Shanghai is China's dazzling economic powerhouse and most cosmopolitan metropolis, where grand 1920s Art Deco architecture on the western bank of the Huangpu River looks across to the gleaming futuristic supertowers of Pudong.
A walk along The Bund (Waitan) provides the quintessential introduction to the city, contrasting 52 historic financial edifices against the towering silhouettes of Shanghai Tower and the Oriental Pearl. By day, trade the skyscrapers for the tree-shaded residential lanes of the Former French Concession, discovering boutique coffee shops, restored Shikumen lane houses, and peaceful leafy plazas in Fuxing Park.
Efficient, bilingual, and spotless, Shanghai's 20-line metro network makes urban transit effortless. Culinary highlights center around delicate steamed pork soup dumplings (xiaolongbao), pan-fried shengjianbao with crispy sesame bottoms, and savory red-braised pork belly (hongshao rou).
