Things to do in Shànghǎi
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China Cycle Tours
Joint Sūzhōu–Shànghǎi cycling group with tours of both cities as well as the surrounding countryside. Family friendly.
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Yùyuán Gardens & Bazaar
With their shaded alcoves, glittering pools churning with carp, pavilions, pines sprouting wistfully from rockeries, and roving packs of Japanese tourists, these gardens (豫园; Yùyuán)are one of Shànghǎi's premier sights – but are overpoweringly crowded at weekends.
The Pan family, rich Ming-dynasty officials, founded the gardens, which took 18 years (1559–77) to be nurtured into existence before bombardment during the Opium War in 1842. The gardens took another trashing during French reprisals for attacks on their nearby concession by Taiping rebels. Restored, they are a fine example of Ming garden design. The spring and summer blossoms bring a fragrant and floral…
reviewed
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Dishuidong
Named after a cave at Mao Zedong's birthplace, this Hunan eatery's low-key rustic charms are matched by an invigorating menu. Xiāngcài (Hunan cuisine) is all about searing spice, but don't reach for the dry ice yet, dishes are quite tame. The spicy bean curd (麻辣豆腐; around Y18) hits the mark; flesh out the meal with the Stewed Pork in Sauce of Chairman Mao's Style (毛公红烧肉; Y28).
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Blue Frog
There are seven Frogs around Shànghǎi, and their mix of burgers, sports TV and four-hour happy hours (4-8pm) mean they’re perennially popular. On Tuesday nights drinks are Y25, but if you can down all 100 of the shots they list, then you’ll get a free one every day for life and your name on their wall of fame.
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Element Fresh
Perennially popular, Element Fresh hits the spot with its tempting selection of healthy salads, pasta dishes (Western and Asian) and hefty sandwiches. Vegetarians may well faint with excitement at the roasted eggplant on ciabatta bread or the Italian tofu sandwich smothered in pesto. Then there are the imaginative smoothies (from Y22), big breakfasts (Y38–68), coffee and after-work cocktails.
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Zhongshan Park
Known as Jessfield Park to the British, this is a moderately interesting park located in the north east, in the former ‘Badlands’ area of 1930s Shànghǎi. Kids will like Fundazzle ( 翻斗乐; Fāndǒulè), an adventure playground with slides, mazes and tunnels.
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Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall
The 3rd floor features Shanghai’s idealised future, with an incredible model layout of the megalopolis-to-come plus a dizzying Virtual World 3-D wrap-around tour complete with celebratory fireworks.
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Mandarin House
With four branches around town, new language classes start each week. Courses at all levels, with an average of four to six students per class.
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M50
Chinese contemporary art has been the hottest thing in the art world for the past decade and there’s no sign of the boom ending, with collectors around the world paying record prices for the work of top artists like Zhang Xiaogang (whose paintings sold for a total of US$57 million in 2007). Běijīng may dominate the art scene in China, but Shànghǎi has its own thriving gallery subculture, centred on this complex of industrial buildings down dusty Moganshan Rd in the north of town. Although many of the artists who originally established the enclave are long gone, it is well worth putting aside a half-day to poke around the many galleries here. There’s some challenging, i…
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Taikang Road Art Centre
Xīntiāndì and Taikang Rd are based on a similar idea – an entertainment complex housed within a layout of traditional lòngtáng alleyways – but when it comes to genuine charm and vibrancy, Taikang Rd is the one that delivers. Also known as Tiánzǐfáng, this community of design studios, wi-fi cafes, and boutiques is the perfect antidote to Shànghǎi’s oversized malls and intimidating skyscrapers. With families still residing in neighbouring buildings, a community mood survives, and the area’s relative transport isolation has prevented it from being utterly swamped by tour groups.
There are three main north–south lanes (Nos 210, 248, 274) criss-crossed by irr…
reviewed
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1221
No one has a bad thing to say about this smart expat favourite and rightly so, as it has never let its standards dip over the years. Meat dishes start at Y42 for the beef and dough strips (yóutiáo), and the plentiful eel, shrimp and squid dishes are around twice that. Other tempting fare includes the roast duck (Y108) and braised pork (Y68). The pan-fried sticky rice and sweet bean paste (from the dim-sum menu) makes a good dessert. It’s also worth ordering the eight-fragrance tea just to watch it served spectacularly out of 60cm-long spouts. Reserve.
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Always Café
What draws the regulars here are the excellent value set-lunch specials with coffee (11am to 5pm), and the buy-one-get-one-free happy hour (5pm to 8pm). The food is a mix of Asian and Western, from Indonesian nasi goreng (fried rice) and Shànghǎi-style eel to bacon cheeseburgers and pasta. It’s a friendly place with chequered tablecloths and an old parquet floor which, along with the wi-fi access, makes it an easy place to while away an afternoon or evening. Fans of afternoon tea can find it here (Y48 for two).
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Sasha’s
Housed in a fine old villa that once belonged to the Soong family, Sasha’s large garden is one of Shànghǎi’s most splendid summer spots. Inside there’s a vague French colonial feel with wicker furniture, wood floors and a cosy bar to perch at. Upstairs there’s an expensive restaurant offering Western food. Given the prices here, it’s worth checking out the happy hour, from 5.30pm to 7pm, when all drinks are half-price.
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Guyi Hunan Restaurant
Shànghǎi’s foodies divide into those who back this place to the hilt and others who prefer the more laid-back charms of Dī Shuǐ Dòng. The classy atmosphere is equalled by the comprehensive menu, which includes great huŏguō (hotpots; Y48–68) featuring beef, chicken, crab or frog and, once again, those delectable cumin ribs. No reservations; come prepared to wait.
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Jade On 36
Foie gras lollipops, strawberry-cola spaghetti, a lemon tart that's a hollowed-out lemon with a sorbet-like filling - the food here is as extraordinary as the ornate setting (courtesy of Adam Tihany, the world's leading restaurant designer) and views.
It's simultaneously Shanghai's wackiest and most exclusive dining experience; take your pick from one of the four set menus (there are no other options) and prepare to be astonished.
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Shanghai Museum
A tour de force, this museum of traditional Chinese art is the centrepiece of People’s Square, if not Shanghai, so bookmark a whole day. Top galleries include the Ceramics Gallery, Bronzes Gallery and Painting Gallery. Arrive early to avoid the queues. The Shanghai Museum also has an emporium. Items include facsimiles of the museum’s porcelain collection, and postcards and books on the Chinese arts, architecture, travel and language.
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Shanghai History Museum
One of Shanghai’s top sights, this fun museum charts the city’s highs and lows from its days as a cotton-producing town to its grandiose, opium-wreathed heyday and beyond. Life-size models of traditional shops are staffed by realistic waxworks and some exhibits are hands-on or accompanied by creative video presentations.
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Paramita
If you can’t make it to Tibet, at least swing by Paramita for its inspiring collection of souvenirs, including yak-bone amulets (Y90), masks, jewellery, framed mandalas and other Buddhist treasures from the Himalayas. It’s a nonprofit organisation, founded to help Tibetans with minimal education find employment.
reviewed
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Shanghai No 1 Department Store
Opened in 1936, the Shanghai No 1 Department Store was formerly known as the Sun Company and was one of East Nanjing Rd’s big department stores (with Wing On, Sun Sun and Sincere) and the first equipped with an escalator. Today it averages 150,000 shoppers a day over 11 levels of merchandise.
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Lynn
Newfangled dim sum and Shanghai-meets-Cantonese cuisine in a splendidly stylish setting. Adventurous standouts mix with traditional dishes: look for eggplant with minced pork, chicken with sesame pockets and deep-fried ribs with honey and garlic. Sundays bring an all-you-can-eat brunch for Y78. Reserve a table.
reviewed
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Indian Kitchen
One of Shànghǎi’s growing number of Indian restaurants, this is a popular place, especially with expat Brits yearning for a taste of their national cuisine. All the classics are on the menu, from kormas to vindaloos and they deliver too. The set lunch, which isn’t available at weekends, is a good deal.
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Ba Yan Ka la
This well-conceived store offers a luxurious line of natural beauty products derived from Chinese herbal medicine. Goji berry (skin revitalisation), lotus seed (skin nourishment) and mulberry (detoxification) are the principal ingredients in the shampoos, bath salts, facial scrubs and scented candles.
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Flower, Bird, Fish & Insect Market
One of the few remaining traditional markets in town, this is the spot to go shopping for city-sized pets. There are all sorts of critters for sale, but it’s the insects that are the most remarkable. Crickets come in a variety of sizes and are sold in woven bamboo cages; pick one up for under Y30.
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Jean Georges
Divine palate-pleasers (beef tenderloin in a miso-red-wine sauce, crab with mango and cumin crisps) are the order of the day at the Manhattan chef’s sensuous Shanghai outpost. It’s divided into casual and formal (set dinner only, Y538) dining rooms at night. Reserve.
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Lost Heaven
Enlighten your tastebuds with the Dai and Miao folk cuisine from China’s remote and ethnically infused southwest. Ease into a Yunnan chicken salad with chilli and sesame, Yunnan vegetable cakes or the Dai tribe chicken with seven spices. Book ahead.
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