the verandas) is a blissful oasis of quiet amidst the consumer frenzy of the surrounding area.

Bund Museum

The modest museum at the Meteorological Signal Tower (also called the Gutzlaff Signal Tower) only contains a small scattering of ground-floor historical photographs. Originally a wooden tower, this version was built in 1907 as a meteorological relay station set up by the tireless Shanghai Jesuits. The tower (W'itan X'nhao Tai) was moved southeast by 22.4m in the mid 1990s.

Bund Sightseeing Tunnel
A 647m voyage with entertainment from budget effects, garish lighting and surreal props, the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel is a transport mode that guarantees to get you to Pudong in an altered state. Stepping from the trains at the terminus, visitors are visibly nonplussed, their disbelief surpassed only by those with return tickets. A combined ticket includes the excellent China Sex Culture Museum and other attractions Pudong-side.

Century Park
Shanghai's largest park at the end of Century Ave in the east is strong on hard edges and synthetic lines, but there's a great central lake with boat hire, and bicycle hire for getting around all the paths. Children will enjoy themselves, and the spacious paved area between the Science and Technology Museum and the park is great for flying kites (for sale from hawkers) and rollerblading.

Changfeng Ocean World
Adults may not list this subterranean aquarium at the top of their Shanghai experiences, but the little people will adore the clownfish and shark tunnel.

Chenxiangge Nunnery
Sheltering a community of around 40 dark-brown clothed nuns from the chenhai (Sea of Dust) - what Buddhists call the mortal world, but which could equally refer to Shanghai's murky atmosphere - this gorgeous yellow-walled temple is a tranquil portal to a devout existence far from the city's frantic temporal realm.

China Sex Culture Museum
A fascinating foray into the little-understood realm of Chinese sexuality and erotica. Among the mating tortoises, copulating beasts and graphic jade phalluses, search out the knife that raised eunuchs' voices to the correct register, the horrifying donkey saddle with the wooden penis (used to punish 'licentious' women), and the special coins once used as quid pro quo in China's brothels of yore.

Community Church
Shanghai's largest and most popular church, this non-denominational ivy-cloaked church was flung up in 1924. There are no cheesy Chinese Catholic frills and the church lawn is a gorgeous expanse of green, while the lush tangle of plant life adds to the sense of pleasant refuge. Services are held regularly ( 07:30 & 10:00 on Sundays).

Confucian Temple Most historic Chinese towns worth their salt boast a temple dedicated to Confucius, although the iconoclastic spasms of the Cultural Revolution left many battered and bruised. A modest and pretty retreat, this well-tended temple to the dictum-coining sage is cultivated with acers, pines, magnolias and birdsong.

Dajing Pavilion
Dating from 1815, this pavilion contains the only preserved section of the 5km-long city walls which were erected in 1553 but felled in 1912. A Chinese-language only exhibition on the history of the Old Town is on the ground floor along with an interesting scale model depicting the walled district during the reign of Qing emperor Tongzhi.

Dino Beach
Way down south in Minhang district, this popular summer place has a beach, a wave pool, water slides and tube hire to beat the Shanghai summer heat and keeps going late. But it's absolutely heaving at weekends.

Dongjiadu Cathedral
Just outside the Old Town, this magnificent and now restored cathedral is Shanghai's oldest church, built by Spanish Jesuits in 1853. A splendid sight, the church was located within a famously Catholic area of Shanghai and is generally open if you want to view the interior.

Duolun Road Cultural Street
This nicely restored, if a little twee, street of fine old houses, just off North Sichuan Rd, was once home to several of China's most famous writers (as well as several Kuomintang generals), when the road was known as Doulean Rd. Today it is lined with art supply stores, curio shops, galleries, teahouses and caf's, as well as statues of the writers Lu Xun and Guo Moruo.

Fazangjiang Temple
This simple, recently restored but active temple is curiously accessed from the west rather than the south, where the entrance to Buddhist temples usually lies. The main hall, restored with new doors, encloses a large modern statue of Sakyamuni, seated lily-top between two walls glinting with gilded luohan (arhat).

Formula One Grand Prix Off
Every October, the Formula 1 circus comes to this impressive, state-of-the-art circuit 40 minutes northwest of the city centre. It's one of the most glamorous events on the Shanghai calendar and tickets, from around RMB 380 to around RMB 4000 , get snapped up very quickly. Book ahead through the website, or visit a friendly ticket tout.

Fuxing Park
This leafy park, laid out by the French in 1909 and later used by the Japanese as a parade ground in the late 1930s, remains one of the city's more pleasant. Heavily shaded by big-leafed wutong trees, it's an excellent place to take a seat and escape the summer sun and there's a popular kiddies playground. Wreathed in the laughter of children, the huge stony-faced busts of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels gaze out from a seemingly redundant epoch.

Gongqing Forest Park
Most of Shanghai's synthetic parks can leave one cold, but this vast expanse of forested parkland on the western shore of the Huangpu River is a leafy, wooded and tranquil slice of countryside in town. This is about as wild as you get in Puxi, with nary a skyscraper in sight. Aim to spend half if not the whole day picnicking and wandering around this huge area, or hop into one of the buggies for express tours around the grounds.

Guilin Park
This park probably isn't worth a special visit but it's a pleasant enough place. It's famous for its spring blossoms, gardens and because it houses the former residence (1932) of the gangster 'Pockmarked' Huang Jinrong. It's now a teahouse.

Huangpu Park
Shanghai's - indeed China's - very first public park was laid out in 1886 by a Scottish gardener shipped out to Shanghai especially for that purpose. Originally called the Public Gardens, the park today is famously deformed by its anachronistic Monument to the People's Heroes (Renmin Yingxiong Jinianta), underneath which is the Bund History Museum (Waitan Lishi Jinianguan).

Huangpu River Cruise
The Huangpu River offers staggering views of the Bund and riverfront activity. Most tour boats depart from the docks on the south end of the Bund, near East Jinling Rd, where tickets can be purchased; popular 30-minute cruises also depart hourly from the Pearl Dock (Mingzhu Matou; 1 Century Ave) in Lujiazui.

Jade Buddha Temple
Built between 1911 and 1918 in Song dynasty style, this active place of worship is one of Shanghai's few Buddhist temples. But the large numbers of tourists it attracts make contemplation difficult. The centrepiece of the temple is its 1.9m-high pale-green jade Buddha

Jing'an Temple
The Jing'an Temple (Temple of Tranquillity) was originally built in AD 247 but was largely destroyed in 1851. Khi Vehdu, who ran the Jing'an Temple in the 1930s, was one of the most remarkable figures of the time. The nearly 2m-tall abbot had a large following and each of his seven concubines had a house and a car. The temple was shorn of its Buddhist statues in the Cultural Revolution and turned into a plastics factory.

Jinjiang Amusement Park Roller coasters, rides and a huge Ferris wheel are all here in this amusement park. It's a bit out of town, but easy to get to, as it has its own metro station.

Jinmao Tower
In a city of dubious contemporary architecture, the colossal Jinmao Tower stands out for its winning design, loosely inspired by a traditional Chinese subject, the pagoda. If you want to see Shanghai in a splendid nutshell, travel in the elevators (moving at 9.1m/second) to the 88th-floor observation deck, accessed from the separate podium building to the side of the main tower. Time your visit at dusk for both day and night views.

Liu Haisu Art Gallery This hulking gallery exhibits works of the eponymous painter, as well as often impressive visiting exhibitions, with the Chine Antiques store in the lobby. Check the expat magazines for exhibition details.

Liuligongfang Museum
The iridescent glass creations of Liuligongfang have emerged as highly prized mantelpiece ornaments for the well-to-do Chinese middle classes. The museum air-con is set to super chill mode, but it's thankfully offset by the warming hues of some splendidly wrought pieces on view. The handy branch of Liuligongfang at Xintiand' across the way can help empty your wallet if you find yourself in gift-buying mode.

Longhua Temple & Pagoda
Southwest of central Shanghai, close to the river, this is the oldest and largest monastery in Shanghai. Said to date from the 10th century, it has been much renovated. Longhua refers to the pipal tree under which Buddha achieved enlightenment.

Lu Xun Former Residence
Lu Xun buffs will adore ferreting around this simple three-floor domicile on lovely Shanyin Rd, where an English-speaking guide can fill you in on all the bits and bobs, including a clock displaying the exact time of Lu Xun's death and a painting hanging on the wall of the writer's son, Zhou Haiying, as a baby.

Lu Xun Memorial Hall
An excellent museum, this modern hall charts the life and creative output of Lu Xun (China's most celebrated modernist writer) with photographs, first editions, waxworks and the author's vestments (including his fedora and lamb-skin lined coat) and personal effects. Detailed English captions throughout. The museum bookshop sells Lu Xun's stories in English, French and German.

Lu Xun Park
Especially gorgeous in spring and summer when the trees are in blossom, Lu Xun Park is one of the city's most pleasant parks, with elderly Chinese practising taichior ballroom dancing, and even the occasional retired opera singer giving a free performance. The English corner on Sunday mornings is one of the largest in all of Shanghai and a good place to chat to locals in English. You can take boats out onto the small lake.

Lujiazui Development Showroom
This exhibition of photos, folk life and recent development in Pudong, on the edge of Lujiazui Park, is mildly diverting but it's the historic building itself - unique in a forest of skyscrapers - that stands out. Built in 1914-17 as the residence of a rich merchant, Chen Guichun, it has both a main hall and interior courtyard. It's easily viewed from the outside.

Martyrs Memorial
Next to the Longhua Temple, this rambling park marks the site of an old Kuomintang prison, where 800 communists, intellectuals and political agitators were executed between 1928 and 1937. You can take a modern underground tunnel to the original jailhouses and the small execution ground. Scattered throughout the manicured lawns are epic sculptures of workers and soldiers, depicted in true socialist-realism art style.

Moller House
One of Shanghai's most whimsical buildings, the Scandinavian-influenced gothic peaks of the Moller House could double as the Munsters' holiday home. The Swedish owner and horse-racing fan, Eric Moller, owned the Moller Line. Previously home to the Communist Youth League, the building now houses a hotel, the Hengshan Moller Villa.

Natural Wild Insect Kingdom
Aimed at kids, this collection of creepy-crawlies includes an opportunity to handle some of the hairy monsters. It's one that could be missed unless your kids have a special interest.

Ohel Moishe Synagogue This synagogue was built by the Russian Ashkenazi Jewish community in 1927 and lies in the heart of the 1940s Jewish ghetto. At the time of writing it was closed for restoration. The restoration is being done in conjunction with the Israeli Consulate, which should guarantee some authenticity. There'll be a small museum as well.

Old Film Cafe
With the golden age of Shanghai cinema as its theme, this place makes for a pleasant pit stop if you're touring the Duolun Rd area. Movie buffs will enjoy the photos of the vintage Chinese movie stars and the screenings of classic films from the '30s. Spread over three floors, there's also a small outside area. There's a wide range of teas available and they serve alcohol too. Look for the statue of Charlie Chaplin out front.

Peach Garden Mosque
Originally dating to 1917, this famous mosque is the city's main place of worship for Shanghai's Muslims. If you come on a Friday at lunch time you'll see the faithful streaming in to pray.

Qibao
The guzhen (ancient town) of Qibao - literally 'Seven Treasures' dates back to the Northern Song dynasty (AD 960-1127).Easily reached from town, the ancient settlement prospered during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Now, it's run by the quaintly named Shanghai Qibao Ancient Town Tourism Exploitation Co. It's overrun with visitors, but is also littered with traditional, historic architecture.

Qinci Yangdian Temple
Shanghai's largest Taoist temple is, perhaps surprisingly, located in Pudong. It's worth a perusal for its massive trinity of Taoist gods in the Hall of the Three Clear Ones (Sanqing Di'n), although the temple architecture is all recent (at the southern end of the temple grounds are what appears to be older, semi-destroyed temple halls).

Renmin Park
Occupying the site of the old settlement racecourse (built in 1862), which later served as a holding camp during WWII, Renmin Park is a pleasant refuge from Shanghai's fumigated roads, with its Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art, green splashes of foliage and pond-side bar, Barbarossa. If you're in Shanghai in June, join the photographers ringing the gorgeous pink lotuses that flower in the park's pond.

Riverside Promenade
Hands down the best stroll in Pudong, the sections of promenade alongside Riverside Ave on the eastern bank of the river offer splendid views to the Bund across the way and choicely positioned cafes looking out over the water.

Room With a View Gallery
Art critic Wu Liang conceived of this trendy space atop a department store for showcasing contemporary artworks and the output of up-and-coming artists. An accessible and successful combination, the gallery doubles as an image-conscious loft-bar where the tried and trusted blend of alcohol and art gets the nod from Bohemians city-wide.

Russian Orthodox Mission Church
Built in 1934, the lovely blue-domed church was built for the huge influx of Russian worshippers to Shanghai in the 1930s. The Grape Restaurant is adjacent to the church.

Shanghai Art Museum
Venue of the Shanghai Biennale, this excellent museum is particularly worth a visit for its location within the former British racecourse club building next to Renmin Park. Refreshingly cool in summer, the interior galleries - arranged over three floors - are perfectly suited to appreciating art, with well-illuminated alcoves and a voluminous sense of space.

Shanghai Arts & Crafts Museum
Repositioned as a museum, this arts and crafts institute displays traditional crafts such as embroidery, paper cutting, lacquer work, jade cutting and lantern making. Watch paper cutting and other traditional crafts being performed live by craftspeople and admire the wonderfully wrought exhibits, from jade, through ivory to inkstones and beyond.

Shanghai Botanical Gardens
The Botanical Gardens offer an escape from Shanghai's synthetic cityscape. The Tropicarium gives you the chance to get close to tropical flora; take the lift to the 6th floor for an impressive view of the gardens. Some of the flower arrangements are a little twee, but the place is well-maintained and busy. On weekends, it's a popular place for couples to take wedding photos.

Shanghai Exhibition Centre
The hulking great monolith of the Shanghai Exhibition Centre can be seen from West Nanjing Rd. It was built as the Palace of Sino-Soviet Friendship, a friendship that soon turned to ideological rivalry and even the brink of war in the 1960s. Architectural buffs will appreciate its monumentality and unsubtle, bold Bolshevik strokes - there was a time when Pudong was set to look like this.

Shanghai Gallery Of Art
Shanghai's handiest (and perhaps trendiest) art gallery finds itself sandwiched between two floors at Three on the Bund, which introduces you to Shanghai's effortless marriage of contemporary art and haute couture . For glimpses of high-brow and conceptual Chinese art, sample this gallery's rarefied atmosphere and manifestly exclusive inclinations.

Shanghai History Museum
Both kids and adults will enjoy this sophisticated and informative museum with a fun presentation on old Shanghai. The city's notorious transport domain is the first for examination, and you can size up an antique bus, an old wheelbarrow taxi and an ornate sedan chair. Upstairs, learn how the city prospered on the back of the cotton trade and junk transportation, when it was known as 'Little Suzhou'.

Shanghai Museum
Rocked slightly from its jealously guarded throne by the 2006 unveiling of Beijing's tip-top Capital Museum, the monarch of China's museum world remains one of Shanghai's highlight sensations. Expect to spend half, if not most of, a day here. A primer of Chinese civilisation recounted via 120,000 exhibits, the intelligently designed museum guides you through the pages of Chinese history.

Shanghai Museum Of Contemporary Art (Moca Shanghai)
A recent opening that has grabbed the bull by the horns on steering the world contemporary art scene to Shanghai, this non-profit museum collection has an all-glass construction to maximise natural sunlight (when it cuts through the constant clouds), a tip-top location in Renmin Park and a fresh, invigorating approach to exhibiting contemporary international art works.

Shanghai Museum of Folk Collectibles Housed in the magnificent Sanshan Guildhall, built in 1909, this fascinating museum allows an exploration of Shanghai via the medium of collectibles, from cigarette lighters to ceramics and cruelly exquisite-looking miniature shoes for bound feet. Take time to enjoy the guildhall's contours and traditional layout.

Shanghai Museum Of Natural History
Located in the former Cotton Exchange Building (built in 1923), the exhibits at this dusty and gloomy museum are based on the former collection of the British Royal Asiatic Society. The most intriguing exhibits are the Ming dynasty mummies excavated from Dapuqiao and Xietu Rds. A traipse through the museum turns up numerous original features, including its tiled floor, cornices, ironwork and the occasional glint of stained glass.

Shanghai Museum of Public Security
It may sound turgid and dull, but this museum has some gems among the inevitable displays on traffic control and post-Liberation security milestones. The gold pistols of Sun Yatsen and 1930s gangster Huang Jinrong are worth hunting down amid the fine collection of Al Capone-style machine- and pen-guns, and look out for the collection of hand-painted business cards once dispensed by the city's top jinu (prostitutes).

Shanghai Ocean Aquarium
Education meets entertainment in this slick and intelligently designed aquarium that children will love. Join them on a tour through the aquatic environments from the Yangzi River to Australia, South America, the frigid ecosystems of the Antarctic and to the flourishing marine life of coral reefs. The 155m-long underwater clear viewing tunnel has gobsmacking views.

Shanghai Science & Technology Museum
This impressive space-age building aims at providing a fun educational experience but ultimately disappoints. Kids will like the Light of Wisdom hall, with its hands-on science experiments, but in general non-Chinese speakers will find the lack of instructions and English text frustrating. Surprisingly there is nothing on Chinese science and technology (this is, after all, the land that brought us fireworks and the rudder).

Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall
Urban Planning Exhibition Halls - where the creaking cities of yore are triumphantly redesigned by developers into fabulous metropolitan visions - are all the rage in New China (Beijing has one). It's pitched as a tourist attraction, but this is really just a massively optimistic self-appraisal. Most Western visitors are in town to see how the city used to be rather than how it may be.

Shanghai Zendai Museum Of Modern Art (Shanghai Moma)
This newish, small-scale museum delivers an invigorating shot to the arm to Shanghai's ever-flexing art scene. The emphasis is on contemporary exhibitions in a highly modern art space; the effect is a sophisticated and cool haven for fashionable aesthetes. Tours (in Chinese), lectures, concerts and other activities are part of the overall production. Check their website for details on current and forthcoming exhibitions.

Shanghai Zoo
As Chinese zoos go, this is just about the best and it makes for a good day out for those with kids in tow. There's a decent selection of beasts - from woolly twin-humped Bactrian camels to spindly legged giraffe, gorillas, lions, lots of different monkeys, giant pandas and polar bears - but some of the enclosures they're housed in are less than ideal.

Shikumen Open House Museum
Arranged over two floors and entered via Xingye Rd in Xintiand', this fascinating exhibition invites you into a typical sh'k'm'n household, decked out with period furniture.

Site of the 1st National Congress of the CCP On 23 July 1921 the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was founded in this French Concession building (then 106 Rue Wantz), at one fell swoop converting this unassuming sh'k'm'n block into one of Chinese communism's holiest shrines.

Song Qingling Mausoleum
Despite its hard-edged communist layout, this green and well-tended park is excellent for a stroll and for escaping the relentless Hongqiao skyline. Song Qingling herself is interred in a low-key tomb here, but she is memorialised in the Song Qingling Exhibition Hall straight ahead from the main entrance, which itself looks like a Chinese Imperial tomb.

Song Qingling's Former Residence Built in the 1920s by a Greek shipping magnate, this building became home to the wife of Dr Sun Yatsen from 1948 to 1963. Size up two of her black limousines (one a gift from Stalin) in the garage and pad about the house, eyeing its period furnishings.

St Ignatius Cathedral
South west of the Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei, the dignified twin-spired St Ignatius Cathedral (1904) is a major Xujiahui landmark, its ecclesiastical form reflected in much of the local architecture. The cruciform-shaped church is a twin-spired, red brick church with two belfries and a statue of Christ above the door, flanked by the four apostles.

St Nicholas Church
A short walk west along Gaolan Rd from Fuxing Park is rewarded by the distinctive shape of the vacant and now derelict St Nicholas Church, one of Shanghai's small band of Russian Orthodox houses of worship, built to service the huge influx of Russians who arrived in Shanghai in the 1930s.

Sun Yatsen's Former Residence
China is awash with Sun Yatsen (Sun Zhongshan) memorabilia and this is one of several former dwellings nationwide. Sun lived here on Rue Moliere for six years from 1918 to 1924, supported by overseas Chinese funds. The entry price gets you a brief tour of the house in English.

Taikang Rd Art Centre
This warren of sh'k'm'n architecture offers tranquil doses of genuine charm. A community of art galleries, studios, pocket-sized wi-fi caf's, petite shops and boutiques - the perfect antidote to Shanghai's oversized malls and intimidating skyscrapers. With families still residing in neighbouring buildings, a community mood survives, while the area's relative transport isolation has prevented it from being swamped by feral tour groups.

Temple of the Town Gods
Chinese towns traditionally came with a Taoist Temple of the Town Gods, ut many fell victim to periodic upheaval. Originally dating to the early 15th century, this particular temple was badly damaged during the Cultural Revolution and later restored.

Tomorrow Square
This stupendous tower - designed by John Portman & Associates and completed in October 2003 - seizes the Shanghai zeitgeist with dramatic aplomb. Resembling a sci-fi corporation headquarters, pop up to the lobby of the JW Marriott Tomorrow Square on the 38th floor to put Renmin Sq in proper perspective.

Unique Hill Gallery
You'd never guess there was a gallery hidden in this anonymous apartment block east of Shanghai Stadium. The changing exhibits are strong on Old Shanghai memorabilia, such as cigarette posters and period photos. Some items are for sale. Check listings magazines or call (they speak English) to see what's on before heading out here.

Zhongshan Park
Known as Jessfield Park to the British, this is a moderately interesting park located in the north east, in the former 'Badlands' area of 1930s Shanghai. Kids will like Fundazzle, an adventure playground with slides, mazes and tunnels.

Zhou Enlai's Former Residence
In 1946 Zhou Enlai, the urbane and much-loved (although some swear he was even more sly than Mao) first premier of the People's Republic of China, lived in this Spanish villa. Zhou was then head of the Communist Party's Shanghai office, and spent much of his time giving press conferences and dodging Kuomintang agents who spied on him from across the road.

Weather in Shanghai:

The city has a subtropical maritime monsoon climate, the best times to visit Shanghai are in spring or autumn. Generally, the warm spring and cool autumn are the more comfortable seasons. While summer and winter are far less pleasant. Overall, Shanghai enjoys a mild and moist climate.

Sunny day at YuyuanShanghai's temperature is the highest in July and August. For ten days or so in these two months, the temperature can reach 35 C. The coldest period is from the end of January to early February - usually during the Chinese Spring Festival. This awfully cold period will last for about three days but it seldom snows, in fact there has been none for years. From March to May, the conditions are pleasant so this is the best season for traveling. One thing to mention is what is called the Mei-Yu Season which in English is the 'Plum Rain Season'. This lasts for about a month commencing in early summer when the plums ripen along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

During this period from mid-June to early July it is difficult to tell whether it will be wet or dry and the rainfall will often equal twenty-five per cent of the city's annual total! From late August and through the first twenty days of September, typhoons can bring heavy rain in their wake. These periods are best avoided by the traveler but should you decide to visit be sure to bring an umbrella. Of course, the umbrella can also be used as a protection from the strong ultraviolet radiation on the sunny days. Generally you will need a light coat and sweater in spring and long and short sleeved shirts in summer. In autumn, long-sleeved shirts, sweater and coat are necessary, while sweater and overcoat are appropriate in winter.

Sunrise in Shanghai's winter is 6:49 and sunset 16:57 In summer sunrise at 4:50, sunset at 19:01

January                  8 C to 1 C

February                9 C to 2 C

March                    13 C to 5 C

April                       19 C to 11 C

May                        24 C to 16 C

June                       27 C to 20 C

July                         32 C to 25 C

August                   32 C to 25 C

September            27 C to 21 C

October                  22 C to 15 C

November              17 C to 9 C

December             11 C to 2 C

Airport in Shanghai:

Shanghai Pudong International Airport (IATA: PVG, ICAO: ZSPD) (SSE: 600009) is a major aviation hub in Asia, particularly in the East Asian region, and is the primary international airport serving Shanghai of the People's Republic of China. Located about 30 kilometres from the city centre, it occupies a 40 kilometre square site adjacent to the coastline in the eastern edge of Pudong district within the boundaries of the Shanghai Municipality.

The airport is organised around two main passenger terminals, flanked on both sides by three parallel runways. Current airport masterplans call for the building of a third passenger terminal, a satellite terminal and two additional runways by 2015, raising its capacity from the current 60 million passengers annually to 80 million, along with the ability to handle six million tonnes of air freight. A station for the Shanghai Maglev Train is sited between the passenger teminals, providing the world's first commercial high-speed maglev service to downtown Pudong in 7 minutes and 20 seconds. The airport is open 24 hours per day, one of only a few Chinese airports to do so.

The airport is the main hub for China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines, and a major international hub for Air China. A total of 28.92 million passengers passed through the airport in 2007, 45% higher than the 20 million capacity of Terminal 1 which was the sole operating terminal during that period, making the airport the 3rd busiest in the People's Republic of China. However, it handles more international passengers than Beijing Capital International Airport, currently the busiest Chinese airport in terms of international passengers handled, with 17,518,790 international passengers handled in 2007, a 9.0% increase over the previous year. It is also a major hub for the handling of air freight, with 2,559,310 metric tonnes handled in 2007 and making it the fourth busiest in the world in terms of freight traffic. Freight traffic grew 18% in 2007, and is likely to increase further when the new West Cargo Terminal Area becomes operational in the first half of 2008. Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (IATA: SHA, ICAO: ZSSS), Translation: Rainbow Bridge International Airport is one of the two airports in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The airport is in the western part of a still relatively-urban area of Shanghai.

In 2007, Hongqiao airport handled 22,632,962 passengers, making it the fourth busiest airport in China. The airport was also the 5th busiest airport in terms of cargo traffic and the 5th busiest airport by traffic movements.

Visa

for Language guide please refer to: http://www.china-city-guide.com/beijing/pages/localguide.php for free download of basic survival Chinese conversation in China.