Shanghai: Where Old Meets New

After three weeks in Beijing, we decided to visit China’s most populated city: Shanghai. The high-speed train through the Chinese countryside takes about five hours, reaching speeds over 300 km/h. Shanghai is strikingly different from Beijing. It’s modern, fast-paced, and international. The Pudong district is something reminiscent of New York City. Its mega skyscrapers include the Shanghai Tower, which is currently the tallest building in China and the second tallest in the world (after Dubai’s Burj Khalifa). On a hazy night, the top disappears into the clouds.

The view of Pudong is spectacular from the Bund across the Huangpu River. Originally a British settlement, it hosts dozens of historical buildings along the waterfront which were once home to consulates, banks and trading posts for various Western countries.

To the South, the French Concession’s leafy streets are a reminder of a colonial past. Still today, it is home to a great number of expats living in Shanghai. It has everything, from quaint cafes to trendy shops and restaurants.

Though it may seem like any Chinese feel has been stripped from Shanghai, that’s far from being true. The Old City of Shanghai is still very much alive and serves as the urban core. 

Though the walls that once surrounded the Old City have now been dismantled, its boundaries can be understood by the contrast in architecture. Two recommendations: visit the Yuyuan Gardens, and try the street food! We had the best fried rice of our entire stay in China.

If in Beijing the weight of the Cultural Revolution is still greatly felt, it’s less true for Shanghai. The Jing’an Temple is a perfect example of the juxtaposition of traditional Chinese culture with modern metropolitan life.