I know you love the Bund, but there's more to Shanghai!
With Shanghai’s tourism festival fast approaching, I thought it was high time we had a talk about what this city has to offer visitors, because there’s more than just the Bund.
I know what you’re thinking: “Of course, there’s more, like Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall and Yuyuan Garden!” That’s exactly what I thought you were going to say.
As it turns out, the places I mentioned are at the top of the list when it comes to the most popular tourist attractions in Shanghai, and for good reason. They are definitely worth at least one visit, especially for tourists who have a limited amount of time to explore.
But if you can spare a few more days, I’d like to share a few more ideas for places to hit up, or places to add to the list the next time your friends and family visit.
Walt who? Check out Shanghai Happy Valley! (上海欢乐谷)
Shanghai Disneyland opened to the public to much fanfare in 2016, but if you really want to take the kids somewhere fun while you’re here, consider the city’s very own, local theme park: Shanghai Happy Valley.
Opened in 2009, the park features seven areas and more than 100 attractions, including China’s very first wooden roller-coaster. If price is one of your considerations, Shanghai Happy Valley wins hands down, with adult tickets setting you back 230 yuan (US$33.50) and kids just 160 yuan (or free under 1.1 meters in height). Half-price tickets are available during Shanghai Tourism Festival.
Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Center (上海宣传画艺术中心)
This very small, private museum located in the basement of an ordinary apartment complex on Huashan Road features an extraordinary collection of, well, Chinese propaganda posters.
The posters, covering a wide part of recent Chinese history, vividly highlight many major landmarks locally and around the world, including the 1930s Shanghai calendar girls, the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the early days of opening up in the late 1970s.
The tiny museum even has a gift shop, where you can buy not only copies but some original posters.
Sihang Warehouse (四行仓库)
The warehouse in Jing’an District played a significant role in the Battle of Shanghai during China’s War of Resistence Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).
From October 26 to November 1, 1937, Chinese resistance fighters set up a base in the Sihang Warehouse to ward off Japanese aggression. The six-floor structure’s location, just across the Suzhou Creek from the foreign concessions, was vital because it highlighted to foreign powers, who were not yet ready to engage, that China would not concede to the Japanese. It also meant the Japanese couldn’t attack using their most powerful weapons for fear of inadvertently hitting foreign areas.
The Japanese were forced to retreat, providing a much-needed morale boost and turning the “800 Heroes” (they actually numbered 414) into national heroes. Battle scars remain on the building as a vivid reminder of the defense of Sihang Warehouse, and part of the area has been turned into a memorial.
Walk or ride the Huangpu River
One of Shanghai’s crown achievements recently has been the opening of a 45-kilometer unbroken stretch of the Huangpu River which can be walked, jogged or biked along.
Both sides of the river are included, and it has just been announced that the Pudong side will feature 22 new tourist information posts by the end of this month.
The posts will be open from 8am to 10pm and include free Wi-Fi, seating, drinking water, charging posts, and toilets. There is so much to see along the route, much of it quiet and green.
Go to a random Metro station and have a wander
Shanghai is one of the safest cities in the entire world, so take advantage of that and jump on a Metro to some random station you’ve never been to or heard of before.
Shanghai is a bustling place, with things going on wherever you turn, so you’ll be bound to find amazing food, drinks, and things to look at.
Shanghai has so many amazing, world-class places to visit, taste, and experience. Why limit yourself to the most popular spots?
