Shanghai General Tips by Audrey118

Favorite Thing: You must get to Pudong, to the Oriental Pearl Tower,
Peace Hotel (which is such a legend once upon a time in the early century), walk on the Bund as well as the otherside in Pudong, take the tunnel across to Pudong, admire all the european styled buildings which were built with millions then already!!!, and also walk on Najing Road shopping, and go to Yuyuan Garden, eat Shanghainese food, take a cruise along Huang pu.


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Favorite Thing: we started our journey on the Puxi side of the Bund, from the Waibadu bridge. Here is the best view you can get of the Pudong side of the Bund.

This steel bridge replaces a wooden one during early 1900s. Across from the bridge there are several old colonial building worth noting.

Fondest Memory: There is good old Shanghai history of the bridge. Intially a wooden drawbridge, the bridge can be opened to let boats pass through. The builder Wills also collected toll from people and cars crossing the bridge. And people protested over it. Years on, the Shanghai Council built a free bridge side by side to the Wills bridge.
It was called Wai Bai Du Bridge from then on...which means Outer Free Ferry Bridge.

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Favorite Thing: Here you get excellent view of Pudong from the bridge....


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Favorite Thing: This was built during the 1930s - there are lots of old buildings worthy to take note and entering.
This one marks the syle of early modernist!


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Favorite Thing: Across the road, is Pujiang Hotel, which is another old colonial building, built mid 1880s, and very very nice looking. Apparently it was the first hotel to have telephones and electric lights in China.

At the front of it a note shows the hotel built as Astor House Hotel, was erected in 1846 and during 1990-1997 it houses the Shanghai Secrities Exchange.

Pictures of Einstein, Chaplin & other VIP who stayed there are hung at the hotel lobby.

we also learnt that the hotel is renovating its old Shanghai famous Peacock ballroom back to its glam days of 1920s.


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Favorite Thing: Across from is the Russian consulate, which was built much much later than Astor House...some how blocking the wonderful Huangpu view a little.

The neo classical building was originally a hotel which lots of seamen stayed here.


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Favorite Thing: Here marks the start of the Huángpu Gongyuán or park which in the olden days had some park rules...the harsh ruling that prohibits Chinese and dogs into the park...
which suggest the underlying attitude of the people over the Chinese.


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Favorite Thing: Just below of the obelisk is the Bund Museum, where you can see pictures of yesteryears, and also how the Bund was so bustling. I found out from the museum that the people who build all those glorious buildings along the bund made their money through the Opium trade...all these drug warlords were the tycoons of those days, People like Sassoon etc made huge amount of money introducing opium to my ancestors!!!! killing many of my rich granfather, gran uncles etc.


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Favorite Thing: The bund museum is under the obelisk - lots of pictures of old colonial museum and early days of the Bund. It is here I found that the rich tycoons who build all those glorious buildings were big time drug lords!!!


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Favorite Thing: you will see lots of very very nice hetiage buildings build in many variations each calling for your attention. The one with the green pyramid shape roof is Peace hotel once upon a time the tallest building. The rooftop has excellent viewing at a small fee.

Many years ago, we stayed there once... the hotel is old but has a colonial style. We stayed about 4 nights, and it was OK...the rooms has lots of wood, and the lifts are unique - the old chain gated typed.

The once upon glamorous hotel was actually the private residence of the Sassoon family and as a grand hotel, then called as Cathay.
If you go to the ballroom on the 8th floor it is deck with lots of trimmings of the many years ago era and also the bar, you see lots of Art Deco (reminds me of French Rene Lalique works) and they are gorgeous.

Steven Spielberg filmed part of Empire of the Sun here.


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