Shanghai
Throughout the past century,
Shanghai has had numerous name tags attached
to it; the "whore of the East",
the "Paris of the Orient" and
the "Pearl Of China". Images of
Shanghai more than any other Chinese city,
are bountiful in the west. A visit here
therefore, is naturally tainted to some
extent, with a preconception of how the
city will be.
As the largest and most prosperous
city in the nation, Shanghai is the economic,
financial and cultural center of China,
where Beijing is the political heart. And
this image of Shanghai as a fast and modern
metropolis is certainly the one that most
visitors take away. Those old preconceptions
of Shanghai as the home of crime vice and
prostitutes are wiped away, as the city
successfully projects an image of itself
as young, vibrant and cool.
Shanghai is a modern and fast
paced city, rich in history and culture
and with a wealth of areas and sites just
waiting to be explored. One of the nicest
aspects of Shanghai is that the crowds here
are much more manageable than in a city
like Beijing. This is largely because there
are no great ancient sites which people
flock too. Rather, this is a city to be
walked, wandered, explored and discovered
in your own time and, in your own style.
What makes Shanghai particularly
attractive are the many different styles
of architecture and design throughout the
city. Shanghai was once divided up into
different "Concessions" or districts
and the boundaries of these areas still
remain today.The famous, Bund was home to
the "British Public Park" and
this boulevard has a plethora of colonial
structures to visit, all reminders of Shanghai's
days of decadence. The Japanese and the
French Concessions too, are fascinating
areas to explore. The French quarter is
a particularly charming district to wander,
and there are many former residences to
look at and discover something about old
Shanghai and the people who lived here.
The area known as the "Chinese City"
is also worthy of a visit. Take a break
from the tourists around the Yuyuan and
do some serious antique shopping or just
lose yourself amidst the old alleys and
streets.
But perhaps most of all today,
Shanghai is a spectacularly modern city.
The pace of development here is unbelievable.
Currently, seventeen percent of the world's
cranes are in the city and developers boast
that the city is changing at a rate incomparable
to anywhere else in the world ever. The
newest area of the city, Pudong, has just
celebrated its 10th anniversary and is almost
unrecognizable from the way it was when
development began here. Two of the most
impressive city structures can be found
here, the Jinmao Tower and the Oriental
TV Tower.
For any visitor to China,
perhaps the most attractive thing about
this city is just how fashionable it is.
Museums, galleries, restaurants and bars
have emerged in the past few years. This
cosmopolitan cultural scene which harks
back to the heydays of the 1920s and 30s
and the new found wealth in the city are
helping to reinvent Shanghai as a place
with a fabulous and optimistic style and
attitude.
Shanghai Travel Sights And Attractions
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