CITY GUIDE

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BIRTH DATE - 

• 1291 a large part of the city didn't exist as the land was yet to be reclaimed

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POPULATION - 

• 27,058,000

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AKA - 

• Shen, Hu Tu, Hudu, Shencheng, Little Hangzhou, Paris of the East, Whore of the Orient, the New York of China

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MEANING - 

• Upon the Sea

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• Tricking or forcing civilians aboard ships as forced labour in the 19th century, often these ships were headed for Shanghai.

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RIVER - 

• Yangtze River Delta, Huangpu River, Suzhou Creek 

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HISTORY - 

• Shanghai has an interesting history and a lot of it centres around opium.

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• The British love of tea meant a trade imbalance with China that was evened out by getting them all hooked on smoking opium. A lot of respected business empires that are still around today had their foundations in the opium trade.

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• It also saw two wars fought over it and changed Shanghai's destiny forever. After the First Opium War in 1842 Shanghai was one of the ports opened up to foreigners with protections for them and their property. They opened embassies and enjoyed fair trade tariffs.

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• The US and France quickly followed. The population and foreign trade grew and Shanghai grew wealthy and corrupt.

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• In the mid 19th century the leader of the Taipings, Hong Xiuquan who claimed to be Jesus's brother led a rebellion against the Manchu rulers. It became all out war and raged for over a decade.

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• It was the bloodiest civil war of all time and an estimated 20 - 30 million people died. The battle of Shanghai was a major engagement in the revolution. The British and French troops used modern artillery on the Taiping forces who had attacked and occupied the city. Eventually the combined forces of Beijing, Britain and France defeated the rebel army.

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• Rebellions continued around the countryside forcing a wave of refugees to head for the safety of Shanghai.

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• Eventually everything fell to pieces and saw the demise of China's last ruling dynasty which had lasted 250 years.

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• Early in the 1900's Shanghai's population was a million people. The wealthy foreigners had set up their own areas and had their own laws. As the Nationalists took power and the Japanese invaded Manchuria, Shanghai became a sort of haven for the rich and powerful and the down and out.

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• There was a big influx of White Russians fleeing from the Russian Revolution who were just as poor as the peasants and had to take menial jobs and work as prostitutes. There was a lot of crime and vice in the city. People would often wake up to the sight of dead bodies on the side of the road. It was said that everyone who came to Shanghai had something to hide.

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• The Japanese had gained treaty rights and were the second largest group after the Chinese. There were Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis who ended up in Japanese camps. It was truly a multicultural city, very exotic and rotten to the core.

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• After the Japanese invasion Chiang Kai Shek decided to take a stand at Shanghai which cost many lives. His forces also bombed The Bund and Nanking Road. The foreigners fled the city leaving the Chinese population to face their fate.

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• The Golden days of Shanghai were over and it became a dark and dangerous city. After the defeat of the Japanese in WW2 the Allies signed over their concessions to Chiang and that was the end of 100 years of foreign influence in Shanghai.

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• Next came hyper-inflation and the the Communist take over of Mao and his cronies. The opium addicts were cured, the brothels were closed and the prostitutes found a new line of work.

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• During the Cultural Revolution a million Red Guards went on a rampage through the city attacking and denouncing anyone they thought may have some contact with foreigners.

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• In 1972 Richard Nixon visited the city which marked the beginning of the normalization of their relationship with the US and began the opening up of China to the west.

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• Since then Shanghai's development has been spectacular. When I was there on National Day in 1985 the buildings were decorated with light bulbs outlining their shapes. Now there are skyscrapers with huge videos on their walls.

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BEST TIME TO GO - 

• October and November is best.

• April and May is also nice with higher prices.

• June to September is peak season and is hot, humid and rainy.

• December to March is winter and it gets down below 10 degrees Celsius but there isn't a lot of rain.

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ACCOMMODATION -

 

 

TOP 10 - 

1. The Bund

2. The Maglev (world's fastest train)

3. Shanghai Circus World

4. The Peace Hotel

5. Disneyland

6. Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street

7. Former French Concession

8. Shanghai World Financial                                                                                                       Center Observation Deck

9. The Oriental Pearl                                                                                                                               Observation Deck at Night

10. Yuyuan Garden

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FUN FACT - 

• During the Cultural Revolution there was a plan to make the (Communist) Red traffic lights mean go.

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AIRPORT TRANSFER - Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) 30 km / Hongqiao Airport (SHA) 13 km

• Pudong you can take the Maglev which takes 7 min, Airport Shuttle Bus, Metro or taxi. 

• SHA mainly handles domestic flights. Same options as Pudong but no Maglev.

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SAFETY - 

• Guard against pick pockets, dodgy taxi drivers, watch out for scammers, safe city with usual scammers.

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FOOD - 

• Shanghai specialties to try are Xiao Long Bao or Soup Dumplings - famous around the world,

• Hairy Crab (you haven't truly eaten in Shanghai until you've tried this), 

• Beggar's Chicken, Braised Pork, Shansi Leng Mian (Eel Noodles), Cong You Bing (Scallion Pancakes), 

• You Dunzi (Radish Fritters), Shengjianbao is the other famous dumpling of Shanghai, Di Shui Dong ribs, Braised eggplant, 

• Grilled oysters, Drunken chicken, Shanghai-style fried noodles

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NIGHTLIFE - 

• The world's biggest city and the world's fastest growing city has no shortage of night time options. There are plenty of ex-pats and locals who like a good time.

• Even before China opened up to the west Shanghai was a cosmopolitan place where people would rather wear brightly coloured shirts than the drab green and blue Mao suits.

• There are plenty of rooftop bars to take in the amazing skyline.

• It can be expensive so you may need to pick your bars wisely.

• The Bund is very popular but also expensive due to it's view of Pudong across the Huangpu river.

• The Former French Concession is a big Clubbing area.

• There is plenty of live music and jazz available.

• Often there are good deals for the ladies with cheap drinks etc.

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SIDE TRIP - 

• Suzhou and Nanjing

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COSTS - 

• Shanghai is probably the most expensive place in China but you can still get good value for your dollar. It's still China after all.

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VISA -

FLIGHTS -

INSURANCE -

TIPS -

SCAMS -

GETTING AROUND - 

• The Metro is good to avoid traffic but it gets very crowded during rush hour. All information is in English as well as Chinese.

• There is a bike sharing system and it is a good city to walk around.

• Taxis and ride shares are plentiful and a good option when it's rush hour on the Metro.

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MUST DO - 

• Ride the Maglev

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SHOPPING - 

• Nanjing Road (East and West nearly 10 km long), 

• Global Harbor (Mall), 

• Yuyuan Mart (Garden), 

• Tianzifang (Old French Quarter), 

• Shanghai Old Street, 

• Qibao Old Street 

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