Get Above the River in Shanghai

Shanghai, known during the 1920s and 30s as the “Paris of the East” is known today as the hub for all that is new and modern in China. If you’re headed for a convention or trade show at the Shanghai International Convention Center you’ll be landing right in the country’s center of finance and trade.

Cranes have become a fixture of the Shanghai skyline. The city built about 175 new star-rated hotels for the World’s Fair, Expo 2010 Shanghai, most of them high-rises. Check TripAdvisor for ratings and reviews. Get more info on the weather, transportation and sights to see at shanghaihighlights.com or the official tourist site.

TripAdvisor also provides a great rundown of things to do and see while you’re here. Guided bike tours win rave reviews as the hands-down best way to take in the city and its people in short amount of time.

The Shanghai Convention Center adds interest to the city's skyline

This is easy riding, as the city is mostly flat. Busy during the day? There’s even a “sleepless nights” nighttime bike tour, which you may want to take anyway to see landmarks like the Bund, the Oriental Pearl Tower and the ever-expanding Pudong skyline all lit up.

Of course you’ll want to shop. Unlike in the west, the Chinese believe that grouping vendors selling the same items in one place yields the most traffic from qualified buyers. Shanghai boasts many such specialized markets, and is especially known for fabric, pearls, and gifts. As with bicycling, guided tours seem to be the key to sniffing out, and negotiating, the best bargains.

Open space and peace and quiet is scarce in this city of nearly 20 million people. The city’s parks are lively places for strolling and people watching, particularly at dawn when they are filled with locals taking their morning exercises. Be sure to visit the spectacular 16th-century Yuyuan Gardens, located near the center of the old city.

Perhaps the best way to get a respite from the hustle and bustle is to get high: the two characters that make up the city’s name mean “above the river”. While there seems to be some debate about the orgininal meaning of the name, the number of skyscrapers in Shanghai today has given it new meaning. The city has seven of the worlds tallest hotels. Wouldn’t it be simply lovely to look out on the lights of the city from 46 floors above the river at the end of a busy day of biking, shopping and conventioneering?