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Text and Photos: Sergi Reboredo
Shanghai Huangpu River Night Cruise
The Huangpu River is the mother river of Shanghai. Nanpu Bridge, Yangpu Bridge and Oriental Pearl TV Tower compose of a huge picture scroll. The Bund is the cultural section of Shanghai that best represents the blending of ancient and modern influences. This renowned waterfront district is the city's most famous landmark. Local people honor the Huangpu River as Mother River, and as you view the lights and spectacle from the deck of your evening cruise, you will understand why.
Between the stately colonial edifices along the Bund, the glittering skyscrapers on the eastern shore of Pudong, and the unceasing river traffic, there is plenty to keep your eyes from ever resting. Besides offering a privileged view of the bridges that span the Huangpu, the cruise boats also offer an excellent view of the famous colonial-era buildings that make up the Bund, buildings such as the Peace Hotel with its unique pyramid roof in blazing green and the Customs House with its large clock tower.
The main ticket office of Huangpu River Cruise is opened daily, and the schedule usually includes a full morning cruise (from 9am to 12:30pm) and a full afternoon cruise (from 2 to 5:30pm). Both these full cruises make a complete circuit of the Huangpu to its mouth. The Huangpu River cruise company also offers a night cruise from 7 to 9pm, splendid when the lights are on the Bund and Pudong, but this voyage does not go downriver to the Yangtze. Cruise schedules vary depending on the season, and on weekends additional cruises are sometimes added.
The endangered white rhino can be viewed in the Mosi-oa-Tunya Zoological Park from 4x4 vehicles or on the back of elephants, all organized by the resort. The park is also home to hippo, crocodiles, buffalo, giraffe and a variety of buck.
For those for whom adrenalin sports are a must-do, visitors to the Royal Livingstone can also do white- water rafting down the Zambezi, jet-boating, horseback riding, rappelling, bungee jumping, abseiling, and micro-lighting.
In the past few years, the resort introduced dinner aboard the Royal Livingstone Express, a unique experience combining the luxury of the Royal Livingstone hotel with the bygone charm of rail travel. Passengers travel leisurely at sunset through the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park or onto the Victoria Falls bridge and enjoy a 5-course gourmet dinner in the middle of the African bush..
Shanghai, the best links.
Shanghai What can one say about Shanghai? Shanghai offers many spectacular views and different perspectives, ancient and modern, Eastern and Western, and high-speed and slow-paced. This is a slightly static website, but does have a top 20 of sites, as well as a useful what's on section.
http://www.meet-in-shanghai.net/
Shanghai Goverment
General portal with lots of info on the country, heavy on the corporate side but also informative for the visitor.
http://www.shanghai.gov.cn/shanghai/node27118/index.html
Shanghai Travel Guide
Shanghai, Hu for short, is a renowned international metropolis drawing more and more attention from all over the world. Situated on the estuary of Yangtze River, it serves as the most influential economic, financial, international trade, cultural, science and technology center in East China. Also it is a popular destination for visitors to sense the pulsating development of the country.
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/shanghai.htm
The Official Shanghai China Travel Website
What's happening in Shanghai around the year like cultural, sports and tourism events & festivals? New flight connections and hotel openings? We'll keep you updated here.
http://www.meet-in-shanghai.net
Shanghai: 10 Things to Do
Shanghai bristles with buildings, but the city doesn't boast must-see sights like New York or Rome. The joys of Shanghai, instead, are on the street level, where everyday life unfolds with bewildering variety. An elderly woman in pajamas will be chopping vegetables on the stoop of her lane house, while a Prada-clad beauty will sashay past on her way to a nearby art gallery. So sharpen your elbows, pick up a pair of chopsticks and dig in.
http://content.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1851908_1851830_1851791,00.html
Shanghai China
Shanghai China Tourist Information and Travel Guide
http://shanghaichina.ca
Shanghai Wikitravel
Shanghai was the largest and most prosperous city in the Far East during the 1930's. In the past 20 years it has again become an attractive city for tourists from all over the world. The world once again had its eyes on the city when it hosted the 2010 World Expo, recording the greatest number of visitors in the event's history.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Shanghai
SHANGHAI IN YOUR POCKET
Publication date: March 2014
Language: Castilian
Price: 9,95 €
BEST GUIDE PDF
Children Shanghai
Children Shanghai: city also for the kids
Xintiandi
Xintiandi is a car-free shopping, eating and entertainment area of Shanghai. It is composed of an area of restored traditional shikumen ("stone gate") houses on narrow alleys, a modern shopping mall with a cinema complex, and some adjoining houses which now serve as book stores, cafes and restaurants. Most of the cafes and restaurants feature both indoor and outdoor seatings. Xintiandi has an active nightlife on weekdays as well as weekends, though romantic settings are more common than loud music and dance places. Xintiandi means "New Heaven and Earth", and is considered one of the first lifestyle centers in China.
Xintiandi is near the site of the First Congress of the Communist Party of China.
The area was developed by the Shui On Group during the re-development of the surrounding area, when similar shikumen houses were demolished wholesale. The houses in Xintiandi were then restored, and now house an art gallery, cafes, and restaurants. The marketing of xintiandi is mainly targeted towards overseas visitors, especially visitors from Hong Kong, who seek to experience the romanticised atmosphere of old Shanghai. As a result, prices in this area are high, even by international standards. Eating or shopping in this area is seen as a status symbol by affluent local residents. Many tour groups both domestic and from abRd. also visit Xintiandi as one of the main attractions in Shanghai.
The Bund - Shanghai Puxi Landmarks
The Bund is a symbol of Shanghai. The Bund has dozens of historical buildings, lining the Huangpu River, that once housed numerous banks and trading houses from the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Italy, Russia, etc. The Bund houses 52 buildings of various architectural styles such as Romanesque, Gothic,Renaissance, Baroque,
Neo-Classical,Beaux-Arts, and Art Deco. The buildings are harmonious in color and style, thus gaining the name of "Gallery of World Architecture". When night falls and the lights are on, all the buildings are lit with colorful lights, glistening and dazzling to the eye.
Bund Sightseeing Tunnel: The 646.7-m long Sightseeing Tunnel at the Bund runs from the Bund at the end of Nanjing Rd. to the Oriental Pearl TV. Tower in Pudong. It is the first of its kind for pedestrians in China . The tunnel adopts the internationally advanced SK system, taking 2.5-5-min.to cross the river. The interior wall of the tunnel is decorated with changing colors. The unmanned environmental, transparent carriages in the tunnel provide visitors with an open view. A 6-sound-band acoustic system accompanying the changing scenes, produces an effect on visitors of being present personally at the scene.
Waibaidu Bridge: Spanning over Suzhou Creek, Waibaidu Bridge is a well-known bridge. It was first built in I 855 of wood and rebuilt in I 907 in iron and steel The bridge is 1 06.7-m long, with a load of 20 tons, a traffic lane of 11.2 m and 3.6-m wide sidewalks
on both sides. It was once the most elegant and magnificent bridge in the city and, up to now, it is still considered one of the symbols of Shanghai.
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Huangpu River Cruise: The river cruise is an important traditional tourist item in Shanghai. The Huangpu River is the mother river of Shanghai. It symbolizes Shanghai and presents visitors with the cream
of the city'S scenic sights on its banks. Here you will have a glimpse of Shanghai's past and look into the bright future of the city. Starting from the Bund the boat will bring you upstream to the Nanpu Bridge, turn around downstream to the Yangpu Bridge and all the way to Wusong Mouth, where the river meets theYangtzi, and then turns back.
The cuise company owns different kinds of cruise ships, wharves and a waiting lounge. The company offers boat trips to Wusong Mouth to see the Three Layer-Water, Yangpu Bridge , Nanpu Bridge , the cuise of the "Twin Dragons Playing with the Pearl ", boat charter service and special cuisse as required by tourists.
Three on the Bund: Three on the Bund is a celebration of contemporary living where art, culture, food, fashion and wellness converge to inspire a richer life. The stunningly transformed neo-classical 1916 building is
home to four unique restaurants, the Giorgio Armani flagship store, Space by Three private events space, Evian Spa by Three and the Shanghai Gallery of Art.
Yuyuan Garden
A famous classical garden in south China , it was once famed as the "top beauty in southeast China". First built during the Ming Dynasty, 400 years ago, by a Sichuan minister of finance named Pan Yunduan, it has been several times renovated by the government since the Liberation and is now one of the key relic sites in the country under state protection. The garden is divided into the scenic sections of "Mountains and Forests in the City", "Magnificent Woods and Beautiful Valleys", "Historical Relics of Heralding Spring", "Water and Rockery Scenery", "Tops in the World" and the Inner Garden.
Yuyuan Commercial City: The area consists of the famous classical garden in south China Yuyuan Garden, the "kingdom of small articles of daily use", and the "kingdom of delicacies". There you will find the
Old City God Temple, and the historical relic temple of Chengxiangge . A large number of rebuilt Ming and Qing dynasty-style buildings, together with the Nine-cornered Zigzag Bridge, Mid-lake Pavilion and Lotus Pond form an attractive scene for tourists. When night falls and light is on, the area is attracting visitors with its glistening beauty. In the midst of competition in business Yuyuan Commercial City has become a hot sport for tourism, shopping and investment.
Old City God Temple: First built in the year of Yongle of the Ming Dynasty (1403), it is a major Taoist temple in Shanghai . In the temple are enshrined the City God Qin Yubo and General Huoguang. It was very popular during the Qing Dynasty.
Shanghai Old Street: The 825-m long Old Street runs from Renmin Rd. to Henan Rd. . It is an important thoroughfare for visiting the Yuyuan commercial area. In old Shanghai here were found the private
banks, gold shops, jewelry stores, wine shops, tea houses, theatres, and other firms, usually called the center of all trades in Shanghai. Here, now, we can find some of the traditional trades like a coin store, old-fashioned tea houses, a shop selling mahogany decorative articles, a pawn shop, a wine shop and a private bank.
Shanghai Shopping Streets
A historic space on the illustrious Bund has been transformed into Shanghai's premier showcase for contemporary Chinese lifestyle. Situated in an ornate building designed in Free Renaissance style, Three On the Bund has now been transformed by world-renowned architect Michael Graves into a refined celebration of contemporary Chinese lifestyle. Featuring the best in dining, cultural events, spa treatments, and boutique shopping, it is home to 4 award-winning restaurants, including Jean Georges and Nougatine on 4th Floor, Whampoa Club on 5th Floor, New Heights on 7th Floor, while also housing HOW Boutique Wine Bar and Copula on its top floor, Space by Three private events venue and the Evian Spa by Three on 2nd Floor, the Shanghai Gallery of Art and its store on 3rd Floor, Giorgio Armani's China flagship store, Armani/Casa, and the European luxury leather goods brand MCM on the 1st Floor.
Bund 18 was the headquarters of the Standards Bank in China. Today after several years' renovation, it becomes one of the famous places for dining, entertainment and meeting.
On the first and second floors there are brand fashion shops, as well as accessories and jewelry shops. The headquarters of Zegna is on the third floor. The Creative Center on the 4th floor provides a platform for creativity and art to interact and integrate. Restaurants and Bar on the 5th, 6th and 7th floors offer Chinese and western food.
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West Nanjing Road
Westgate Mall, Zhong Xin Tai Fu, Plaza 66, Jiu Guang Sogo Department Store are all around this shopping area. They mainly deal in world brand names. It has a comprehensive function of shopping, relaxation and relaxation and entertainment.
Nanjing Road Pedestrian Walkway
Nanjing Rd., famed as "No. 1 Street in China", is an epitome of Shanghai 's history and culture. The 1,033-m long Pedestrian Walkway lies between the Bund and the People's Square. There are more than 600 shops on both sides of the walkway. There are not only 100-year old ones, famous brand ones but also specialty shops of different trades. At night, the whole walkway is lit up.
Fuzhou Road
Fuzhou Rd. has long been reputed as "Cultural Street " in Shanghai. On both sides of the street are well-known book stores, publishing houses and time-honored stationery stores dealing in writing brushes, ink sticks, rice paper, ink stones, etc. Also there are Foreign Languages Bookstore and Shanghai Book City. Other novelty stores offer a wide selection of pretty greeting cards, Huizhou rice paper, silk paper, Zhoushanlian writing brushes, artistic painting frames, and etc.
Huaihai Road
Huaihai Rd. at the center of city is one of the most bustling shopping streets in Shanghai. As an epitome of Shanghai's modern history, it is the showcase of its prosperity and the latest fashion with the feature of regional Shanghai culture. Huaihai Rd. facilitates a world-class shopping environment in Shanghai.
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Yuyuan Commercial City
The area consists of the famous classical garden in south China Yuyuan Garden, the "kingdom of small articles of daily use", and the "kingdom of delicacies". There you will find the Old City God Temple, and the historical relic temple of Chengxiangge. A large number of rebuilt Ming and Qing dynasty-style buildings, together with the Nine-cornered Zigzag Bridge, Mid-lake Pavilion and Lotus Pond form an attractive scene for tourists. When night falls and light is on, the area attracts visitors with its glistening beauty. In the midst of competition in business Yuyuan Commercial City has become a hot sport for tourism, shopping and investment.
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XuJiaHui
XuJiaHui, with XuJiaHui Square as the center, boasts a galaxy of well-known malls-Grand Gateway, Orient Shopping Center, Pacific, Shanghai LiuBai, HuiJin Department store, Pacific Digital Plaza, Metro City, Sunrise Department store, HuiLian Department store, etc. Besides, there thrives indeally-situated Metro Shopping Plaza underground with the flow of enthusiastic shoppers.
North Sichuan Road
Next to Nanjing Rd. and Huaihai Rd., it is the third largest commercial street in Shanghai. The road was among the first ones built after Shanghai became an open port in history. The 3.7-km long street runs from south to north in Hongkou District by Suzhou Creek.
New Shanghai Commercial Center
Located on Zhangyang Rd. of Pudong Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, the New Shanghai Commercial Center is one of the biggest commercial projects of Shanghai. With a comprehensive function of shopping, dining, entertainment, relaxation and working, it is the biggest modern commercial center in Asia. ??
Dongtai Road Antique Market
It is a market mainly dealing with the porcelains, jade wares, bronze wares, wooden wares, calligraphy and paintings and embroidery utensils. Lots of tourists from home and aboard visit this famous market.
Shanghai Museum
The Shanghai Museum is a museum of ancient Chinese art, situated on the People's Square in the Huangpu District.
? 1952: Museum founded and first open to the public in the former Shanghai Racecourse club house, now at 325 W. Nanjing Rd..
? 1959: Museum moved into the former Zhonghui Building at 16 S. Henan Rd., which previously housed insurance companies and bank offices.
? 1992: Museum allocated a piece of land on People's Square by the Shanghai municipal government, as its new site.
Construction of the current building started in August 1993. It was inaugurated in October 12, 1996. It is 29.5 meters high with five floors, covering a total area of 39,200 m².
Designed by a local architect, the new museum building is designed in the shape of an ancient, bronze, tripod cooking vessel called a ding. It is said that the inspiration for the design was specifically provided by the Da Ke Ding, now on exhibit in the museum. The building has round top and a square base, symbolising the ancient Chinese perception of the world as "round sky, square earth".
The museum has a collection of over 120,000 pieces, including bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, furniture, jades, ancient coins, paintings, seals, sculptures, minority art and foreign art. It has eleven galleries and three special temporary exhibition halls. The permanent galleries are:
? Gallery of Ancient Chinese Bronze
? Gallery of Ancient Chinese Sculpture
? Gallery of Ancient Chinese Ceramics
? Gallery of Ancient Chinese Jades
? Gallery of Ancient Chinese Paintings
? Gallery of Ancient Chinese Calligraphy
? Gallery of Ancient Chinese Seals
? Gallery of Ancient Chinese Numismatics
? Gallery of Chinese Furniture in Ming and Qing dynasties
? Gallery of Arts and Crafts by Chinese Minorities
The Shanghai Museum houses several items of national importance, including one of three extant specimens of a "transparent" bronze mirror from the Han Dynasty.
Nanjing Rd. Pedestrian Walkway: Nanjing Rd., famed as "No I street in China", is an epitome of Shanghai's history and culture, the 1,033-m long Pedestrian Walkway lies between the Bund and the People's Square. There are 600 shops on both sides of the walkway, the 100-
year old ones, famous-brand ones, specialty shops of different trades.
Lujiazui
Shanghai Pudong Landmarks
Shanghai World Financial Center
The Shanghai World Financial Center is a supertall skyscraper in Shanghai. It is a mixed use skyscraper which consists of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and shopping malls on the ground floors. Park Hyatt Shanghai is the hotel component containing 174 rooms and suites.This hotel becomes the highest in the world, surpassing the Grand Hyatt Shanghai on the 53rd to 87th floors of the neighboring Jin Mao Tower.
Opening in August, 2008, Shanghai World Financial Center has temporarily claimed the highest roof in China; the skyscraper's roof height is set at 492 m . There are 3 observation decks in Shanghai World Financial Center. The height of its lowest observation deck is 423 m (1,388 ft), on the 94th floor, the second is 439 m (1,440 ft) high, on the 97th floor, named " Observatory Bridge ", and the highest is 474 m (1,555 ft) high, on the 100th floor.
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Pudong Riverside Promenade
Pudong's answer to the Bund, this strip of green along the east bank of the Huangpu River offers a fine view of the Bund at a distance. After dark, when the Bund's buildings are lit up and beacon lights sweep the river lanes, the view is one of the best in Shanghai . The Riverside Promenade also affords marvelous views of Pudong's skyscrapers, and the Shanghai International Convention Center and its twin globes. Extending from Dongchang Lu and the river ferry terminal in the south to Taidong Lu in the north, the 2.5km -long (1 1/2-mile) promenade consists of manicured lawns, flower beds, and a bRd. walkway dotted with kiosks. Starbucks and Haagen-Dazs have staked out the best spots in the middle section around the Shangri-La hotel, so you can now have your view and your latte and ice cream too.
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Lujiazui Central Green Belt
The 100,000m 2 large Lujiazui Central Green is located at the entrance of the East Yan'an Rd. Tunnel.
At the entrance is a group of huge steel sculptures named Spring, which resemble eight flowers in full bloom. The Central Green is covered by 65000 square meters of an all-the-year-round-green-type turf and in the center of it lies a man-made lake of 8600 square meters which resembles a map of the Pudong New Area. The magnolia shaped pathway and the lake look like the city emblem of Shanghai . The key scene of the Central Green is the spurting fountains, which consist of a main and spurting-into-the-sky fountain surrounded by two circles of subsidiary fountains. On the western bank of the lake is over -600m 2 panorama sail.
The Lujiazui Central Green was developed by Shanghai Lujiazui Development (Group) Co., Ltd. with the total investment of RMB 800 billion yuan. More than 3500 households were relocated and it was open to the public on July 1, 1997.
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Century Boulevard
The Century Avenue winds from the Oriental Pearl TV Tower to the Pudong Century Park with the length of five kilometers and the width of 100 meters. It is a symbolic landscape avenue as a part of Shanghai 's West-East Development Axis connecting the Hongqiao International Airport and Pudong International Airport.
The landscape design of the Century Avenue was worked out by the French Charpentier- La Defense Company. Its unique layout of asymmetric lanes and the integration of lanes with 8 botanical gardens embodies the planning trend of cities in the 21st century which aims at sustained development.
On the north side of the Century Avenue, there are eight China Botanical Gardens shinning like eight emeralds. Each with the length of 180 meters and the width of 17.6 meters, they are named after eight well-known trees in China, which are Willow, Metasequoia, Cherry, Crape Myrtle, Magnolia, Camellia, Chinese Redbud and Goldenrain Tree. The total number of bushes and talls planted in the botanical gardens amounts to over eighty thousand.
Along the Century Avenue, sculptures on the subject of Time are on display to emphasize on the meaning of trans-century. The huge sculpture named "Oriental Light" at the crossing of the Yanggao Rd. and the sculptures of the ancient timing instruments such as "Time of the Day" and "Wu Xing" make the Century Avenue the only urban sculptures exhibition on the subject of Time all over the world.
With plots to be developed at the both sides of the boulevard, it is designed to be built into a modern cultural and scenic area with facilities of commerce, service, culture, entertainment and real estate. ??
Jinmao Tower
Jinmao Tower , one of the symbolic buildings of the 21st century in Shanghai, is a 88-story super high-rise with the height of 420.5 meters.It is the second highest building in China. It was completed in August 28, 1998.
The main building is from the 1F to 52F, which is used for offices. From the 53F to 87F is a five-star Grand Hyatt Hotel and the 88F is for sightseeing. The skirt building is mainly used for finance, trade, service and entertainment. The most advanced technologies are applied in the building. The designer is S.O.M Office from USA .
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The Oriental Pearl TV Tower
The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is located at the tip of Lujiazui in the Pudong district, by the side of Huangpu River, opposite The Bund of Shanghai.
It was designed by Jia Huan Cheng of the Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Co. Ltd. Construction began in 1991 and the tower was completed in 1995. At 468 m (1,535 feet) high, it was the tallest structure in mainland China from 1994–2007, when it was surpassed by the Shanghai World Financial Center. The Oriental Pearl TV Tower belongs to the World Federation of Great Towers.
The tower features 11 spheres, big and small. The two biggest spheres, along the length of the tower, have diameters of 50 m ( 164 ft ) for the lower and 45 m ( 148 ft ) for the upper. They are linked by three columns, each 9m ( 30 ft ) in diameter. The highest sphere is 14 m ( 46 ft ) in diameter.
The entire building is supported by three enormous columns that start underground.
The tower has fifteen observatory levels. The highest (known as the Space Module) is at 350 m ( 1148 ft ). The lower levels are at 263 m ( 863 ft ) (Sightseeing Floor) and at 90 m ( 295 ft ) ( Space City ). There is a revolving restaurant at the 267 m ( 876 ft ) level. The project also contains exhibition facilities, restaurants and a shopping mall. There is also a 20 room hotel called the Space Hotel between the two large spheres.
An antenna bRd.casting TV and radio programs extends the construction by another 118 m ( 387 ft ).
The design of the building is based on a verse of the Tang Dynasty poem Pipa Song by Bai Juyi about the wonderful sprinkling sound of a pipa instrument, like pearls, big and small falling on a jade plate.
Seen from afar, the Yangpu Bridge and the Nanpu bridge seem like two Chinese dragons frolicking with the pearls of the Oriental Pearl tower.
The Pearl Tower attracts over three million visitors each year. ?
Shanghai International Convention Center
To welcome the'99 Fortune Global Forum, on the west side of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, a world class Shanghai International Convention Center was built.
In the convention center, there are modern conference halls, press centers, hotels, dining rooms and entertainment facilities. All these facilities are constructed according to the international standards.
On both sides of the conference hall, there are two huge balls with the map of the world printed on them. Many well-known international conferences have been held here.There are 4,300-sq.m. modernized multifunction halls and a 3,600-sq.m. news center.
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Shanghai Ocean Aquarium
The Shanghai Ocean Aquarium is a public aquarium located in Shanghai . It is home to an Oranda goldfish named Bruce which measures 17.129 in. ( 43.507 cm ) from snout to tail fin! Bruce was named after Bruce Lee. The Shang hai Ocean aquarium also has the longest underwater tunnel in the world. For visitors to SOA, your fascinating "round the world" underwater journey begins from the Yangtze River in China, then on to the mysterious flooded forest of the Amazon in South America . Next you will find yourselves at the mangroves and billabongs of Australia. You will then meander through the rivers of Africa before arriving at the rainforests of Southeast Asia. Brave the cold as you go through the icy waters of the Antarctic. The last leg of your journey will take you from the sandy shores to the depths of the ocean.
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Shanghai Natural Wild-Insect Kingdom
Shanghai Natural Wild-Insect Kingdom, located between the Riverside Promenade and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, is the first of its kind in China.
The birds and the bees, the beetles and the butterflies, all your usual creepy crawlies are on display in this kingdom housing several galleries, including a tropical rainforest and a reptile cave. Some of the insect models can be pretty tacky to adult eyes, but kids like the interactive exhibits where they can feed critters and catch fish.
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Century Park
Century Park is the largest park of the city of Shanghai. It is situated in Pudong New Area. The Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is located nearby.
The park includes a concert stage, and visitors can hire tandem bicycles or cycling-cars to travel through it. The park's landscaping combines British, Japanese, and Chinese gardening styles.
Century Park is best reached by taking Shanghai Metro Line 2 to Century Park Station. It is also within walking distance from Shanghai Science and Technology Museum Station. Entrance to the park costs 10 RMB ($1.10), although prices are raised during the 'golden week' holiday periods.
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Shanghai Science and Technology Museum
Shanghai Science and Technology Museum is a large museum in Pudong, Shanghai, close to Century Park, the largest park of the city. The museum incorporates an IMAX theatre, and as of 2006 there are 12 main exhibits open to the public, including "Spectrum of Life", "World of Robots" and "Information Era".
The construction of the museum cost 1,75 billion RMB, and the floor area is 98 000?.
Exhibitions
1?AV Paradise: Information technology and video & film technologies. Robot Theatre, Plane Steering Simulation
2?Wide Spectrum of Life: Exhibitions about biodiversity, genetics and rainforests.
3?Children's Technoland: Aimed at children aged 1-12.
4?Earth's Crust Exploration
5? Light of Wisdom: about hundred interactive exhibits demonstrating the laws of physics, mathematics, chemistry and biology.
6? Cradle of Designers: The Masterpieces of Design Area displays great achievements in design. Includes a CAD-classroom.
7? 4-D Theatre: Theatre that produces movement, wind, rain, and other 4-D effects; capacity of 56 seats.
8? IMAX 3-D Large Format Theatre: The screen is as high as a 6-story building and can seat over 400 people.
9?IMAX Dome Theatre
History of Shanghai
The history of Shanghai spans over a thousand years and closely parallels the development of modern China. Originally a small agricultural village, Shanghai developed during the late Qing dynasty (1644–1911) as one of China's principal trading ports. Since the economic reforms of the early 1990s the city has burgeoned to become one of Asia's financial centers and the world's busiest container port.
Early Era
Early settlements of Shanghai
Around 6,000 BC, only the western part of the Shanghai region encompassing today's Qingpu, Songjiang and Jinshan districts were dry land formed by lacustrine silting from ancient Lake Tai. The modern Jiading, Minhang and Fengxian districts emerged around 1,000 BC while the downtown area remained underwater.
The earliest Neolithic settlements known in this area date to the Majiabang culture (5000–3300 BC). This was overlapped by the Songze culture between around 3800–3300 BCE. In the lower stratum of the Songze excavation site in the modern day Qingpu District, archaelogists found the prone skeleton of one of the Shanghai's earliest inhabitants—a 25-30-year-old male with an almost complete skull dated to the Majiabang era.
By the fourth and fifth centuries AD, during the Eastern Jin dynasty (317–420), a thriving fishing industry had developed along the Song River—now known as Suzhou Creek,—a tributary of the Huangpu River. Located some 12 miles (19 km) from the Yangtze River estuary, China's largest inland waterway, the creek was at that time known as the Hu, a character that represents a fishing trap, of which there were a number in the river.[6] The character Hu is still used as an abbreviation to denote the city, for example on car license plates. Qinglong Zhen , the "Garrison of the Green Dragon", the first garrison in this area, was founded in 746 during the Tang dynasty (618–907) in what is now the Qingpu District of Shanghai. Five years later, Huating Zhèn (???; ???; "Garrison of the Flower Temple") followed, demonstrating the growth of the region and its increasing political and geographical importance.
In 1074, Emperor Shenzong of Song, established a Marine Office and a Goods Control Bureau north west of Huating Zhen at the approximate location of Shanghai's old city, adjacent to a ditch or pu (?) that ran north into Suzhou Creek and allowed for the loading and unloading of freight.
Later on, the area's proximity to Hangzhou, the capital of the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279), proved beneficial.[6] Along with its commercial activities, Qinglong Zhen became a military and naval base and by the early 12th century a Superintendent of Foreign Trade[B] was establised in the settlement to supervise trade and tax collections across five counties. As a result, the flourishing and prosperous town earn the sobriquet "Little Hangzhou."
According to official government sources, Shanghai first became a city in 1291 during the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368).At this time, five of Huating Zhen's villages were amalgamated to form a new Shanghai County (???; ???; Shàngh?i xiàn) on the site of the modern city centre. This new settlement had a population of about 300,000 with many engaged in the shipping trade.
Ming dynasty
By the early 1400s, Shanghai had become important enough for Ming dynasty engineers to begin dredging the Huangpu River (also known as Shen). In 1553, a city wall was built around the Old Town (Nanshi) as a defense against the depredations of the Wokou (Japanese pirates). Shanghai had its first contact with the Jesuits in 1603 when the Shanghai scholar-bureaucrat Xu Guangqi was baptized by Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci.[10] Xu later bequeathed some of his land in Shanghai, today's Xujiahui, meaning Xu family village, to the Catholic Church. By the end of the Ming dynasty in 1664, Shanghai had become a major cotton and textile center with a population that would soon reach 200,000.
Qing dynasty
During the late Qing dynasty, Shanghai's economy began to rival that of the traditionally larger market at Suzhou. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, exports of cotton, silk, and fertilizer reached as far as Polynesia and Persia.[citation needed]
In 1832, the British East India Company explored Shanghai and the Yangzi River as a potential trading center for tea, silk, and opium, but was rebuffed by local officials. The British then forced the Chinese to import British opium (which it produced in British India) by waging the First Opium War between 1839 and 1842. The Qing military forces that proved no match for the British. The war finally ended with the Treaty of Nanjing and Shanghai was one of five Chinese cities to be opened up to British consuls, merchants, and their families. Soon merchants from France, the USA, Germany and other foreign powers began to move into Shanghai, carving out for themselves sovereign "concessions" where they were not subject to Chinese laws. The British established their concession in 1845, the Americans in 1848 in Hongkou, north of Suzhou Creek, and the French set up their concession in 1849 west of the old Chinese city and south of the British Concession. In 1846, Peter Richards founded Richards' Hotel, the first western hotel in China. It would later become the Astor House. In 1850, the first English-language newspaper in Shanghai, the North China Herald, was launched.
The Taiping Rebellion was the largest of a number of widespread rebellions against the hugely unpopular Qing regime. In 1853, Shanghai was occupied by a triad offshoot of the rebels called the Small Swords Society. The fighting devastated much of the countryside but left the foreign settlements untouched. In 1854 a group of Western businessmen met and formed the Shanghai Municipal Council to organise road repairs, refuse clearance and tax collection across the concessions. In 1863 the American concession (land fronting the Huangpu River to the north-east of Suzhou Creek) officially joined the British Settlement (stretching from Yang-ching-pang Creek to Suzhou Creek) to become the Shanghai International Settlement. Its waterfront became the internationally-famous Bund. The French concession, to the west of the old town, remained independent and the Chinese retained control over the original walled city and the area surrounding the foreign enclaves. By the late-1860s Shanghai's official governing body had been practically transferred from the individual concessions to the Shanghai Municipal Council. The International Settlement was wholly foreign-controlled with the British holding the largest number of seats on the Council and heading all the Municipal departments. No Chinese residing in the International Settlement were permitted to join the council until 1928.
Jardine's attempt to construct the Woosung "Road" railway in 1876 – China's first – proved initially successful until the death of a soldier on the tracks prompted the Chinese government to demand its nationalization. Upon the last payment in 1877, the local viceroy ordered the profitable railway dismantled and removed to Taiwan.[12] The telegraph that had been strung along the line of the railway – also China's first – was, however, allowed to remain in operation.
By the mid-1880s, the Shanghai Municipal Council had a practical monopoly over a large part of the city's services. It bought up all the local gas-suppliers, electricity producers and water-companies. In the early 20th century, it took control over all non-private rickshaws and the Settlement tramways. It also regulated opium sales and prostitution until their banning in 1918 and 1920 respectively.
The Treaty of Shimonoseki which ended the First Sino-Japanese War saw Japan emerge as an additional foreign power in Shanghai. Japan built the first factories in Shanghai,[citation needed] which were soon followed by other foreign powers. The Chinese defeat also spurred reformers within the Qing government to modernize more quickly, leading to the reëstablishment of the Songhu Railway and its expansion into the Shanghai–Nanjing Railway.
