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Notes on Shanghai: revisiting an old favourite

October 16, 2013 By James Clark 5 Comments

Shanghai - revisiting an old favourite

I was last in Shanghai three years ago and I spent about a month in the city. When I came here in 2010 I was actually considering moving to Shanghai – that is how much I liked it. As it turned out I could only get a tourist visa that required leaving the country every month, so that idea was scrapped and I ended up in Southeast Asia.

It’s always interesting going back to a place that you love. When I’m on my way back I often wonder if it will be as good as I remember it to be or if it was just my memory remembering it to be better than it was.

I wondered if Shanghai was as good as I remembered it to be, and it wasn’t long after I was back until it was reconfirmed; I still love Shanghai.

Shanghai is to China like New York is to the United States. Both are the economic powerhouses of their countries (if we don’t count the SAR of Hong Kong). Both are international cities that are not true representations of their countries. Both are also relatively easy to navigate for their size. Shanghai has a population of 10 million people yet getting around by public transport is easy enough with 10 subway lines covering most points of interest.

My first port of call (after checking in) was to go the most iconic location in Shanghai: The Bund. This stretch of road is lined with historic concession-era commercial buildings and it is from here you can see the ultimate postcard view of Shanghai – the Pudong skyline.

Shanghai
[Pudong Skyline – Shanghai]

While the subway makes getting around easy, Shanghai is actually an easy city to walk. In Puxi, the historic centre of Shanghai, the streets are lined with plane trees and the footpaths are flat and without obstruction.

Plane trees of Shanghai
[Plane trees of Shanghai]

Like most of urban China, much of old Shanghai has been cleared to make way for bigger things, but there are pockets of the old that still remain, particularly around the Bund area.

If you don’t mind new old towns then Fang Bang Road (Shanghai Old Street) is an aesthetically pleasing place to do trinket shopping as well.

Fang Bang Road - Shanghai
[Fang Bang Road – Shanghai]

So I didn’t end up living here but it is one of those cities that I am happy to return to.

Where I Stayed

In Shanghai I stayed as a guest of the Radisson BLU Pudong Century Park.

Filed Under: Travel Blog Tagged With: china, shanghai

About James Clark

James Clark is the founder of Nomadic Notes. He has been a digital nomad since 2003, and Nomadic Notes features trip reports, train travel articles, and where to stay guides. He writes about transport and urban development at Future Southeast Asia. Subscribe to the weekly travel newsletter.

Comments

  1. Nicki Chen says

    October 16, 2013 at 5:39 pm

    When I visited Shanghai in 1986, the view from the Bund was radically different. The Pudong skyline was mostly buildings under construction. We stayed in the Peace Hotel. The rooms were enormous with closets big enough to hold several steamer trunks.

    Reply
  2. Tom says

    October 16, 2013 at 6:08 pm

    Cool pic of the skyline, just added Shanghai to one of the next stops.

    Reply
  3. Dan says

    October 17, 2013 at 1:18 am

    Great city and photos !

    Reply
  4. lyn barden says

    October 23, 2013 at 4:33 am

    Great photos. pleased to see the Old town doesn’t appear to have changed. I love the Chinese architecture and hustle and bustle of this area. Sounds like the Bund area has changed quite a bit?

    Reply
  5. Sheza@ PartycruiseDubai says

    November 1, 2013 at 6:39 am

    i haven’t traveled much but would love to visit Shanghai

    Reply

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James Clark from Nomadic Notes

Hi, I’m James Clark, and I've been travelling the world since 2003 while running a location independent travel business. Nomadic Notes is a travel blog featuring travel guides and notes from my travels.

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