City Guide: Shanghai
Beijing might be the capital of China, but there’s little doubt that Shanghai is one of the best and most metropolitan cities in the country. In fact, it’s one of the most metropolitan cities in the entire world. Shanghai should be on your bucket list of cities to visit. Here’s why.
The Bund
That seductively famous skyline that lines the Huangpu River is one of the first places you must see. Walking along it provides numerous opportunities for photos. And nearby, you’ll find high-end hotels, restaurants and bars. Shanghai is an expensive city but it’s so refined that you’ll forget you’re in China while you’re there.
It’s very clean
Compared to other cities in China, Shanghai is always keeping the streets and sidewalks looking fresh and clean. You’ll still experience a lot of that gurgling and spitting from everyone that walks by, but you’ll be impressed by how much neater it looks here, especially when you consider how many people live in Shanghai. As of 2016, the population was 24.1 million!
Xiaolong bao
Every city has a special dish you have to try. In Shanghai, it’s the xiaolong bao, or soup dumplings. If you like jiaozi already, then be prepared to love xiaolong bao even more. They arrived with a large white soup spoon. Use your chopsticks to heft the soup dumpling onto your spoon. Then, very carefully bite into the dumpling so that the hot soup inside of it spills into your spoon. In this way, you won’t lose any of the flavor or the soup.
It’s like New York City
As mentioned, it’s a metropolitan place. In some parts, you’ll do a double take because it looks like New York City with sky-high buildings and high-end stores. You’ll see a lot of English here too, which is really comforting if you’ve been in other Chinese cities that are less accustomed to foreigners.
There’s plenty to do
Shanghai offers entertainment from things like Cirque du Soleil to the Shanghai Zoo, where you can see pandas, and much more. Because it’s such a big and modernized city, you’ll find it more convenient here and you’ll also find different types of cuisine here that might be harder to get in other cities.
Don’t miss the history too
You can learn a lot more about Shanghai in the many museums there too. Another great way is to hop on a double decker bus and tour the city where you’ll get to see the modernization right alongside things from the days of yore, which is truly a sight to behold.