Shanghai — Where East Meets West, History Meets Tomorrow

Shanghai doesn't do subtle. This is a city where 1920s Art Deco mansions sit in the shadow of 632-meter glass towers, where you can sip a flat white on a plane-tree-lined former French street in the morning and eat soup dumplings from a steamer basket in a 400-year-old garden by noon. Nicknamed the "Paris of the Orient" a century ago and still called "Módū" (魔都 / The Magic City) today, Shanghai is China's most cosmopolitan, most ambitious, and most electrifying urban experience.

Top Attractions

1. The Bund (外滩)

Shanghai's defining postcard. The Bund is a 1.5-kilometer waterfront promenade along the Huangpu River's west bank, lined with 26 historic buildings that once housed the banks, trading houses, and consulates of colonial-era Shanghai. This "museum of world architecture" spans Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, Classical, and Art Deco styles — all in one sweeping view.

2. Yuyuan Garden & City God Temple (豫园 & 城隍庙)

A 400-year-old Ming Dynasty garden hidden in the heart of Shanghai's old city. Rockeries, koi ponds, dragon-wall corridors, and latticed pavilions create a classical Chinese garden of exquisite detail — then you step outside into the bustling bazaar area where traditional snacks, tea houses, and souvenir shops turn the entire zone into an immersive sensory experience.

3. Oriental Pearl Tower & Lujiazui (东方明珠 & 陆家嘴)

Lujiazui is Shanghai's answer to Manhattan — a thicket of skyscrapers on the Pudong side of the river that didn't exist 30 years ago. The skyline's "Big Three" are:

4. Shanghai Disney Resort (上海迪士尼乐园)

Mainland China's first Disney park blends classic Magic Kingdom DNA with China-exclusive attractions. The centerpiece is Enchanted Storybook Castle — the largest of any Disney castle worldwide. The TRON Lightcycle Power Run roller coaster is a Shanghai original and consistently ranked among the best Disney thrill rides globally.

5. Former French Concession & Wukang Road (前法租界 & 武康路)

This isn't an attraction — it's a neighborhood, and Shanghai's best afternoon. Plane trees form a dappled green canopy over streets lined with 1920s lane houses, Art Deco apartments, boutique cafés, and independent design shops. Wukang Road is the heart of it — the Wukang Mansion (Normandie Apartments), a 1924 wedge-shaped landmark, is one of Shanghai's most photographed buildings.

Food Guide

Shanghai cuisine (本帮菜 / běnbāng cài) is defined by rich, sweet-savory flavors and an obsession with freshness. Here are five dishes you cannot leave without eating.

1. Soup Dumplings (小笼包 / Xiǎolóngbāo)

Delicate, paper-thin wrappers encase seasoned minced pork and a scalding-hot aspic broth that melts into liquid gold when steamed. The technique: pick one up gently with chopsticks, place it on your spoon, nibble a small hole to release the steam, sip the broth, then eat.

2. Pan-Fried Pork Buns (生煎包 / Shēngjiānbāo)

Thicker-skinned than xiaolongbao, with a golden-crisp bottom from pan-frying and a juicy pork filling. They're the working-class hero of Shanghai breakfast — greasy, satisfying, and dangerously addictive at ¥8–12 for four.

3. Scallion Oil Noodles (葱油拌面 / Cōngyóu Bànmiàn)

The humblest dish on this list — and arguably the most soulful. Chewy wheat noodles tossed in sizzling scallion-infused oil with dark soy sauce and a sprinkle of dried shrimp. No meat, no vegetables, just the deep umami of caramelized scallions. It costs ¥8–15 and takes 90 seconds to make. The best versions are found in no-name neighborhood noodle shops — look for a wok visible from the street and a queue of locals.

4. Shanghai Smoked Fish (上海熏鱼 / Shànghǎi Xūnyú)

A cold appetizer of freshwater carp or grass fish, marinated in soy, sugar, and five-spice, fried until the edges caramelize, then soaked in a sweet-savory sauce. The texture is chewy-crisp, the flavor is deep and complex, and it's on every proper Shanghainese dinner table.

5. Sweet and Sour Ribs (糖醋排骨 / Tángcù Páigǔ)

Not the fluorescent orange takeout version. Shanghai-style sweet and sour ribs are caramel-dark, lacquered in a reduction of rock sugar and black vinegar, served in small glistening pieces. The bones are tender enough to eat.

Where to Stay

Getting Around

From Airports to the City

Public Transport

Unique Experiences

Souvenirs

Ready to Fall in Love with Shanghai?

Shanghai doesn't just show you China — it shows you what China is becoming. It's a city of contrast and confidence, where a ¥10 bowl of scallion noodles tastes every bit as memorable as a ¥1,000 river-view dinner. Come with an empty stomach, a charged phone, and no rigid itinerary — Shanghai rewards wandering.

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