Most populous city in the world – Shanghai
I have been to China more than 10 times but Shanghai was my first trip! Hearing the word most populous made me scare. I am more of a country person.
It only took 4.5 hours to reach Shanghai. The flight served a mini ice-cream for dessert.
I reached Shanghai at around 3 pm and the immigration was full of visitors coming from different parts of the world. It took slightly less than 1 hour to clear the custom.
Shanghai is a big city with 24 million population, when the taxi was approaching the city area, it was pack with cars, big city syndrome.
Taxi in Shanghai
I noticed taxi driver is protected under a plastic guard shield. All taxi should run in the meter. The receipt is also automatically offered to me. In the city, there is an initial meter charge of 14 RMB for most 3 km drives (including the fare surcharge). The fare from the airport to Shanghai should be around RMB 150 -180. You can take the train but with big luggage, don’t bother to do that.
Circular Pedestrian Bridge in Lujiazui, Shanghai
The Circular Pedestrian Bridge is an amazing sight in Shanghai.
This large circular pedestrian overpass provides access to the Pearl Oriental Tower, also connecting shopping malls, cafes, restaurants, train stations, and office buildings. It took me quite a while to walk one round.
I had a stroll at the walkway of the bridge and enjoy the views of the city.
View of Oriental Pearl Tower from the Circular Pedestrian Bridge
The tower features 11 spheres, big and small but I only spotted one small and two big spheres! The unique architectural design of Oriental Pearl Tower makes it one of the most attractive places. I have to take a picture of the Oriental Pearl Tower in the Circular Pedestrian Bridge.
Disney store in Lujiazui
If you are a fan of Disney, there is a Disney store below the Circular Pedestrian Bridge.
Purchase ticket online for: Shanghai Disneyland (1 Day Admission/2 Day Admission)
The Circular Pedestrian Bridge also links to many of the restaurants. I had my dinner at one of the restaurants there.
Oriental Pearl Tower at night
This is one of the iconic landmarks in Shanghai, this is also the TV Tower in Shanghai.
At night the structure is illuminated to great dramatic effect. This tower is brightly lit in different LED sequences at night.
Night view from Lujiazui/陆家嘴, Shanghai
Shanghai Metro
There are a total of 14 lines in operation and ranks second in the world by annual ridership after the Beijing Subway. This is the most accessible form of transport in Shanghai. The ticket machine is labeled in English and Chinese and most machines used coins. Few machines do accept the paper notes.
I bought a 3 Day rail which allows me to travel the 14 lines for the duration of 3 days unlimited. It cost me RMB 45. This pass can also be kept as a souvenir after use because it will not be collected back. You have to buy the 3 days rail from the ticketing counter, not from the machine.
You can see the people queue up to get on the train, people in Shanghai is very cultured and not pushing around. If you see someone who is trying to rush in without queue up, they are probably outsiders, not from the big city of Shanghai.
I am heading to Century Avenue where my hotel is for the 3 nights stay in Shanghai.
Dinner
Dinner was Xiao Long Bau, beef hot pot and roast duck. I find the food is quite salty in Shanghai.
A must-try cuisine in Shanghai – Xiaolongbao
Xiaolongbao is the steamed bun, originally from the Jiangnan region. It was called xiao long – mean small bamboo steaming basket. The buns tasted awesome after dipping in Zhenjiang vinegar with ginger slivers
Hongta Hotel
This hotel is very near the Pearl Oriental Tower, it is situated in Lujiazui. The nearest metro station – Century Avenue is about 10 mins walk.
I find most people stayed here are on business. The breakfast served wasn’t that great but quite satisfying. Everyone queues for their food and speaks softly. Half of the guests were foreigners and half were mainland local Chinese.
China Green Hotel
The Hongta Hotel is recognized as the Green Hotel in China. Green Hotel is an Eco-friendly lodging place. This hotel is also part of the SPG family/ Starwood Preferred Guest for frequent travelers. The hotel room is quite spacious with a big working table for the laptops.
This is the main lobby once you entered Hongta Hotel. Staffs speak fluent English.
There is a heated indoor pool and a well-equipped gym. This hotel is quite clean and well maintained.
Gym at Hotel
The view from the hotel room showing housing in Shanghai. It is quite crowded after all 24 million people stayed in this city.
Nearest Metro station – Century Avenue
10 mins walk early in the morning to the nearest station from Hongta Hotel, Century Avenue Metro Station. There were not many cars on the streets yet.
Spotted a Three Wheel Motorbike on the road, not many nowadays in Shanghai. Most people travel by Metro or Bus or Taxi.
Huang Pu River
Huang Pu River is the largest river in Shanghai. It is more attractive to look at when the sky turns dark at night. There is a cruise along the Huang Pu River. I have tried the Guang Zhou River Cruise so I was not eager to try the Huang Pu River Cruise in Shanghai. It is spectacular to see the neon colors flashing everywhere. Don’t miss the Huang Pu River Cruise, the skyline at night is unbelievably stunning.
Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai – The Clam Shell or Hamburger
It is formerly known as Shanghai World Expo Cultural Center/上海世博会文化中心 during the 2010 Shanghai Expo.
Mercedes Benz took over the Arena for 10 years lease, I saw a similar arena in Berlin as well. Now it is an indoor stadium to host for big concerts and live music bands, facilitate 18000 guests.
Expo Shanghai
Most pavilions were temporary structures and dismantled after the end of the Expo. There are only a few remains and I am not sure when they will get dismantled.
China Pavilion
The China Pavilion is still there and was converted into a museum after the 2010 Shanghai Expo. It is now considered one of the largest museum in Asia for China Art. Do you find the architecture look like a Chinese crown?
Expo Axis -the world’s largest membrane construction
Behind me was the Expo Axis, this will not be dismantled and will remain as it is. Expo Axis is the largest and most significant building on the site beside the China Pavilion. The Expo Axis is also considered the landmark in the Expo Shanghai 2010.
It looks more stunning at night when there is light up. I know it does not look so impressive in the picture below.
Shanghai Lupu Bridge
Shanghai Lupu Bridge – this bridge looks like the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia. This bridge has 6 lanes of traffic and its main body is arc-shaped, like a rainbow flying across the Huangpu River. This bridge does not only serve to connect the Huang Pu and Pudong Districts but also serves as great sightseeing places. Visitors can climb up the top and have a good view of the Huang Pu River and the whole Shanghai city!
Ferry in Shanghai
I took a ferry to the Bund/外滩 to avoid traffic jam in the tunnel as it was during peak hour in the evening. The sky is still not dark yet so there are not many flashing lights captured. It only took me minutes to cross the river to the Bund. If I were to take a taxi, it could easily cost me more than 45 mins to reach the Bund. The cost of the ferry is only RMB 2.
Part 1 – Summary
- Taxi in Shanghai
- Circular Pedestrian Bridge in Lujiazui, Shanghai
- Disney store in Lujiazui
- Night View of Oriental Pearl Tower
- Night view from Lujiazui
- Shanghai Metro
- A must try cuisine in Shanghai – Xiaolongbao
- Hongta Hotel – SPG Group
- Huang Pu River
- China Pavilion in Expo
- Expo Axis -world’s largest membrane construction
- Shanghai Lupu Bridge
- Shanghai Ferry