Guide to Shanghai Attractions

Shanghai Attractions

Ferry

There are several different companies that provide ferry rides up and down the Huangpu River. The views from the boat of the Pudong district (east of the river) and Puxi district (west) allows for an excellent ...

Most tourist ferries depart from the west side of the Huangpu River along The Bund. Last checked (May 2007), the ferry dock on the east side at Dongchang Lu (东昌路) only serviced tour groups.

For those planning an itinerary for a trip to Shanghai, put the ferry trip down as a “maybe” due to the city’s smog-condition. The smog can sometimes become so thick that buildings in the distance are not even visible.

Tips

Stop by one of the nearby convenience stores to pickup some beverages or snacks before the ride.

Bring some extra change if you want to use the toilet before your trip. Public toilets are nearby.

Directions to the Ferry:

Many ferries depart around the area of the bund at Jinling Dong Lu (金陵东路).
- Any taxi driver will know how to get there.
- It is a pleasant 15 minute walk from the Henan Zhong Lu (河南中路) subway station located on Nanjing Dong Lu (南京东路).
- It’s possible to take a ferry across the river from Dongchang Lu (东昌路).

Shanghai International Studies University

Shanghai International Studies University (or SISU) was founded in 1949 and is an important school in China. The mission of SISU is to educate and equip its students by cultivating knowledge, skills and international orientation.

The university offers 26 bachelor programs, 19 masters prog...

The university offers 26 bachelor programs, 19 masters programs, and one PHD award with majors ranging from languages such as Russian, Spanish and Arabic to international trade and journalism.

SISU hosts more than 900 international students giving it one of the largest foreign student communities in Shanghai. Some students take 4 week intensive Chinese language courses whilst others stay to complete bachelors or masters degrees in other subjects. Tuition for one year is around 2200 USD$ with other fees on top. Few other universities in Shanghai allow for students to study subjects other than Chinese making SISU a viable option.

Located in the Hongkou district of Shanghai, SISU offers a low cost of living for Shanghai standards. Its location on the Metro line makes accessibility to downtown Shanghai convenient and affordable. The campus sits in a traditional area of Shanghai, which allows for a more "authentic" taste of the China.

Nepali Kitchen

Nepalese food is similar to Indian cuisine, although a few differences make the gastronomical experience very different. Most notably, the menu here includes more meat options, and the veggies are not cooked as long as they often are in Indian food. Otherwise the dishes are cooked wit...

Nepali Kitchen is located in a renovated lane house, and the restaurant consumes three floors of this charming building. We ate on the third floor, which was beautifully decorated with Nepalese art and photographs. The next time I go, however, I will make a reservation for the second floor – where you sit on pillows on the ground and eat in true Nepalese style.

Our meal was delicious. We particularly liked the “cheese balls” for appetizers, which I found quite similar to Spanish tapas, but were very good nonetheless. For our main courses, the spinach sauté, wild boar, lamb, and vegetable curry were all big hits. The bread was also great – heavier than Indian Naan, but otherwise very similar. The meal was perfect, filling, but not too heavy. Nepali Kitchen also boasts an impressive beer selection, (especially for China), plus a nice staff. Nepali Kitchen is definitely worth a visit.

Take Metro Line 1 to Changshu road station. Exit onto Changshu road and head north. Take a right on Julu Lu after about 10 minutes. Nepali Kitchen is just before the intersection with Fumin Lu.

Windows Too

Ahhh… the infamous Windows… Ask just about anyone who has lived in Shanghai for more than a month, and they will undoubtedly know something about Windows, even if they’ve never been there. Windows is THAT bar in college that required a certain mood in order to go to, but when the mood struck, it always made for a a fantastic evening.

The original Windows still stands on Mao Ming Road, the former heart of expat nightlife. When the government “shut down” the wild nights on Mao Ming Road most of the bars opened second locations on Tongren Road near the Ritz Carlton on Nanjing Road. Windows Too opted for a new location, however, that gave them more a little more room to support the throngs of young people seeking CHEAP drinks and a raging party. Despite the club’s spacious interior, there is rarely a night when there is room to breathe. My best advice is to head for the bar and take advantage of the cheap drinks. It should make the atmosphere much less claustrophobic, and the crowd much more entertaining.

On weekends there is usually a 30 RMB cover charge, which includes a couple of free drink tickets. The tickets are worth 10 RMB, which is conveniently the price of just about every drink at the bar. It would be difficult to find a better deal anywhere else in Shanghai. The crowd is a mix of foreigners and locals. While most people aren’t here looking for the love of their life, there will certainly be plenty of choices of dance partners for the evening. Wear whatever clothing you won’t mind having beer and liquor spilt all over. Have fun!

How to get there: Take Metro Line 2 to Jingan Temple Station. Windows is inside the plaza right at the station.

Bar Rouge

A wonderful aspect of Shanghai is that it enables visitors to enjoy it’s nightlife as if they are rock stars. Here, bars such as Bar Rouge – that in New York City, Paris or Tokyo would cost a fortune to simply enter nevermind drink (and that’s all assuming you look good enough to be let in to begin with) – are actually accessible to regular people.

Typical for this type of bar, there is a cover charge on the weekends of usually 50 RMB. If you just want to check Bar Rouge out, I recommend doing so during the week. A weeknight visit will still allow you to get a good feel for the bar’s hip scene, as well as avoiding the “here to be seen” weekend crowds. The most expensive drink on the menu (besides a bottle of Veuve Clicquot) is the house specialty, the Bar Rouge Martini, for a mere 100 RMB. Buy this drink and the bartenders will put on a show by lighting the entire bar top on fire and tossing bottles around while mixing the drinks. The ambiance is definitely French – ’Moulin Rouge-ish’, with great lighting and awesome seating sprawled around the bar, which is situated directly in the center of the action. The seating, however, is reserved for big spenders. Desirable seating requires a hefty minimum that includes ordering a least several bottles of Champagne. However, even standing, patrons certainly enjoy the scene at Bar Rouge.

One of the main reasons Bar Rouge has reached its height of popularity is its fantastic location on the Bund. The bar’s terrace is enormous and provides an incredible view of Pudong’s bright lights, making it a truly breathtaking spot come summertime. Even in the winter patrons don their (fur) coats to enjoy the view. No matter what type of scene you enjoy, Bar Rouge is worth checking out once for this reason alone.

Bund 18 & Bar Rouge Official Website: www.resto18.com

How to get there: Take Metro Line 2 to Henan Rd. Station. Exit onto Nanjing Rd, and then walk east for about 10 minutes. Take a left on the Bund (Zhongshan Dong Yi Rd.), Bund 18 is on the corner.

Fuzhou Lu

The streets running perpendicular to the Bund are named after cities such as Hankou, Suzhou, Beijing, Jinling and Nanjing. Those running parallel to the Bund are named after Provinces such as Sichuan, Henan and Shandong. These streets are thriving areas of activity each of which offers a sample of a slightly different aspect of Shanghai life. Often dwarfed by the fame of its neighboring sister street Nanjing Lu, Fuzhou Lu is an understated, underrated and often overlooked gem.

Starting from the Bund, the street runs down to Peoples Square, home of the Shanghai Museum, the Urban Exhibition Center as well as plethora of restaurants, shops and historical buildings.

At the end of the Bund, number 19 houses Ristorante Truffre, an exquisite Italian restaurant with a genuinely romantic atmosphere. With main meals at 180 RMB per plate, the restaurant is certainly at the pricier end of the pasta scale. However, Ristorante serves up authentic cuisine, and that’s the bottom line.

Further down at number 37 is the Captain Youth Hostel, a firm favorite and legend amongst budget travelers in Shanghai. The hostel’s bar, offering cut price beers and the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life, is wildly popular amongst both guests at the hostel and a loyal resident clientele. Book rooms or beds early to avoid disappointment.

At number 209 is the famous American Club. The club was host to American politicians and traders 200 years ago when Fuzhou Lu was renowned for its entertainment and hospitality.

Of course, Fuzhou Lu is now known as a cultural centre by most Shanghai residents, the reason being the street’s innumerable book stores. Travelers passing through who are itching for some new reading material should head for two large bookstores boasting a bountiful selection of English language books. At number 390 is the Foreign Language Bookstore, and at number 465 is City of Books, a gargantuan 7 floor building. Despite its size, City of Books only reserves the corner of one floor, the 7^th, for English books. Therefore I much prefer the former with its three floors of foreign language titles. Go to the third floor to find modern novels and magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Hello. The first floor contains mostly souvenirs, books about China, and old classics. The City of Books, however, offers a vast collection of western music CDs that are not pirated, yet still rather affordable. Expect to pay around 25 RMB for an album.

Past the bookstores, on the left, is the Beijing Opera theater, which is well worth checking out for professional performances. Further down on the right at the end of Fuzhou Lu is the ever popular Raffles City shopping mall, and its impressive collection of retail outlets for all your shopping needs. The basement includes a Hotdog stand and a Watson’s pharmacy, the Chinese version of Boots, which stocks name brands of shampoo, toothpaste and the like. Across the road is the magnificent Peoples Square, the cultural and traffic hub of Shanghai. The square also marks the intersection of metro lines 1 and 2.

I am confident that as every person who wanders down Fuzhou Lu will find their own hidden treasures.

Zentral Healthy Eatery

My home away from home and office, Zentral is my absolute favorite place to eat a healthy meal, sip on a great latte, and enjoy free wireless internet for hours with nothing but smiles from the sweet (and bilingual) wait staff.

The menu is a fantastic mix of western dishes that are sure to please any foreign guest. My favorites are the fresh bread with olive tapenade, the veggie burrito, and the Norwegian smoked salmon sandwich. For lunch and dinner, Zentral also serves pizzas, pastas and wraps. Instead of fries, each meal comes with Zentral’s home baked tortilla chips and fresh salsa (yummy and addictive – a big basket is offered as a starter). A big breakfast menu features omelets (including an option of egg whites only), pancakes, and build-your-own breakfast sandwiches. The smoothies are also great. My current favorite is the Power Boost, a healthy mix of bananas, milk, yogurt, and protein powder. For lunch and dinner Zentral also boasts a few imported wines and beers as well as the option to add a shot of vodka to your favorite smoothie…

Perhaps the most original aspect of Zentral’s menu is that each item is listed with its calorie, fat, protein and carbohydrates content. In a town (or an entire country) that loves oil on every dish, this health driven restaurant is greatly appreciated by the health conscious and those that need a break from the heavy local Shanghai cuisine.

Zentral offers a fresh ambiance with a non-smoking section in the back along with a cozy corner of couches to lounge on. A small but nice selection of English books fills the shelves in the corner and adds to the feeling that Zentral would love for you to stay all day. Enjoy!

How to get there: Take Metro line 1 to Huangpi Nanlu Exit onto Huangpi Nanlu, and then walk south until you hit Fuxing Lu (about four blocks). Zentral is on the corner and easy to spot.

Other Locations:
R27-28 Pudong Green Sports & Leisure Center, No.633 Biyun Lu, Shanghai (上海市碧云路633号碧云体育休闲中心R27-28)
Tel: +86 (0)21 5030 6047

No.567, Huangpi Nanlu, (by Fu Xing Zhonglu), Shanghai (上海市黄陂南路567号, 近复兴中路)
Tel: +86 (0)21 6374 5815

Simply Thai

Simply Thai offers an authentic touch of classic Thai cuisine. Having lived in Thailand myself, I feel confident in testifying to their authenticity. The Simply Thai location in Xintiandi has a beautiful outside dining area that pours out onto the street. For those who aren’t fond of the cold, worry not, as there is an ample supply of heated lamps. Inside the lighting is soft and though the restaurant is small, you don’t feel exposed or overheard. The wine selection is impressive, particularly the ’wine of the month’ offerings, which are nothing short of spectacular. I recommend the clay pot roast duck and pineapple rice, or the chicken and coconut soup for those with a spicier palette. Many people take their children to Simply Thai, as there are enough options on the menu to keep their softer palettes happy, not to mention the desserts. Be sure to make a reservation on weekend evenings!

Simply Thai locations:

Madang Lu and Xingye Lu (in Xintiandi), Shanghai
TEL: +86 (0)21 6326 2088

5C Dongping Lu (near Hengshan Lu), Shanghai
TEL: +86 (0)21 6445 9551

Mei Entertainment Jie, 28 Lane, 3338 Hong Mei Lu, Shanghai
TEL: +86 (0)21 6465 8955

Shanghai Articles

Duolun Road, Cultural Celebrities Street

Name: Duolun Road, Cultural Celebrities Street
Chinese Name: 多伦路
Construction Time: 1912
Length: 550 meters (600 yards
Location: No. 146 of Dongjiangwan Road, Shanghai, close to Lu Xun Park and Hongkou Football Stadium

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If you want to experience the culture of Shanghai City over the past 100 years, Duolun Road, the Cultural Celebrities street, is the best choice. This road is only 550 meters long. It was the place where a lot of China's modern literature writers like Lu Xun, Mao Dun, Guo Moruo, and Ye Shengtao lived. It the L-shaped pedestrian street you can see the former residences of these writers. You can also find old bookstalls, private museums, and small antique shops selling calligraphy works, paintings, and rosewood appliances. There are also some nice western-style mansions, some Islamic buildings and a famous Spanish garden villa.
It is a well-decorated street, colourful and beautiful flowers in the street square, an old and simple pavement, and classical architectures, all these scenes make the road a comfortable place to visit and relax. Walking down the road, you will probably encounter some newlyweds in traditional Chinese costume having their wedding photos taken. This sweet moment is just like a ray of sunshine, making this ancient cultural street even warmer and cosier.

League of Left-Wing Writers Memorial Hall
Maybe the League of Left-Wing Writers Memorial Hall is the place most worth mentioning. It is at No.145 on Duolun Road, covering an area of 818 square yards (684 square meters). The League of Left-Wing Writers were active in the 1930s. This group was led by Lu Xun, a great writer whose works still have a big influence in China today. Many excellent writers joined the league to spread Marxism throughout the nation via their works. This memorial hall is a three-storey garden house built of bricks and wood. Many precious relics are displayed here so visitors can learn more about this league and its members. The admission is free and this hall is open from 9.00 am - 5.00 pm and closed on Mondays.

Xi Shi Bell Tower
From the memorial hall, you will be attracted by a 59 feet (18 meters) high bell tower, Xi Shi Bell Tower, on the corner. It was named after famous prose of Lu Xun, Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Duck (Zhao Hua Xi Shi). There is an old bronze clock embedded in the marble-laid tower. At the top of the tower, there is a robotic device chiming and telling the history of this Cultural Celebrities Street.

Hong De Tang Church
After the bell tower, the famous Christian church, the Hong De Tang is right in front of you. This church differs from other churches in China because it is completely made with Chinese features. This is seldom seen in China as most Christian Churches are made with Western architectural style. Admission is free and this hall is open from 9.00 am - 6.00 pm. Worship Service time: 07.00, 9.30 and 19.00 hrs.  

Folk Museums
In Duolun Cultural Celebrities Street a lot of former houses are now private museums. Among them, Jinquan Ancient Coins Museum is the most famous one near the northern end of the road and it is still open to the public. This three-storey house used to be the mansion of Tang Enbo, a capable general of the Republic of China (1912 – 1949). Nowadays, over 100,000 coins dating from the Qin Dynasty (221 – 207 BC) to 1949 are on display. Across the road, you can find a row of Shikumen buildings, traditional Shanghai-style architecture combining the features of both Western and oriental buildings. They used to be exhibition galleries of bookplates, bells, and stones. Now, only the one displaying chopsticks is still open to the public. You will see various kinds of chopsticks made of gold, silver, jade, bones, and bamboo. Please note: The museums do not have fixed opening hours; you can only visit when the owners are in. Admission for Coins Museum is 10 yuan and for Chopstick Museum is free.

Duolun Street is carefully decorated street, colourful and beautiful flowers in the street square. It has old and simple pavement, and classical architectures, all these scenes make the road a comfortable place to visit and relax. Walking down the road, there is a big chance you encounter some newlyweds in traditional Chinese costume having their wedding photos taken.

What's content marketing?

Content marketing is what? When I firstly heard this word, I have no idea about it, it was almost 5 years ago, when I was the simultaneous interpreter for SDL, in that conference, I was just translate from the Chinese into English real time but I can’t understand the deep meaning of the content marketing. Up till now, COVID-19 affected most of the people in the word, almost every country’s economy was strongly effected, I’m not busy as before, no business to do and I could have plenty of time thinking about myself how to make my business better, how to make more fans, how to improve my business, how to make more people using my service and promote my products. Same as other people, business people always thinking about how to do all of the above better, but it’s hard, true, not easy, it takes time, energy, and of course you have to be focus.

In order to do good marketing, not only just send products or service information on social medias all the time, but also good content, good content could attract your target customer and easy to be transferred into profit. Why I said so? when a social media account could be popular, for example, this account has 200,000 fans, however, this account content is always talking about health care, and right now this account wants to promote its products selling T-shirt, most of the fans will not buy it, the reason is that those fans are only interested in healthy things, not interested in fashion things. That’s why the sales must be bad, however, if this account content is always talking about fashion and make up, and then this account sells cosmetic products, of course the sales will be very good, because very high percentage of the fans will pay for it. This is why a good content, suitable for your company, your service, your products are very important and the content must be relative to the final products you want to sell.

Making a good content is not costly, it’s cheap. For example, when we take a flight, in front of our chair, there are always some magazines, during the boring time on flight, sometimes people would like to open these magazines and read, the content inside is about traveling, nice food, good shopping places etc, when people read the content and feel the nice pics, description, of course people has the emotion to go there and enjoy their time there, this is cheap marketing way, no need that much money to spend, but only target to the exact target customer and good feedback.

Content marketing is not away from us, it’s almost everywhere, why some of the social media accounts could have thousands of fans, why some of the people could become so popular? It’s not far away from us, it’s inside our daily life all the time and it will become more popular for retail sales in the near future.

Business people always spend a lot of time thinking about sales, doing small things every day, create good content every day, in a certain time, it will be different.

How to create a good content? Using the advantage of yourself, everyone has some advantages, for example, myself, I’m good at language, I’m fluent in English and Chinese, I have a lot of experience in event planing, I travelled to a lot of places and I can easily write something interesting about the city which I have traveled to, deep using your own advantage, and away from your shortage, keep in mind, there are a lot of opportunities to handle current marketing and get good result, try to become the lucky guy in this period.

Good luck everyone.

Bell Watch Tower in Shanghai Old City

In the old city of Shanghai you can visit the Xiaonanmen Bell Tower. The structure of the tower is an interesting mixture of concrete and steel and looks a lot like the Eiffel Tower in Paris in France.

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The Bell Tower was built in 1909 by Shanghai City’s fire department. At that time it was the highest in the old city (35,2 meters high).

There was always someone at the top of the tower who watched over the Old City and when they saw smoke or fire they rang the bell and firefighters rushed out to put out the fire. It was the oldest modern fire control system in Shanghai.

During the revolution in 1911 against the Qing empire the Bell Tower played an important role. The revolutionaries of the Tongmenghui group that was founded in 1905 by Dr. Sun Yat Sen in in 1905, used the bell to alert the members for their fight against the Qing Dynasty.

Very interesting is it to see that the architecture of the tower fully integrates with other buildings such as Shanghai typical residential houses. A real example of the well developed architectural skills that are typical for Shanghai in the early 19th century.
In 2005 the Bell Tower building was registered as protected architectural heritage.

Nowadays the once highest building in the old city is completely surrounded by high-rise skyscrapers and is fully integrated in the daily life in the old city.

Xu Jin

May 2020

Top Shanghai Tours

$238 Per Day

Private Hangzhou Day Trip from Shanghai by Bullet Train

Take in the highlights of beautiful Hangzhou on a private full-day tour from Shanghai. After hotel pickup and transfer by high-speed train to Hangzhou, your private guide takes you to see some city attractions, such as Faxi temple. Moreover, enjoy a tasty lunch at a local restaurant before heading to Longjing village. There, learn about the process of farming and producing dragonwell tea, the region’s most famous product. Finally, enjoy a scenic boat cruise on UNESCO World Heritage-listed West Lake before returning to Shanghai.

This is a private, full-day trip from Shanghai to Hangzhou. After you are picked up in your hotel lobby in the early morning, you will take a bullet train to Hangzhou. This is the fastest way to Hangzhou and you can experience train speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour. Your tour begins at one of Hangzhou's signature sites, the West Lake. Enjoy a lake cruise to see the top ten West Lake scenic views. You will then be taken to experience the wonderful cuisine of Hangzhou at a local restaurant. After lunch, you will visit Faxi temple, a well-known Temple dating back to the Jin Dynasty. See its famous wooden Buddha. Here, you will see fewer tourists and more locals. Finally, enjoy a cup of green tea when you visit the famous Longjing village to see wild fields of Longjing tea bushes where the locals produce the world famous green tea- Longjing Tea. In the village, all locals are tea farmers and you will see the entire procedure of making the famous tea and will get the chance to taste the best quality emperor tea. Afterwards, you will take the bullet train back to Shanghai and you will be returned to your hotel.

$300 Per Day

TESTING

$70 Per Day

Bike Tour - "Shanghai by Night"

What would be a better way to experience the “City That Never Sleeps” than hopping on one of our vintage Forever bicycles and explore a whole New World after dark?...Read more

What would be a better way to experience the “City That Never Sleeps” than hopping on one of our vintage Forever bicycles and explore a whole New World after dark? Follow our foreign expert Tour Leader on a multi-themed route from the narrow streets of the Old Town all the way to the dazzling lights of the Bund. Meanwhile, cycle around the famous landmark Yu Garden, learn about Ghost Wedding rituals, visit a Traditional Chinese Medicine outlet and get to learn more about the "Paris of the East". Finally, tickle your taste buds with some delicious street food in order to immerse yourself deeper into local life. In just one evening, we'll explore the many faces of Shanghai that make this city so unique. Easy and accessible ride for all!

USEFUL INFORMATION

- English-speaking (for other languages, please contact us)

- About 9 km ride, easy ride for all.

- From 18:15pm to 21:30pm

- Up to 6 participants

- Departure and arrival at our Culture Shock Office in Xintiandi district.

- Minimum height is 1.50m. Tandem bikes are available for kids below 12

- Prices are all inclusive (Snack food, a bottle of water, a foreign experienced guide, a helmet and single-gear vintage bike rental with all lights)

- Join-in Group every Tuesday/Friday/Saturday (USD 70 per person)

- Private Tour possible every day (USD 210 in total for 2 participants)

See More Tours