Shanghai'd!
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I'm heading to Shanghai soon, for a 3-week business trip. Any recommendations of cool things to see? I've never been, but am looking forward to it.
The studio here is sending me out mid-August to help guide our Chinese half, and experience things on their side first-hand.
I think the hotel is in the Huangpu District, close to the center. I've heard great things about the city... I'd love to hear ideas for must-see or can't-miss things!
The studio here is sending me out mid-August to help guide our Chinese half, and experience things on their side first-hand.
I think the hotel is in the Huangpu District, close to the center. I've heard great things about the city... I'd love to hear ideas for must-see or can't-miss things!
Replies
Have fun, and don't be afraid of the food eat anything and everything:) The food there was amazing!!
B
If you get the chance, try to make a trip to Hangzhou, it's a very nice city close to Shanghai, totally worth it.
Also, the nightlife scene in SH is pretty big, if you're into that. And definately try alot of food
Here's my recommendations: for an awesome bar, check out the one on top of the jin mao tower in the hyatt hotel at floor 85 - cool!
for a great weekend trip, check out one of the water towns. I recommend Wuzhen (2hr drive with the taxi). Check out the west scenic area. Unlike most chinese tourist places this one is clean, empty of loudspeaker wielding tour guides and not overrun by everyone and their dog. It's also car and ad free and looks like how you'd image "old china". (flickr)
Check out the big shopping streets, Huaihai Lu and East Nanjing road.
Xintiandi - only worth imho if you visit Din Tai Fung. It's small, fake and full of tourists and their chinese guides.
Taikang Lu (aka Tianzifang) - small alleyways of old shanghai filled with small art and curio shops and some very good restaurants. Less overrun than Xintiandi and bigger. Most taxi drivers know where this place is. It's also just right opposite from where I live
Yu Yuan Gardens - probably the "oldest" thing in SH itself. There ain't much of old China in SH, unlike in Beijing. It's usually packed with people though (like most of China)
Jing'an temple - cool temple with golden roofs and lots of gold all around. Can be found in Jing'an which is close to city center.
Go up the to the 100th floor of the SWFC and the pearl tower - the top "space module" is a waste of time though. long waiting time, not so exciting views, dirty windows.
Go down to the Huangpu and hang out in one of the cafes and watch the sunset. (or go to the 85th floor bar in the hyatt and watch it from there)
For eating - check out these foreigner friendly places: 1221 (toned down chinese), GuYi (Hunan dishes, very yummy), Din Tai Fung (in Xintiandi) for great steamed dumplings (aka Dim Sum), Hunan House, Lost Heaven (foreigner friendly but incredibly good Yunan food in nice atmosphere), Di Shui Dong (popular with foreigners, best spicy restaurant in SH), Dongbei Ren (Panyu Lu/Yanan Lu - hearty northern cusine with dumpling, lots of meat and potatos). For good korean food and true commie feeling (there's a small show each night), there's a really good north korean restaurant called Pyongyang where even the entire staff is from there (平壤玉流馆, 3/F Jianguo Hotel, No. 439, North Caoxi Road, close to the city center). HeiDiLao - hotpot aka chinese Fundue. probably the best in China (there's 4 in SH alone). Dolar Shop supposedly also has good hotpot. For hotpot, have some Chinese speakers with you who can read the complicated menu.
Hangzhou is also a nice day trip. Take the bullet train (40 mins) then walk around the lake (5 mins w taxi from the station). Having some Chinese helpers to orient yourself on SH Hongqiao train station may be helpful. Unlike Wuzhen, Hanzhou has no real "old town". It's a regular town with some older buildings, a few mansions and temples along the lake. However just strolling at the lake is very nice and relaxing (Hangzhou flickr). If you can check out the LingYin temple which is in real use and not just a tourist place like many other temples.
Check out some of my pictures on flickr for some sights
hope you have a good time (bring a fan and sunscreen, it'll be super hot soon)
Thanks for the tips. Great pics Kwramm. Can't wait to go!
Nice city, Kwramm has definitely already mentioned most of the interesting stuff it seems, wish I had had the foresight to post a topic like this before leaving myself.
I had the chance to spend a less "touristy" evening with two guys from Virtuos actually, bought some brochettes from some guy on the corner of a street, grilling random food (cheapest meal I've had in my life), then went to some musical bar (it was actually the only bar I went to during my trip that WASN'T on the top of some crazy skyscraper).
Wish I had had more time to visit stuff, maybe if my company sends me again later on.
had a great night there , but pricey.
i dont like the food in mainland china, i'd also watch the seafood.
Theres a speciality there called mitten crabs .. awful...
awesome city though
http://www.dintaifung.com.tw/en/area_a_list.asp?AreaCountryNO=4
I'd definitely recommend it. They're especially known for small soup dumplings (shiao lohng bao). The soup inside will destroy your tongue if you're not careful. They also have a fried rice that's pretty good and should be good for foreigners to try. I'm from Taiwan and never been to China so maybe not the best person to listen to on that. But I think fried rice is generally for tourists. It's still good though.
And if it's like the ones in Taiwan. expect din tai fung to be packed. People are batshit about that stuff it's crazy. I've never waited less than 45 minutes whenever I go. (I usually went lunch with a large party though)
I'd ask some of the people at your studio in China for food tips. Food is supposed to be cheap there. I assume tourists places in Shanghai also jack up their prices and prey on foreigners. Taiwan cities have small night markets all over I imagine there'd be some in Shanghai. And if you go to the right places the food isn't as exotic as you'd think. Scorpions, snakes, dogs, and cats...the one night market I know in Taiwan that had those was for tourists.
If you're down for spicy I'd try some szechuan (sssi truan) cuisine.
Have fun!
Definitely hit up the fake market for the experience alone. I don't know which one I went to but it was right off of the subway. I found that when haggling I could get most things at 4 to 5 times less than what they said the price was.
- BoBo
Haha! I have to work on my Groucho Marx impersonation skills.
Posting some pics and stuff here.
http://www.ericchadwick.com/blog/
that jade sculpture is one of these
and confuscian fingernail.. for nose picking lol j/k
lots of chinamen still have it..
rolf, it seems the great firewall has eaten your picture.
Thankfully for me there's folks like you to go visit for me. :thumbup:
Living in Texas I'm sure you've had it but just didn't know it. Especially if you like Mexican food.
we're expanding and always hiring great people, especially bilingual since we have so many western clients - http://www.virtuosgames.com/
We cover A - AA - AAA tiles, from handhelds to PS3, realistic to cartoony style. Games and pre-rendered. There's probably place where he fits in
We're on Yan'an Lu / Dingxi Lu in Changning (hope that's not too far of a commute for him)
I had some chances to stuff that wasn't my usual fare. I never refused, and it (nearly) all tasted really really good.
Crunchy pork ears, also sampled some duck stomach
Pig stomach, for a boiling fondue bath
"stinky tofu"
Duck
Peppery duck tongue
Also had pickled chicken feet served cold with the skin on, sorry no pics though.