China | Shanghai

Shanghai, on the Yangtze River Delta, is China's economic powerhouse, and its largest city with a population of 13.5 million and growing. Shanghai also has of the busiest ports and is the world's ninth largest city. Shanghai's building boom is evident everywhere you look, and cranes erecting skyscrapers or high-rise apartment buildings are visible from every vantage point in the city.

The city is divided by the Huangpu River, with Puxi on the "West Bank," and Pudong on the "Right Bank." Shanghai is divided into nine 'downtown' districts, with Huangpu District, Luwan District and Pudong (aka 'Chuansha County or Pudong New District) at the city's center. There are also eight suburban or outlying districts.

The Bund

The 'Bund' (meaning "embankment") is a one-mile-long historic financial district situated along the west bank of the Huangpu River, along Zhongshan Road, north of the old walled city.

The Bund stood as a monument to British colonialism during the Communist era, but the statues that commemorated colonial figures were removed by the Mao government. With the reopening of China, The Bund has returned to its old glory as Shanghai's financial center.

Pudong Special Economic Zone

The Pudong district, which is officially known as the Pudong New Area, has emerged as Shanghai's commercial and financial hub, and is ground-zero for Shanghai's current building boom.

Originally established as a "Special Economic Zone" in the 1990s during China's second "great leap forward," the Pudong area was predominantly farmland until recently. Looking to the future, the 28 square kilometer 'Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone' at the western tip of Pudong is slated to be the next financial center for Shanghai and China as a whole.

Shanghai's Yuyuan Old Town 'Chinatown'

Shanghai's Old 'China Town' (aka 'Old Town' or 'Old City') Yuyuan Garden and Bazaar is located southeast of the city's center, flanked by Renmin Lu street and Zongshan Lu street. The Yuyuan Garden's Tianyu Tower is home to 'Pearl's Circles,' one of the world's largest chinese cultivated pearl markets.

Old Town, originally surrounded by a city wall, features traditional chinese architecture and a maze of shops, food stalls, and restaurants. The highlight of this area is the teahouse located at the Yu'yuan Garden.

Shanghai's Suburbs

As you travel into, or out of the city by car or rail, one of the striking features is the endless sprawl of high-rise apartments and mini downtowns that stretch out for miles. With a 'zero population growth' policy still in effect, most of the new residential construction is designed to accommodate the throngs of people migrating from the countryside for a hope of better opportunities.

The traffic during peak hours (which encompass most daylight hours - into the late evening) is interminable, and the addition of thousands of cars being added monthly to the city contribute to the poor air-quality.

Hotel Info: Shanghai Hotels