Sheshan Park 佘山 is a hill of about 100m high west of Shanghai, China. On top are an old Jesuit observatory (a museum now) and The Sheshan Basilica. The observatory complex was founded by French Mission Catholique in 1872. Sheshan Basilica is the largest Catholic cathedral in Southeast China and was built around 1863. Shanghai is flat as a pancake so this hill, although only 100m, sticks out. Sheshan Park makes for a fun day trip to go hike about, check…
The Shanghai Post Office Museum is located on the second floor of the old General Post Office Building that was built around 1924 in a European style. Nowadays the building is a historical landmark.Shanghai was the main hub of China’s postal network during the years of the Republic of China. Later around 1914, China joined the international postal union and Shanghai became the central exchange for international mail. After 2003 the building’s courtyard and second floor space became a public…
Whoa, yet another listicle of Shanghai food, really? I know, right. There are just so many wonderful street snacks around town I doubt anything less than a thick anthology could capture them all. Of course, there are many books on the subject such as “Glutton Guide Shanghai” which I recommend. However, this blog is about my favorite experiences which I’ll certainly add more as time goes. Most of these are sold at stalls or pop-up stands and are fairly inexpensive….
The little town known as Thames Town is in the suburbs of Songjiang district just west of Shanghai. The town is a replica of English style architecture and was completed in 2006. It’s named after the Thames River in London. In the town center there are cobblestone streets, Victorian style buildings, pubs, and shops. The most recognized building is a large church that is directly copied from the Christ Church, Clifton Down in Bristol, England. Other buildings such as a…
XinChang Ancient Town (新场古镇) is a charming water town nearby Shanghai. Take a break from the busy city and enjoy a peaceful lunch next to the canal. That’s what I did. XinChang was also known as Xin Yan Chang which means “New Salt Place”. The town belonged to a salt manufacture that operated nearby the sea. At some point they moved the production to XinChang so it’s called “New Salt Place”. Salt traders would come to the town to do…
Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center 上海城市规划展示馆 The Shanghai Urban Planing Exhibition Center (SUPEC) is one of Shanghai’s many cool museums and quite popular. Inside on the 6th floor is a scale model of the whole city which you can view from a perimeter walkway or gallery above. If you are in Shanghai then of course you’ll want to try and find your hotel or apartment. In addition, there are many other interesting displays to enjoy including an art gallery and…
Shouning Road is a night street market is a lively street located in central Shanghai. It is probably most famous for craw-fish boiled in spicy chili oil and broth. You order a heaping mound of fresh craw-fish then don plastic gloves and dig in! There also are many grilled vegetables to try such as garlic shoots, mushrooms, cauliflower, and lotus. My favorites are grilled eggplant with garlic and grilled mántou (a soft steamed bun). Less “famous” but certainly worth trying…
Going to Dishui Lake is a bit of a journey and so far not a lot of people seem eager to go. The area is huge and for the most part, desolate in spite of all the construction going on. Eventually, if the real estate billboards are to be believed, the area will become quite attractive. For now, it’s mostly empty and quite. Our journey begins by starting at Longyang Road metro station and take line 16 to the end…
Nanxiang Old Street 南翔老街 is a well preserved old town about 35 minutes metro ride from central Shanghai. The town was a major business center long ago and claims a history of over 1500 years. You can enjoy scenic walks along cobble stone streets and enjoy shopping, eating and sightseeing. In the center part are two large, stone pagoda and an ancient water well. Nanxiang is the birthplace of the famous dumpling known as Xiaolongbao. There are several restaurants and…
If you enjoy exploring offbeat kind of places, Yangshan Deep-Water Port 洋山深水港 will not disappoint. Getting there is pretty exciting, too. The drive takes you across one of the world’s largest bridges, and huge wind turbines loom out in the sea along the way. Approaching the islands, you’ll see tall gantry cranes off in the distance loading and unloading mega container ships. It’s all pretty cool to see, especially for landlubbers like me who are unfamiliar with such things. Yangshan…