shanghai travel and tours guide
located at the center of the mainland's coastline, shanghai has long been amajor hub of communications, transportation, and international exchange. themunicipality covers an area of 6,341 square kilometers and has a population ofmore than 13.5 million. shanghai is china's largest economic comprehensiveindustrial base, and a famous historical and cultural city.
the city consistently attracts investment and is seen as an ideal venue forbusiness gatherings. it is also a must on any agenda during a tour of china.shanghai has fostered a comprehensive transportation network that incorporatesland, sea, and air travel, as well as a convenient urban transportation system.more than 300 airlines serve the city, proving direct flights to more than 20countries and regions. the addition of the shanghai pudong internationalairport, which went into operation in 1999, is expected to increase the annualpassenger volume to some 20 million.
special tourist trains running between shanghai and the neighboringprovinces of jiangsu and zhejiang, as well as tourist bus routes alongnewly-constructed expressways, offer great convenience for regional travel.shanghai has more than 400 travel agencies to assist visitors, and the 127star-rated hotels offer a total of 40, 000 guest rooms.
visitors to shanghai are not only dazzled by the modern metropolis andgateway to a developing china, but are also able to immerse themselves in theunique shanghai culture, a combination of chinese and western elements. colorfulfestivals and celebrations dot the yearly shanghai activities calendar, such asthe shanghai nanhui peach blossoms festival, shanghai international tea culturefestival and shanghai china international art festival.
shanghai has also introduced special tour packages aimed at the differentinterests of visitors, such as bicycling tours, hiking tours, gourmet tours,rehabilitation and health care tours, study tours, japanese young women's tours,honey moon tours, and convention and exhibition tours.
the bund
the well-known bund is a must for visitors to shanghai. fifty-two buildingslining the narrow shoreline of the huangpu river offer a living exhibition ofgothic, baroque, roman, classic revival and renaissance architectural styles, aswell as combinations of chinese and western styles. they are also a condensationof the recent history of the city. the wide embankment offers ample room forstrolling and is used by locals for morning exercises and evening gatherings. inthe evening, colorful lights illuminate the area and create a shimmering imagedeserving of the name pearl of the orient.
the yu garden
the yu gardens are a classical landscape in the southern chinese style witha history of more than 400 years. pavilions, halls, rockeries and ponds displaythe finest in landscaping from the southern style as seen in the ming and qingdynasties. more than 40 landscapes were ingeniously separated by latticed walls,winding corridors, and lattice windows.
people's square
people's square has become the political and cultural center in shanghaisince 1994, when it was rebuilt. in and around the square are a massive fountainnamed the light of huangpu river, 10,000 square meters of lawns, six groups ofrelief carvings that depict the history of shanghai, the new shanghai museum,the offices of the municipal government, an underground shopping plaza, theshanghai grand theater and the shanghai exhibition center
the orient pearl tv tower
the orient pearl tv tower is 468 meters high, the tallest in asia and thirdtallest in the world. it faces the bund across the huangpu river. when viewedfrom the bund, the tower and the nanpu and yangpu bridges create a vivid imageryknown as "two dragons playing with a pearl." the sphere at the top has adiameter of 45 meters and is 263 meters above ground. the observation deck inthe sphere offers a sweeping view of the city. the revolving restaurant is setat 267 meters above pudong new area. the dance ball, piano bar and 20 karaokerooms, at 271 meters, are also opened to the public. the penthouse, which sitsat 350 meters, has an observation deck, meeting room, and coffee shop. the towerintegrates broadcasting technologies with sightseeing, catering, shopping,amusement, and accommodations. it has become the symbol of the city and a majortourist attraction in shanghai.
cruise on the huangpu river
cruising on the huangpu river, visitors can gaze at the mighty skyscrapers,the monument tower to the people's heroes, the famous waibaidu bridge andhuangpu park on one bank, and the orient pearl tv tower, internationalconvertion center, jin mao building and the newly rising pudong new area on theother. the yangpu and nanpu bridges span the river. from the river, visitors canalso view the ruins of ancient cannon emplacements and fortifications at wusongand the magnificent view of the yangtze river as it empties into the sea.
nanjing road
nanjing road east, honored as "china's no. l street", has become anall-weather pedestrian arcade. shops and restaurants provide products andservices with their own characteristics, making it an ideal place thatintegrates shopping, restaurants, amusement and sightseeing.
luxun park
the museum and tomb are located in lu xun park. lu xun was an imminent manof letters. the museum exhibits lu xun's manuscripts, some of his personaleffects, document., and photos. the headstone at the tomb of lu xun is in thecalligraphy of vhio zedong and reads "the tomb of mr. lu xun."
dr. sun's residence
dr. sun yat-sen, the forerunner of the chinese democratic revolution, andhis wilr soong ching ling, lived in this building from 1918 to 1924. it was inthe residence that dr. sun yat-sen met representatives of the communist partyand fostered the first cooperation between the chinese communist party and thekuomintang.
soong ching ling's residence
this is the former residence of soong ching ling. an honorary chairwoman ofthe people's republic of china and the widow of sun yat-sen. she lived, worked,and studied here during the last years of her life.
birthplace of the communist party of china.
in july of 1921, the first national communist party congress was held inthis building. the congress passed the party's program and resolutions, electedthe central committee, and declared the founding of the cpc.
shanghai library
the new shanghai library, which covers an area of some 80,000 squaremeters, has a collection of 13 million books and is considered one of the topten libraries in the world. the library incorporates the open-stacks approachfavored in the west, which allows for convenience in borrowing books.
shanghai grand theater
located in the northwestern corner of people's square. the shanghai grandtheater covers 70,000 squat, meters. it is actually composed of three theaters.the theaters can accommodate performances of ballet opera, symphonies, chambermusic modern dramas, and musicals. the theater also owns the largest, fullyautomatic stage in asia. the theater has become a symbol of modern culture inshanghai.
duolun road
cultural celebrities' street, located along duolun road and surroundingareas,is a living memorial to the modern cultural celebrities of shang-hai andis also a condensation of modern culture. such chinese literary giants as luxun, mao dun, guo moruo and ye shengtao lived and wrote here,making the road animportant feature in china's modern cultural history. in addition, the famousgongfei cafe. celebrities mansion, the shanghai art opera troupe, and hai shangjiu li also display the accumulated cultural atmosphere of duolun roadtoday.